The Little Rascals Pre-School

Methodist Pre-School The Methodist Church, Bramford Road (North West), Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 2NA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/01/2013 10/02/2009

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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 play and learn in a well-resourced and welcoming environment, where they have easy access to an exciting range of activities and resources to support all areas of learning.  Children are happy, active learners, who show strong levels of confidence as they move eagerly around the pre-school.  Strong and caring relationships form between children and all practitioners, especially key persons. Children behave well and enjoy the company of their friends and carers.  Children's safety is given high priority by practitioners, who regularly review the safety and security of the provision. Children learn how to manage their own safety through effective routines and procedures.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some links exist between the pre-school and other early years settings where children attend; however, these are not yet robust enough to enable all parties to work together, in order to complement and extend the learning that is already taking place.  There is more scope for children's exploration of nature, wildlife and the natural 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, small room and outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager, practitioners and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of records, including children's personal details and information about their learning, accident and medication records, risk assessments, daily registers, staff details and a selection of other relevant documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents at the time of the inspection and took account of their views.

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Information about the setting

Methodist Pre-School was registered in 1996. It is registered on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a church building in the Ipswich area of Suffolk, and is managed by a committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a large hall and a smaller room within the church. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, all seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 8.45am to 11.45am and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, Monday and Friday. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 45 children attending, who are within this age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children, who speak English as an additional language and those with special needs and/or

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

 improve arrangements for information sharing and partnership working with other early years settings, which children attend, in order to identify their needs, complement the learning already taking place and support them in making progress

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

 improve opportunities for children to regularly explore insects, birds and other aspects of nature.

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who attend

Practitioners clearly know the children in their care. Key persons demonstrate a secure knowledge of the children's capabilities, interests and family structure. This enables them to prompt interesting and stimulating conversations with children and extend their thinking. The learning environment in which the children play is exciting, well-resourced and effectively presented. As a result, children are able to make clear choices over their play and guide their learning. Practitioners demonstrate a clear knowledge of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the seven areas of learning. This enables them to plan activities, which effectively cover all areas of learning. They tailor experiences and activities to meet each child's needs, appropriately challenging them.

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who attend

Practitioners' knowledge of the children in their care enables them to make accurate assessments of their progress and achievements. Practitioners frequently observe what children can do and use this information to make clear records. The records are used to monitor the progress children are making and to identify their next steps in learning. Practitioners work well with parents to establish useful information about children's home backgrounds and starting points, to help them settle easily into the pre-school. Parents are actively encouraged to play a role in their children's learning. For example, by regularly viewing the children's development records and entering into discussions about their progress.

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who attend

Children are actively engaged in purposeful play throughout their pre-school session. They enjoy a good range of freely chosen play, as well as adult-led activities. Practitioners skilfully question children to extend their thinking and to enrich their learning. For example, children participating in a food tasting activity are asked how the various fruits look, smell and taste. The activity is linked to a book about an African village, which children clearly know and like. They listen intently as their key person reads the story to them and join in enthusiastically, at appropriate places. On completion of the book, they talk about the story and which parts of it they like the best. The key person extends the activity and provides a range of fruit, like those in the book, such as a mango, a pineapple and passion fruit, for children to explore and taste. They each feel the fruit and use appropriate vocabulary, such as smooth, soft, hard, spikey and rough to describe how the

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who attend

skin feels. Once it is cut up, they talk about the colours of the inside and outside of the fruit. The well-planned activity enables children to explore, using a wide range of senses. They eagerly await the next planned session as the key person tells them that next time they will taste the other fruits from the book, such as, an orange, nectarines and guavas.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy experiencing outdoor play and making use of the enclosed outdoor area available to them. They access a range of hoops, balls and scooters and have fun rolling a selection of small balls down drain pipes and into a collection bowl at the other end. Children are encouraged to take some risk, for example, they move carefully around the areas of the garden still covered in snow, being mindful of the fact that they might slip over. During the spring and summer months, children are provided with opportunities to learn about growing, when they plant and tend to flowers, fruits and vegetables in their small growing area. There is, however, less scope for children to fully explore all aspects of the natural environment. For example, limited provision is made to encourage birds and insects into the garden for children to observe and explore.

