Scotby Pre-School

Scotby Pre-School Scotby Village Hall, Scotby, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA4 8PB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/12/2012 13/05/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children make good progress in their learning and development in relation to their starting points. This is because they are very well supported in their play and through the staff's detailed knowledge of their key children and the next steps in their learning. As a result, children who experience difficulties have their needs addressed quickly because help is obtained to support their learning.  Staff develop a strong bond with each of the children in their care and support their well-being effectively, therefore, they feel happy, safe and secure. The key person is well embedded so parents know who to talk to, share information with, and to discuss any concerns they may have about their child.  Children develop good independence and self-help skills because staff allow them time to complete their chosen tasks and provide them with guidance that successfully helps them attempt and achieve things for themselves.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are a lack of resources and visual images to support children's understanding of the world. As a result, children have fewer opportunities to explore and investigate a full range of technology resources, sensory materials, or visual imagery of diversity as a core part of their play and learning experiences.  There is a lack of print displayed in the environment. Therefore, opportunities to help children develop early reading skills or help them to understand that words carry meaning are not fully promoted within the environment.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main hall and paved area outside.  The inspector held a meeting with pre-school manager.  The inspector held discussions with the staff members employed at the setting.  The inspector looked at children's progress records and the planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children, policies and procedures for the setting, registration forms and other record keeping documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Scotby Pre-school was registered in 1976 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in Scotby village hall, in Scotby, near Carlisle, Cumbria and is run by a management committee. The pre-school serves the local area and outlying urban and rural areas. It operates from a main hall, a small hall, a reception/cloak area and associated facilities with an outdoor paved area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs six members of child care staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds a level 2 early years qualification. The school is member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens on a Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning, and all day on a Thursday and Friday. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon and from 9am to 3pm, for 38 weeks of the year, during term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 29 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 increase opportunities for children to develop their understanding of the world by providing treasure baskets filled with natural and manufactured materials to explore and investigate and providing additional information and communication technology resources and programmable toys to explore why things happen and how things work

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

 increase opportunities for children to develop early reading skills through links in the environment by introducing labels and print into the learning environment so that children grow to understand that print carries meaning and information can be displayed in many different ways

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

 enhance children's understanding of difference and diversity by providing positive images of all children including those with diverse physical characteristics, including disabilities.

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who attend

Children are developing independence and good self-care skills during their play and routine activities. Staff enable children to finish their chosen tasks and sit with the other children when they are ready. This means children feel in control and enables them to complete activities of their own choosing in their own time. Children wash their hands, pour their own drinks and help prepare tables for mealtimes. As a result, children are highly independent from an early age. Learning opportunities are created in all practical routines. For example, at mealtimes staff ask if the children would like to help set out the tables skilfully introducing mathematical language and problem solving into the activity. They ask the children 'how many chairs do they need?', and when there are spaces or too many chairs, extend this learning by introducing vocabulary, such as, 'more or less'. Children hand out all the utensils to their peers. They ask what colour cup they would like

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who attend

and competently give them the correct one.

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who attend

Children have free access to a secure outside play area. Although this is a small play area, it is well organised to enable children to access fresh air and physical exercise. Staff provide children with sand and water activities, and role play and construction opportunities are also available. Children's inquisitive nature to explore and investigate the outdoor environment is promoted well by staff. For example, when children find ice in the toy kitchen and stuck to the top of the containers, staff ask the children questions about how it got there and what it is. Staff constantly extend children's communication and language and include all the areas of learning into their play. They break the ice up into pieces using spades, and then they use their imagination to create an ice statue on the table. The children take a piece of ice indoors to show the staff who place it on a tray. The staff ask the children what they would like to do with it, and they tell the staff to place it

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who attend

on the radiator. The staff build on this by asking the children what they think will happen to it and show them the remaining water at the end of the session.

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who attend

Children's physical skills are also supported indoors. Staff encourage children to take part in physical play with large apparatus, such as, slides and climbing frames, sit and ride toys and music and movement activities. Outside, children complete obstacle courses to aid balancing skills and ball games to practice catching, throwing and kicking. Children use a variety of tools. For example, they competently use spades for filling containers with sand, and they use scissors safely at the craft table. Children are developing their listening and attention skills in circle time activities. They learn to cooperate in a group and how to behave socially towards each other. Staff skilfully challenge and extend learning experiences in these activities. For example, they ask the helper of the day to name all the children and staff sitting in the circle; they help them to recognise the date, month and year, and to decide what the weather is like outside. Children with behavioural needs are

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who attend

supported well by the key staff who work with them. They are given clear explanations by staff to develop their understanding on daily routines, play activities and expected codes of behaviour. Children's interest in technology is not fully supported. Although children access a computer station with simple educational programmes, there are limited programmable toys, or sensory materials and resources for children who show an interest in this area. Children learn to share and take turns, showing patience and consideration for others during activities. They thoroughly enjoy practising their nativity play and singing the Christmas songs with the staff on the village hall stage.

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who attend

The pre-school staff constantly engage children in conversation and discussions about their play and a wide range of books are accessible to the children in the quiet area. However, there is a lack of print displayed in the learning environment in the form of displays, words or labels. Therefore, children do not fully explore that print carries meaning and information can be displayed in a number of different ways. Children enjoy listening to stories. They sit comfortably on the carpet and are able to follow the actions and movements that link in with the story read by the staff member. Children's interest in den making is extended through staff providing several large cardboard boxes. They use sticking tape and paper to create a house with a long cylindrical tube as a chimney. Children use their own creativity and imagination to complete this task and decorate it in Christmas wrapping paper.

