Cranmore & Doulting Preschool

Cranmore & Doulting Pre-School Memorial Hall, West Cranmore, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4QJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/01/2013 29/09/2009

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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 are very happy because the warm and caring staff help them to settle well and feel secure.  Children show good levels of curiosity and independence and share resources well.  Children enjoy a wide range of activities and experiences that help them to make good progress in all areas of learning.  Self-evaluation is robust and used effectively to continually improve outcomes for all children.  Management have effective systems in place to monitor staff and provide opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge, which has a positive impact on the quality of the provision.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not encourage parents to share their children's starting points in all areas of learning.  Resources and activities for writing are confined to designated areas, which mean children do not practise writing for different purposes such as in role-play.  Children do not have any access to books which they have made themselves.

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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 both inside and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's assessment records, policies, procedures and self-evaluation.  The inspector took account of the views of two parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Cranmore and Doulting Pre-School operates from the memorial hall situated in the centre of the village of Cranmore, in Somerset. The pre-school has use of all of the premises, which consists of a main playroom, a hall for indoor physical play, and integral toilet facilities. They have access to a garden area at the rear of the premises. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 19 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. They are open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 3pm and Tuesday and Thursday 9am to 1pm during term time only. There are three members of staff employed, all of whom have appropriate training in childcare and early years education. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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

 extend the educational programme for literacy by a) including more opportunities for writing during role-play and other activities, b) add child-made books and adult- scribed stories to the book area and use these for sharing stories with others

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

 improve systems for gathering information from parents to include children's starting points in all areas of learning.

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who attend

Children's individual needs are met well by staff who have a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and a clear understanding of how children learn. As a result, children are happy and well motivated, and make good progress in all areas of learning. Effective assessment and planning systems are used well by staff to successfully engage children in a broad range of activities that excite and challenge them. They choose from a variety of easily accessible resources and freely change and adapt these taking charges of their own learning. For example, children move small tractors and diggers in the sand; they extend their play as they pretend that the vehicles have broken down and talk to one another about what they need to do to fix them. Staff organise the environment and resources well to meet the needs and interests of the children. Children are well supported to move onto their next stage in their learning.

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who attend

Staff skilfully interact and use open-ended questions to encourage children's thinking and learning. For example, children are able to identify if there are more than two or less than two mobile phones in the bag. Children happily engage in lively conversations with staff about their families and their pets. As a result, children are growing in confidence to speak in small groups. Staff make regular observations and assessments of what the children can do and use these effectively to plan for the next steps in their learning. Parents are encouraged to participate in this system and many provide observations made at home, through either writing in their 'home book' or completing a leaf to display on the 'wow' tree.

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who attend

Children enjoy sharing stories with their friends in the inviting and welcoming book area. Children thoroughly enjoy listening to the story about a bear hunt. They join in with familiar phrases and use their voices effectively to build the climax in the story. Although there is a good choice of books, there are no child-made or adult-scribed books for the children to share with one another. Children have easy access to mark-making materials in the writing area. However, staff do not always seize opportunities to encourage children to practise writing spontaneously in other areas around the nursery such as during role-play.

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

Children have made secure attachments to their key person and behave in ways that show they feel safe. This means that their physical and emotional development is effectively supported and they are confident to explore their environment. Staff interact sensitively with children and listen carefully, which raises children's self-esteem and confidence.

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

Children's behaviour is very good. Staff act as good role models, supporting children effectively to resolve any conflicts for themselves. For example, when playing a racing car game, children are reminded only three children can play at a time. Children happily take turns deciding which colour car they will be. Children say 'please' and 'thank you' as they are asked what they would like to drink at snack time. They enjoy their snacks and meals they bring from home and are beginning to learn about healthy choices through discussions about what they are eating. Meal times provide a good social experience as children and staff sit and eat together in small groups.

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

Children are developing a good understanding about appropriate hygiene practices as they routinely wash hands before touching food and after visiting the toilet. The daily opportunities to play outside with large play equipment ensure healthy lifestyles are part of everyday life. Children play in a safe, stimulating environment, which is risk assessed on a daily basis. Staff are vigilant and put measures in place to ensure the children are safe from harm.

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provision

The management and staff at the pre-school have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are safeguarded well at the pre-school. All staff have a comprehensive understanding of what to do if they are concerned about the welfare of a child in their care. There are rigorous recruitment procedures in place to check the suitability of all adults working with the children. The committee chair also undertakes regular appraisals to monitor the staff's personal development and effectiveness within the setting. Effective partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals, and a friendly environment, help to ensure that children feel safe and are able to participate fully in pre-school life. Effective precautions are in place to prevent children leaving the premises unsupervised and intruders are prevented from entering the premises through robust checking of visitors.

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provision

Staff have very positive relationships with parents, which help to ensure each child's needs are well met. Communication is effective both verbally and in writing, which keeps parents well informed of their children's well-being, learning and development. Parents currently share their child's starting points for just their personal, social and emotional development. This means that it is more difficult to plan as effectively for the other areas of learning right from the beginning. Parents contribute regularly to their children's learning journeys, sharing their achievements from home. Parents spoken to at the inspection are very pleased with the care and education their children are receiving. They appreciate the good communication from the staff and feel very confident in the staff's abilities as their children are happy. The educational programme is well monitored to ensure it has sufficient variety and challenge. This includes how well staff are meeting the needs of all

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provision

children and closing any gaps in achievement that are identified. There are effective partnerships with other professionals to secure support for children with any identified needs. Systems to share information with other early years providers that children also attend are well established.

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provision

The pre-school has good self-evaluation measures in place for identifying its strengths and areas for improvement. The staff are effective in monitoring and evaluating responses from parents and children, and have been successful in making and supporting improvements. They are well organised and have a clear understanding of their priorities.

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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 142975 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 814042 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 19 Name of provider Cranmore & Doulting Pre-School Date of previous inspection 29/09/2009 Telephone number 07751533997

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Setting details

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

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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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