Little Wonders Preschool

Little Wonders Preschool Westfield Community Primary School, Chalkstone Way, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 0BW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/02/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 The indoor and outdoor child-focused learning environments provide interesting and stimulating activities that engage children to support their learning and development. Children benefit from a wide range of toys, books and equipment which build on their interests and stimulate curiosity.  Children are confident and show a very good level of independence for their age, as a result of staff practice and a carefully organised learning environment. The children cooperate and play happily together.  The manager provides strong leadership and has a commitment to improve her service. Her plans for improvement are well targeted to further raise the quality of provision.  Partnerships with other professionals are effective in providing for children's needs. Children make good progress and transitions in and out of the setting are well organised to promote continuity of care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for staff development and professional support are limited by infrequent supervision meetings. As a result, they do not have regular opportunities to share good practice to fully support each individual staff member.

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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 playroom and the outdoor area.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at planning, evidence of suitability of practitioners working in the setting, policies and a range of other documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The Little Wonders Pre-school was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register. The pre-school operates from a new purpose-built building in the grounds of Westfield Primary School in Haverhill, Suffolk. The pre-school is privately owned and is managed by a committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There are two enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs nine childcare staff of whom seven hold appropriate early years qualifications and one has Early Years Professional status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 12pm and from 12pm until 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 63 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children learning English as an additional language and with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance high quality staff development and professional support by increasing the frequency of supervision meetings.

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who attend

The educational programmes have depth and breadth across the areas of learning. Children are motivated and eager to learn; they join in activities with enthusiasm and enjoy their time in the pre-school. Staff show a good understanding of varied teaching methods that engage children's interest and plan fun activities that encompass the areas of learning. Staff organise the setting well and ensure that children are able to access a broad range of toys, books and equipment; as a result children are active and independent learners.

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who attend

Staff effectively promote children's skills in language development and literacy. The pre- school has a welcoming and comfortable book area. The children are asked to sit on the carpet and the adult reads the story about going on a bear hunt. The children listen attentively. The adult engages their interest by showing them the pictures and asking questions. The children have fun doing the actions as the adult reads the story. The children pretend to crawl through the long grass and act out going over and under the deep river. The staff are good role models for the children showing them what to do. The children are excited and engage fully with the activity. The children are being helped to develop an appreciation of the excitement and fun that books can provide; they are being supported to develop early reading skills.

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who attend

The children move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments. Outdoor provision is carefully planned to offer a wide range of activities including running, using ride-on toys, making marks and drawing and playing in the shop, looking at books and sand play. The benefits of outdoor play are fully exploited even on a cold January day; consequently, the children's physical development is well supported. As well as the many opportunities for self-initiated play, the children also have the opportunity to engage in adult-led activities outside. A garage had been set up so that children can become car mechanics and service cars. The children check that the wheels and tyres are in good order and that the car has oil, once the service has been completed the car is moved off the ramp. This imaginative role play introduces a wide range of vocabulary to the children that they would not normally use including 'ramp', 'service', 'oil', 'tyres' and' 'garage'. The

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who attend

children enjoy the activity and at the same time are being helped to extend their vocabulary and also gain an understanding of car safety. The outdoor space is imaginatively organised and this stimulating environment effectively supports children's learning.

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who attend

Understanding the world is well promoted. Staff plan a two week theme on birds for the children follow. The children make bird food and put it into plastic containers. The containers are attached to the fence outside and the children wait for the birds to come and feed. The children also make binoculars from junk model materials and paint them; these are to be used for bird watching. While the children are painting their binoculars the adult talks to the children about different types of birds and the bird food that they have made. The children are learning to develop an appreciation of birds and the natural world.

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who attend

The regular observation of children at play enables staff to assess children's learning needs and plan suitably challenging activities. Staff constantly observe and listen to children, questioning them during activities in order to extend their learning and enhance understanding. Staff share their observations and assessments with parents, in this way parents are involved in their children's learning. Children are keen and interested learners who are making good progress in meeting the early learning goals. Where children's starting points are below those of their peers, assessments show that they are making good progress. The pre-school is effective in preparing children for school.

