Paint Pots Preschool & Nursery

Paint Pots Pre-School + Nursery (Shirley) 19 Howard Road, SOUTHAMPTON, SO15 5BB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/12/2012 01/12/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The owners provide inspirational leadership. They have a strong drive to achieve or maintain the highest standards for the benefit of all the children in their care. They use rigorous systems to monitor and evaluate all that they do and devise well-targeted action plans.  Children form close bonds with staff. They feel happy, secure and become independent, active learners.  Staff are highly qualified, knowledgeable and well motivated. They provide rich and imaginative experiences for the children and use excellent teaching to help children make rapid progress.  Children are enthusiastic and enjoy learning. The strong focus on developing their communication, physical and social skills helps them make rapid progress and ensures they are exceptionally well prepared for school.  The nursery has highly effective partnerships with parents and carers, so that they are engaged in their children's learning in the nursery and at home.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with both owners and the acting manager to discuss the nursery provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spent time observing children in all rooms and in the garden and discussed individual children's development with their key persons.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to several parents at the nursery and took account of their comments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked through several children's individual records and their profiles and discussed these with staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked through a sample of policies, procedures and other documents relating to children's care.

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Information about the setting

Paint Pots Howard Road registered in 2007 and is one of a small group of privately owned nurseries. It operates from a detached, converted house in Shirley, Southampton. The children use playrooms on the ground and first floor. There is a secure garden for outdoor play. The catchment area encompasses a large urban area, as well as commutable areas further outside the city. The nursery is open for 51 weeks of the year, Monday to Friday, from 7.45am to 6pm. Children may attend full or part-time. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery gets funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are currently 133 children on roll, aged from 4 months to 8 years. Of these 131 are in the early years age group. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children for who are learning English as an

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Information about the setting

additional language. The manager holds Early Years Professional Status and Qualified Teacher Status. Additionally there are 14 members of staff working directly with the children. The preschool supervisor and toddler room supervisor are qualified to level 7. Two part-time staff are qualified at level 6 and 7 respectively. Five staff are qualified at level 3 and three members of staff are currently working towards qualifications. The owners oversee the curriculum; both have achieved Early Years Professional Status.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 enhance children's early literacy skills by staff consistently modelling clear writing with correctly formed letters.

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who attend

Staff plan an exciting range of varied and imaginative experiences for children in a well- resourced and stimulating environment. The excellent teaching helps children make rapid progress in all areas of their development. Staff know the children very well, particularly those for whom they have special responsibility. Parents share detailed information about their children before they start to help staff determine children's starting points. Staff keep clear and detailed records of children's achievements and parents contribute regularly and fully to these. This helps staff plan activities that really interest and motivate children and provide excellent challenges that help them reach the next steps in their development.

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who attend

Staff offer outstanding support to children's communication and language development. For example, they implement the 'Every Child a Talker' programme to guide their practice and improve the learning environment. They have created cosy places in all the rooms and outside, which encourage children to talk. Babies and toddlers thoroughly enjoy stories, singing, and experimenting with sounds to develop their listening and communication skills. Older children are encouraged to be imaginative, develop their ideas and talk about what they are doing. For example, staff invited children to use props to set up an Arctic scene; they were already familiar with this theme from storybooks. As they introduced new characters, they were encouraged to develop a story, building on their own experiences and previous knowledge. Staff plan follow up activities tailored to each child's abilities, such as further developing their imagination through art or making a storybook

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who attend

where staff scribe the child's thoughts. Children develop good early writing skills in many ways, for example, drawing patterns in flour or writing lists in the role-play area. However, on occasions, staff do not model good writing with clearly formed letters.

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who attend

Staff organise innovative opportunities for children to learn about other cultures, nationalities and languages. They are involved in a project linking schools and nurseries from different European countries and children can see and talk to other children using Skype. They learn about different cultural festivals and parents are invited to share their own special knowledge, which involves them in their children's learning. Staff have a good awareness of children's home languages. They ask parents to record words and phrases for children to listen to and help staff with correct pronunciation. There are dual language books and many signs reflecting the different languages represented in the nursery. The nursery actively employs a number of bilingual staff to further support children's communication. All these initiatives help develop a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere and ensure children learning English achieve as well as their peers. Children with special

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who attend

educational needs and/or disabilities also receive excellent support.