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who attend

Children are very well supported by highly experienced staff members. The staff know their key children well. They have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how children learn best. Parents contribute to the process by providing information in 'All about me' sheets on registering their child. This ensures that children's starting points clearly inform the planning right from the start. Staff clearly explain how much progress children are making since starting at the pre-school and the next steps in their learning. Staff support children effectively as they play and the quality of their teaching is good. New systems are in place to record observations and highlight achievement. Staff observe children during play and adult-directed activities. This information is used to inform the weekly plans, so that children are provided with good levels of challenge and support in their learning. Staff provide a range activities to engage

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who attend

and capture children's interests. Children initiate their own activities and the adult-focused activity ensures that they have a balance in their play and learning. Staff evaluate the weekly plans to make sure children's next steps are achieved and so that any further learning opportunities are identified and included in future plans.

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

Staff provide a spacious, welcoming and well-organised environment for children. The layout of the natural wood furniture and equipment help develop and support children's creativity, emotional well-being and play. The low level resources enable children to make choices and decision about their play and the organisation of the setting helps them to feel safe and secure. Children play happily. They are contented and settle easily. This is due to the good settling in procedures that children and parents follow before any arrangement begins. Parents are warmly welcomed into the setting. The feel valued and respected and comfortable to talk to key staff about their child. Children confidently explore their environment, accessing a good selection of toys and equipment. They have access to an outdoor area and the good levels of supervision enable children to move freely in and out. Children build close relationships with all the staff and strong

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

attachments form with their key person. Older children develop friendships with their peers and play harmoniously together. Younger quieter children are supported to join in with other children to make friends. Staff work closely with parents in order to support every child who attends. They discuss individual care practices with the parents and all staff are aware of any additional needs, medical or dietary conditions in order for the children to receive appropriate support, care and attention.

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

Healthy eating and lifestyle is actively encouraged by staff at the pre-school. Children choose what food they want at snack time from a range of healthy options. They sit together when eating, making it a social occasion. Once children are finished they place their empty plates by the kitchen serving hatch. Staff encourage children to be very independent and also encourage this with parents at home. For example, staff ask parents to involve their child in preparing their packed lunch. As a result, staff find that children eat it all at lunch time because they have helped make it. Healthy contents are discussed with parents and children talk about what is and isn't good for them. Children take responsibility for themselves as they select their own coats from the coat racks and competently put on coats, hats and gloves before venturing outdoors. Children learn to keep themselves safe from harm. They understand what to do in an emergency if the fire

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

alarm rings and learn about road safety when they go on walks. The setting is inclusive and values and respects all the families and children who attend. The staff include cultural and Christian festivals in the planning to celebrate diversity throughout the year. However, there are limited positive images in the environment to help promote discussions with children about the difference and diversity of the world around them, including disabilities. Children enjoy walking to the village shop and post office, and visiting the local church to collect fallen leaves. They also enjoy visiting professionals, such as, the police and fire fighters. As a result, children learn about the community they live in and about the people who help them keep safe.

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

Children are well-prepared for the next stage in their learning. They benefit from the close relationships developed with the local primary school and the other settings children attend. The message book shared with parents is used by the other settings children attend so continuity of care and learning is achieved. The staff are good role models. They speak to the children with kindness, valuing them and taking an interest in their lives outside the setting. They support the children to be kind to each other by sharing the toys and taking turns in activities. Teaching staff are invited into the pre-school to meet the children which contributes to a smooth transition into school.

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provision

The manager is the designated safeguarding officer for the pre-school. She has completed relevant safeguarding training and is clear on procedures to follow should she become concerned about the welfare of a child attending the setting. All the staff have recently completed an eLearning safeguarding course. Therefore, the staff team have a good knowledge of child protection issues and the importance of acting swiftly to safeguard children. There is a robust recruitment procedure in place which ensures that staff are suitable to work with children. The manager and staff are longstanding, experienced early years practitioners, who work exceptionally well together. The manager monitors the educational programme, and the planning and assessment procedures to ensure that they meet the needs of the children attending. She successfully supports staff to promote children's learning and development through appraisal and supervision, staff meetings,

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provision

and training. Risk assessments are comprehensive and conducted regularly. Staff conduct safety checks on a daily basis before children arrive to identify and minimise potential hazards, therefore, they play in safe surroundings. The deployment of staff is good and ensures that children are well supervised at all times. The pre-school keeps thorough records of accidents, medication and attendance. This further protects children and promotes their welfare. Effective systems are in place to share information daily with parents. Staff talk to parents at arrival and collection times about their child's day; this gives parents the opportunity to share information with staff about their child. The staff keep a record of the care and welfare needs, achievements and progress in message books. As a result, parents are well informed. Staff encourage parents to add their comments, thoughts and observations into

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provision

the message books and to contribute to their child's progress reports. These documents all contribute to the progress check at age two and final records before entry to school. Parents' comments about the pre-school are positive. Close partnership working with other professionals, including health visitors and speech therapists are very successful in supporting children, particular those who have additional needs.

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provision

The pre-school has successfully addressed the recommendations raised at the last inspection. As a result, changes to the risk assessment in the kitchen ensure that children are not exposed to potential hazards. The links with the other settings children attend ensures that information is shared and children's access to sand and water play daily inspires their scientific discovery. The manager has a good understanding of the setting's strengths and areas to develop through constantly monitoring and evaluating practice to improve children's experiences. Processes are in place to involve all those involved with the running of the pre-school, including staff and children, to ensure all opinions are obtained to help improve the setting and children's experiences.

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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 317588 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 819068

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 29 Name of provider Scotby Pre-School Date of previous inspection 13/05/2010 Telephone number 07751 987 135

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Type of provision

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. 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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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