Mereway Butterfly Preschool

Mereway Butterfly Pre-School Ltd Abbey Primary School, Winchester Road, NORTHAMPTON, NN4 8AZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/01/2013 14/11/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are cared for in a nurturing and supportive environment. They feel special and form close bonds and secure attachments with all staff.  Staff promote the health and safety of the children in their care. Recruitment and vetting processes are secure and safeguarding procedures are robust.  Staff understand the importance of appropriate early interventions. They form effective links with external agencies and other providers in order to ensure children receive the support they need.

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It is not yet good because

 There is scope to improve staff's use of resources and the consistent use of appropriate teaching strategies that take into account the different ways children learn.  Ongoing assessments of children's achievements, interests and learning styles are not always effectively linked to the planning of activities.  Staff are not always effectively deployed at certain times of the day and this occasionally impacts on the quality of care and learning provided.  Opportunities for staff supervision are not yet embedded in management practices and procedures to monitor the effectiveness of the quality of teaching, the planning and the deployment of staff are not always fully implemented in practice.

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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 observed the pre-school rooms and outdoor play area.  The inspector spoke to the registered provider and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, tracking documents, planning systems, a selection of policies and procedures and children's records.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the after school children being collected from the adjoining school.

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Information about the setting

Mereway Butterfly Pre-School Ltd was registered in 2011 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is managed by a board of directors and operates as a pre-school and breakfast club and an after school club. It operates from a mobile classroom within the grounds of Abbey Primary School in Northampton. Children have access to two designated classrooms, an enclosed outdoor play area and some facilities at the adjoining school. There is disabled access to the premises. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school, breakfast and after school club employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school and breakfast and after school club opens between Monday to Friday during term time only. Care is provided between 8am and 6pm. There are currently 37 children attending who are within the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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must:

 improve staff's understanding of how to use assessments more effectively to plan for children's individual learning needs  review staffing arrangements to ensure they meet the needs of the children at all times; this refers to the deployment of staff during daily routines, such as toileting and outside play times  provide regular opportunities for staff to benefit from effective supervision arrangements, such as coaching and guidance, to improve their knowledge, understanding and practice.

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

 use consistent and sharply focused monitoring and analysis to improve the overall quality of the setting, particularly in relation to teaching, staff deployment and performance management.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at the playgroup. They are happy, settle well and have opportunities to choose from the range of available activities. Staff are continuing to develop their knowledge of the revised Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage in order to guide the development of children's capabilities. However, occasionally questioning techniques lack depth and resources are not always appropriately used to support children's learning. For example, young children use a computer programme which is too difficult for their age and stage of development. Consequently, learning opportunities are lost. Observational assessment is used to identify children's interests and learning and developmental needs. However, assessment is not always effectively linked to the planning of activities. As a result, there is scope for staff to ensure that planned activities are more closely tailored to and reflect the different learning needs

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who attend

Children make sound progress and are developing the skills needed to help in the next steps of their learning, including school where appropriate. Staff play alongside the children offering gentle support and encouragement. However, the deployment of staff occasionally results in staff organising routines, such as toileting and transitions between indoor and outdoor play, rather than actively supporting children's learning. As a result, noise levels increase at this time and some learning opportunities are lost.

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who attend

Younger children are supported by staff to build on and develop their developing language skills. Staff introduce new words in the context of the children's play. For example, words such 'igloo', 'cold', 'snow' and 'ice' are introduced as children create winter collage pictures. Children sing songs and rhymes and are beginning to develop their concentration skills as they listen to stories. Visual aids, gestures, consistent routines and regular discussion with parents support children who speak English as an additional language. Young children enjoy handling resources which reflect everyday life, such as kitchen items. They learn to play alongside their friends and pretend to make meals for one another.

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who attend

Children's early language and literacy skills are appropriately fostered. They make marks as they paint at the easel and name cards are provided at snack times to help children learn to recognise their name. Older children are beginning copy their name and link sounds to letters, such as the sound they hear at the beginning of their name. Children sing songs, such as 'Mrs Browning had a box', and listen to and name the sound of the hidden instruments. They learn to count, complete puzzles and make patterns on peg boards. Older children race cars along the floor and record who wins on a tally chart. This supports children's mathematical development. Children create firework pictures and use hollow snail's shells to paint pictures. They thread the giraffe shapes and handle tools, such as paintbrushes and scissors, to cut spaghetti which effectively promotes their hand- to-eye coordination.

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who attend

Children at the after school club relax and have fun after a busy day at school. The atmosphere is happy and relaxed and children form good relationships with the staff. They access a good range of activities which effectively supports their continuing learning and development. For example, children use their imaginations in the home corner, mix ingredients together to make dough and use a variety of materials to create collage faces. Children make chocolate apples to celebrate Halloween and Remembrance Day poppies. They enjoy being active outside and develop control and coordination skills as they climb on the climbing frame.

