Spire Pre-School

Spire Pre-School Belmont Centre, Belmont Road, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1BP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/01/2012 27/04/2010

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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 are given very good opportunities they receive to make choices and decisions.  Children have great fun in the relaxing, friendly atmosphere. They develop good self- esteem as a result of the support and encouragement they receive from staff.  Resources are thoughtfully organised to promote children's learning and enjoyment.  Staff prioritise children's health, wellbeing and safety very well.  Staff recognise each child's individuality, allowing them to respect themselves and others.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Wall displays do not celebrate children's very expressive and individual artistic creations.  Staff do not communicate as effectively with childminders as with other early years providers.

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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

 A meeting took place between the manager and the inspector.  Observations took place of the interaction between parents and staff.

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Inspection activities

 A selection of activities where observed, including a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 Documentation was sampled, including children's progress files, local authority monitoring reports and records relating to children's safety.

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Information about the setting

Spire Pre-School registered in 2009, after a move into new premises. It operates from two rooms within the Belmont Centre in Uckfield, East Sussex. All children have access to a secure outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school is open Monday to Friday from 8am until 3:45pm during school term times. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 34 children in the early years age range on roll. Children attend on both a full and part-time basis. The nursery supports children who are learning English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are eight members of staff working with the children, six of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 increase the focus on celebrating children's creativity, for example by improving the presentation of art displays to reflect their own ideas

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

 improve the consistency of the arrangements to work in partnership with other early years professionals by including childminders as effectively as other group settings.

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who attend

Staff have an extremely good knowledge of each child's personality and levels of achievement. They plan suitably challenging activities and experiences, which children thoroughly enjoy. As a result, children make good progress in all areas of their development. The warm, friendly interaction of staff creates a positive atmosphere where children feel comfortable to express themselves and to choose the games they want to play. This helps them to learn through exploration and to become independent learners. Staff promote communication and language particularly well. They use effective strategies, such as open questioning, to encourage children to think about their response. Children use their rapidly developing language well to share their views, make jokes and engage in many animated conversations.

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who attend

Children demonstrate good levels of imagination as they dress up and engage in charming role play games with their friends. They also have very good opportunities to use a broad range of art and craft materials. They receive encouragement to explore their own ideas. For example, children shows great enjoyment and interest in testing out the properties of a large blob of white glue on black paper rather than using it for sticking. Other children at the table choose to use the same resources in a variety of different ways and all produce highly individual art pieces. Work of this kind is normally taken home each day. The displays of children's work on the pre-school walls feature the products of adult planned activities and tend to include many virtually identical images. This means children have less opportunity to celebrate their own creativity in the pre-school.

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who attend

Children's physical skills are developing well. They enjoy daily opportunities to exercise in the outdoor play area, where they also benefit from the fresh air. Children show good coordination as they move safely and sensibly during energetic running games. Staff recognise the need for children to experience a mix of lively and more restful activities and provide comfortable seating and cushions for children to relax.

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who attend

Effective arrangements are in place to monitor children's individual progress and to identify any gaps in achievement. Staff involve parents in their child's learning through regular discussions and by sharing progress records. Most staff have experience of completing the two years progress check to provide a picture of children's learning and development at that age. Good arrangements are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. One member of staff has attended training to take a lead role in this area. She liaises regularly with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to support individual children and their families.

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

Children have great fun in the pre-school and form very warm, trusting bonds with staff. Each child is assigned a key person, from the staff team, who takes the lead in monitoring their progress and planning for their next steps. This arrangement works extremely well and each staff member shares information about their key children with colleagues during regular team meetings.

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

A very impressive range of resources is on offer to children. Most of these are set out for them to select independently. Children enjoy exploring the toys and confidently transporting items around the pre-school to extend their games.

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

For the vast majority of the time children behave extremely well, reflecting the good role modelling of staff. Children are sociable, polite and considerate. There are times when some of games become slightly too boisterous but children respond promptly to gentle reminders from staff. This helps them to consider their own safety, and that of others, and to learn how to manage their own behaviour appropriately. Staff sensitively prioritise children's emotional security and wellbeing. Although they encourage children to become independent, there is always someone on hand to offer a supportive cuddle when necessary. Children's moves onto school are managed carefully to ensure that they each feel as prepared as possible.

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

Children learn about the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles. They are developing good self-care skills, toileting independently and remembering to wash their hands. They also benefit from planned activities, such as a visit from a dentist, which focus on increasing their knowledge and understanding. Children receive nutritious snacks and drinks during each session and those present at lunchtime bring in packed lunches from home. Staff encourage parents to reflect the pre-school's healthy eating policy and offer suggestions on which items make up a nutritious, balanced meal.

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provision

The management and staff team work very effectively together and fully recognise their responsibilities to promote children's learning and development. There is an appraisal system in place, which supports the manager to monitor staff and to understand how best to plan future training within the team. The manager meets regularly with the staff to discuss and monitor the success of educational programmes. During team meetings, staff discuss and evaluate all aspects of the service they are offering to identify strengths and areas for development. The manager values the support received by the early years advisors from the local authority. She uses feedback from their meetings to prioritise action to be taken to promote ongoing improvement.

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provision

Parents receive a very friendly greeting as they deliver and collect their children. They also have regular newsletters and notices, which keep them up to date on planned events. Good strategies are used to engage with a range of other professionals involved in supporting children and their families. However, communication with other early years settings attended by children is significantly more effective with groups than with childminders. This means that the planning for children who receive some of their Early Years Foundations Stage support from childminders is not as fully coordinated as those attending other groups.

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provision

Robust arrangements are in place to protect children. All staff attend child protection training and the manager has lead responsibility for dealing with concerns about the welfare of any of the children attending. Comprehensive risk assessments undertaken on the premises enable staff to identify any potential hazards and to take action to minimise these.

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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 EY401755 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 816190

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 24 Name of provider Spire Pre-School Date of previous inspection 27/04/2010 Telephone number 01825762268

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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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