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

Arrangements to help children settle into the pre-school and build secure emotional attachments with their carers are very effective. Successful implementation of the key person system ensures children feel safe and secure in the setting. Children are confident and play very well together and behave well, demonstrating an understanding of the clear boundaries and expectations within the provision. The pre-school is inclusive and children are learning to respect and celebrate each other's differences. For example, children learning English as a second language have words from their home language displayed in the nursery and are very much included and involved in all activities. Children with special educational educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported to participate in all activities.

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

Children are encouraged to learn the importance of basic personal hygiene and ensure their hands are clean before eating and after using the toilet. The children pour their own drinks and learn to butter their toast. They help themselves to fruit. Water is available throughout the session; this effectively promotes their independence and confidence. The children choose to play outdoors or inside. They are learning to put their coats and boots on and they know to wear an apron before painting. The staff are skilled in exploiting a wide variety of tasks and activities to encourage and develop children's independence. The children are successfully helped to develop self-help skills and a healthy lifestyle.

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

The staff attach great importance to the children being outside and enjoying and benefiting from the fresh air. The children have fun playing in a well-resourced, stimulating outdoor area. The opportunity to enjoy fresh air and to run and play promotes children's understanding of the importance of physical exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. The staff know the children well; and spend time talking to and playing with them, so they enjoy caring relationships. This positive adult interaction helps to develop children's confidence and self-esteem. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning because staff provide appropriate support to prepare them for their transition to school.

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provision

The manager, her deputies and staff work closely together forming a very effective team. They are motivated and committed to providing good quality provision for all children. They have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements and strive to deliver an enjoyable learning experience for all children. The staff work together successfully as a team and are involved in decision making. The manager supports opportunities for staff to widen their knowledge and experience by improving their qualifications and attending training. Effective systems are in place for recruitment and induction, ensuring that staff with appropriate skills and experience are employed. The manager carries out an annual appraisal with each member of staff. She has recently introduced supervision meetings, but these are too infrequent to provide high quality staff development and professional support to adequately supervise and develop each member

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provision

The pre-school enjoys close working partnerships with parents. Parents' views are sought and acted upon. A recent example of this is following the introduction of open evenings parents were asked their views, the response was very positive and consequently, a regular pattern of open evenings has been put into place. Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection felt that their children are making good progress and find the staff friendly and welcoming. Effective partnerships with parents make a strong contribution to meeting the needs of children. Parents are kept fully informed about their child's learning and development through daily verbal feedback on the activities that children have engaged in and through sharing the children's 'learning journeys'. The pre-school has a good relationship with the primary school which is on the same site. Communication between the school and pre-school is well developed and supports the smooth transition of children

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provision

as they join the school nursery. The pre-school has also developed strong partnerships with other professionals including staff at the local children's centre, the local authority school development adviser and other local nurseries and pre-schools. The close partnership working with other professionals ensures that children's needs are identified and that they are supported to make good progress.

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provision

Staff are proactive in ensuring children's safety is maintained and the children are carefully supervised both indoors and outside. Rigorous systems are in place to assess risk and to ensure that the premises are safe and secure. Staff create an environment that is safe and welcoming, where children feel secure and happy. The provision has appropriate policies and procedures in place to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Effective procedures are in place to safeguard children. All staff have been suitably vetted to work with young children and a majority of staff hold a paediatric first aid qualification.

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provision

The manager provides strong leadership and she, her deputies and staff are ambitious to further improve provision for the children. Educational programmes are monitored effectively to ensure children receive a very good breadth and depth of learning experiences. The pre-school evaluates the quality of its provision through a planned self- evaluation process and identifies areas for improvement. Current priorities include the development of the second outdoor play area and supporting staff to improve their qualifications. The pre-school has good capacity for further improvement.

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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 EY451151 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 811252

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 63 Name of provider Little Wonders Pre-School Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01440 710926

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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. 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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