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

Children form warm and positive relationships with all practitioners and have special individual times with their key person, enabling them to develop secure attachments. This is evident in the way in which children enjoy cuddles and support from their key person and engage in purposeful activities together. A high adult to child ratio within the pre- school ensures that children are well supported and effectively supervised at all times. Practitioners provide children with clear guidance on what is acceptable behaviour, creating a calm and relaxed atmosphere, where all children and adults feel valued and respected. Children's behaviour shows that they feel safe and secure during their pre- school day, for example, they move confidently around the main play area, accessing the integral toilets independently and making choices to guide their play. Clear visual cues displayed at children's height around the room help them to communicate their needs and

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

understand what is happening next. Some images are supported in a range of different languages, recognisable to children, who speak English as an additional language.

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

Children understand the importance of healthy practices, such as regular hand washing and proficiently tell adults that they need to wash their hands to clean away the germs. They know that this is important before touching food and after using the toilet. They know that fresh air and exercise are good for them as practitioners talk about physical activities and how they keep us fit through everyday routines and discussions. Children enjoy a healthy mid-session snack, which generally comprises of a range of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as toast, crackers and crumpets. They pour themselves a drink of milk or juice and have access to fresh drinking water throughout the session. Place mats showing foods, which constitute to a healthy diet, prompt lively discussions about healthy eating.

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

The practitioners effectively help new children to settle through regular settling-in visits and through the use of a small bear. The bear has been photographed all around the pre- school, for example, using the pre-school toilets, washing his hands, sitting at the snack table, playing in the garden and sitting down for a story. The photographs are placed in a small album and the parents of new children are encouraged to take this and the bear home, a couple of weeks prior to starting at the setting. They are asked to use the photographs to acclimatise their children to the pre-school environment, so that when they start they are familiar with their new surroundings. Practitioners recognise the importance of praise and encouragement to help to develop children's confidence and self- esteem. They recognise the need to prepare children for their next stages of learning, such as school. They focus much attention on helping children to become proficient at

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

putting their coats and shoes on and off, using good manners, listening to instructions and learning to take turns.

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provision

The management team effectively monitors and reviews the educational provision. Precise monitoring of the pre-school's planning and assessment ensures that all children's skills and abilities are understood by their key person. The practitioners work well with outside agencies and professionals to ensure that children with special needs and/or disabilities are supported and appropriate interventions are sought.

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provision

Practitioners demonstrate a secure knowledge of the welfare and safeguarding requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They ensure that children remain safe and are effectively safeguarded. All practitioners regularly update their safeguarding knowledge through appropriate training. All adults working with children are vetted for suitability and proof of their clearance is held on file.

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provision

Management and practitioners demonstrate a clear commitment to driving improvement. They effectively identify their strengths and weaknesses and put appropriate action plans in place to address any areas of weakness. Practitioners participate in an effective appraisal system, whereby they have opportunities to discuss future training needs and professional development.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and other agencies are good. Parents are actively encouraged to participate in their children's learning. They are provided with clear information about the provision. The management team considers the requests of all parents when developing ways of sharing children's progress. For example, they hold open events at various times, provide an open-door policy and invite parents to discuss their children's progress at the beginning or end of the pre-school sessions. Transitions between the pre-school and the local school are good. Children are well prepared for their next stages in learning as they regularly visit the school and participate in joint events. However, links with other early years settings where children also attend and with some other schools are not so well established. This means that opportunities for key persons to share information about children's learning and development are limited and therefore, they are not able to

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provision

effectively complement the learning that is already taking place.

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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 251573 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 818403

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Methodist Pre-School Date of previous inspection 10/02/2009 Telephone number 07963217777

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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. 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

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Type of provision

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, safeguarding and child protection.

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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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