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who attend

The key person system successfully supports effective links with parents and carers. Parents are valued as active contributors to their child's learning and development. They are offered a home visit and are asked to complete a 'Unique child booklet' about their child's favourite activities, their stage of development and any special family celebrations. Staff subsequently use this information to aid the settling-in and initial assessment process. Staff communicate with parents on a daily basis and parents have opportunities to view their child's progress file and are invited to coffee mornings to observe their child within the group. Parents share their child's 'wow moments' on a display board in the entrance area. This information is transferred into the children's learning record and used to inform future learning priorities.

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

All children are welcomed into the setting. Children are cared for in a nurturing and supportive environment. They are happy and form close bonds with their key person and all staff. Relationships are warm and caring and children are treated with kindness and respect. Consequently, children develop secure attachments, feel special and the engagement with parents is appropriately supported. However, weaknesses in staff deployment, means that occasionally routines are not effectively organised in a way that keeps all children interested and stimulated. As a result, some older children become overly boisterous during this time.

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

The key person system and flexible settling-in arrangement successfully aids transitions from the children's home to the setting. Care is taken to gather relevant information about children's care needs at the start of the placement. For example, information is exchanged to ensure that specific dietary needs and preferences are catered for and that any medical needs are known and accurately met. This effectively promotes continuity in the children's care. Children are effectively developing their self-confidence. For example, they dress up and perform the Nativity story in front of their family members and friends and older children follow instructions and deliver simple messages to staff.

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

Staff appropriately supervise the children and are constantly vigilant about their safety in order to support their continual well-being. The pre-school room is organised into designated activity areas, such as a book area, a construction area and a creative art area. This effectively enables children to move around and select resources for themselves while remaining safe. Children learn to keep themselves safe by following safety rules, such as keeping the scissors on the table and using the large play equipment appropriately. Behaviour is managed appropriately. This is because staff encourage children to develop the habits and behaviour appropriate to good learners, their own needs and those of others. Children respond to gentle reminders or corrections, for example, not to run indoors and to use 'kind hands' and 'kind words'. Children learn to share and take turns, for example, they patiently wait their turn to shake the dice whilst playing the dinosaur

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

game. They are developing their independence skills. For example, children are encouraged to put on their coats for outdoor play and older children independently use the bathroom.

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

Children have daily outdoor play in the fresh air. They enjoy being physically active which effectively contributes towards their continuing good health and well-being. For example, children manoeuvre wheeled toys, bounce on the space hoppers, balance on the stilts and use ribbons to make large circles in the air. Children are developing an understanding of the importance of adapting appropriate hygiene routines, such as hand washing, in order to prevent the spread of infection. Staff provide healthy snacks, such as fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, and advise parents on healthy packed lunch options. Access to water throughout the session ensures that children remain well-hydrated and comfortable. Meal and snack times are sociable occasions where children sit, share their news and are encouraged by staff to develop appropriate manners.

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provision

Management has a general overview of the educational programmes and the experiences required to help children progress towards the early learning goals. However, assessment is not always effectively linked to the planning of activities to ensure that learning experiences fully reflect children's individual learning needs. There is some monitoring of the educational programme, assessments of learning and the effectiveness of teaching, although, this not fully robust. In addition, while managers complete staff appraisals to identify training needs, regular supervision meetings have not been provided. Consequently, staff do not have formal opportunities to discuss any issues and are not given consistent coaching and guidance to improve their knowledge, understanding and practice. Some aspects of self-evaluation are appropriate; the team have identified some priorities and have targeted plans for improvement. Actions and recommendations raised

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provision

Those in charge demonstrate a clear understanding of the legal requirements in relation to the safety and welfare of children. A good range of written policies and procedures are in place to support the management of the provision. Vetting and induction procedures for all adults who work with the children, or come into contact with them, are secure. This ensures that all staff are checked before they have unsupervised access to children. The arrangements for safeguarding are robust. Management and staff understand the signs of abuse and are conversant with the procedures to follow to report concerns. All staff complete training in safeguarding. Staff appropriately supervise the children and carry out regular risk assessments of the premises, environment and equipment. Security within the pre-school is a priority. The arrival and departure of children is closely monitored and visitors to the premises are asked for their identification and requested to sign the visitors'

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provision

Management and staff develop positive relationships with parents and other professionals involved in supporting the children's care and education. This ensures that all children receive consistent and complementary care. Expert advice is sought from the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator as required and close links have been established with the adjoining school in order to continue to enhance and develop children's learning and development. For example, information about the children's care and learning needs are exchanged and children are invited to join harvest festival celebrations. This effectively supports partnership working. Parents comment positively about the staff and the provision. They praise the 'kind, caring staff', and comment that the 'children settle very well' and 'make progress' in their learning and development.

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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 EY424086 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 875773

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 17 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 37 Name of provider Mereway Butterfly Pre-School Ltd Date of previous inspection 14/11/2011 Telephone number 01604766323

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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.

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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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