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who attend

Children develop excellent mathematical awareness through practical activities. For example, they thoroughly enjoy opportunities to count during the group games, such as 'What's the time Mr Wolf?' Younger children are introduced to numbers as staff play finger rhymes with them or count bricks as they play. Children have first hand experiences to explore the natural world as they collect melon seeds, then plant and grow them into new melons. Staff understand the link between children's movement and brain development. Physical development is given a high priority in this nursery. They subscribe to the importance of 'Developmental Movement Play' in not only helping children's physical development but also how this promotes development of the brain. Babies are given plenty of time on the floor to roll, crawl and eventually pull themselves up on low furniture and older children are encouraged to move as much as possible in a variety of ways. The

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who attend

exceptionally well resourced outdoor area gives children many more exciting challenges to help them develop well in all areas of learning.

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who attend

Children make rapid progress from their starting points in all areas of learning and they are exceptionally well prepared for starting school. They are self-assured, behave extremely well and are sensitive to each other's needs. This is due to outstanding leadership, high quality training of staff, use of relevant research and excellent teaching practice.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The main ethos of the nursery revolves around children forming close emotional bonds from which they can feel happy, confident and ready to learn. The well-established key person system allows staff to know children and their families well. This enables them to work very closely with parents to plan care routines and activities that meet each child's specific needs and help them feel secure. Staff support children skilfully as they move between rooms within the nursery. For example, older toddlers spend part of each day playing with the pre-school children so they become familiar with the larger room and staff that they will move on to. Many of the children have siblings within the nursery. Children have plenty of opportunities to visit brothers and sisters throughout the day, creating a secure family atmosphere. Staff accompany children on visits to their new schools whenever possible and the management team have forged close links with other

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff are excellent role models as they treat adults and children with politeness and respect. They warmly praise children for their achievements or acts of kindness. The youngest children quickly learn to share and the older children help devise 'golden rules' and are able to resolve amicably any minor disputes. They behave exceptionally well due to this support and because they are busy having fun with purposeful activities. Children are learning how to stay safe. For example, they are reminded to be careful of others when running around outside in case of collisions and they are helped to carefully wipe flour away from their eyes. They regularly take part in practising emergency evacuations, which helps them to understand how to behave safely in an emergency.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The nursery actively promotes children's good health and is a pilot setting for the local authorities Healthy Living Award. A member of staff has been appointed as the physical activity and nutritional coordinator to ensure sufficient focus is given to this area. Menus have been reviewed with a nutritionist and changes made to improve children's health and dental hygiene. Staff are evaluating the amount of time and in what ways children are physically active. Children are encouraged to move more, for example by standing up rather than sitting down to sing. Children are gaining an excellent awareness of the importance of making healthy choices.

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provision

The dedicated and knowledgeable owners provide inspirational leadership in this nursery. The management team know exactly where the strengths and weaknesses of their provision lie and have formulated detailed plans for the continuing development of the already high levels of achievement. They are currently working towards gaining the Investors in People accreditation award to improve further standards of provision. The nursery benefits from being one of a group of nurseries and pre-schools under the same ownership. They share their knowledge and experiences to further improve the provision for all children.

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provision

Robust child protection and recruitment procedures are fully understood by all staff and comply with requirements and safeguard children exceptionally well. Staff are vigilant as they supervise children and check the premises are safe. The premises are secure and a fingerprint recognition system ensures unwanted persons cannot enter the building. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures help to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

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provision

The owners give a very high priority to staff development, which is targeted to meet individual needs and interests. A considerable number of staff have gained or are working towards degree level qualifications or Early Years Professional Status. The nursery employs a member of staff with specialist knowledge to oversee the educational programme to ensure it provides rich, varied and imaginative experiences for all the children. This has resulted in an exceptionally well-motivated and skilled team, who help children make rapid progress in their learning. There are excellent systems in place to monitor staff performance and children's progress. The management team and other staff are highly reflective, for example, welcoming feedback from peer reviews to improve their practice.

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provision

Parents speak very highly about the nursery and the personalised care their children receive. They say the welcoming staff give it a family atmosphere. All those involved in the children's care are welcomed in to the nursery and special events for fathers and grandparents helps everyone feel included. Parents and carers feel very well informed about their children's progress and appreciate the ideas that staff give them to support their children's learning at home. Staff work highly effectively with other agencies and professionals to promote consistency of care and learning for the children and to identify quickly any additional needs.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY362370 Local authority Southampton Inspection number 892863 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 131 Name of provider Paint Pots Pre-School and Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 01/12/2010 Telephone number 02380223548 set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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