Tiddlywinks Pre-School (Leyland) Ltd

Tiddlywinks Pre-School Leyland Methodist Infant School, Canberra Road, LEYLAND, PR25 3ET

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/02/2013 Not Applicable

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 The extremely well-organised arrangements for supporting children's transitions into pre-school and onto school means that children are superbly assisted to adapt and embrace the next stages of their learning and life events.  The enthusiastic and caring staff team ensure that children are very warmly welcomed and that firm bonds with key persons are quickly established. This means that children are well supported and have a strong sense of community. They enter the pre-school with eagerness; they are self-motivated and play with purpose and pleasure.  Teaching is rooted in an excellent understanding of how children learn. Planning for children's learning is based on accurate assessment and significantly enhanced by rich and varied learning opportunities, such as those experiences encountered during forest school sessions.  Staff ensure that the prime areas of learning are threaded throughout every aspect of

p.1

This provision is outstanding

the day. Sensitive adult support during free play activities and well-planned adult-led activities ensure that the specific areas of learning are fully covered. In particular, the support for children's progress in their mathematical and early literacy skills.  The management of the setting is committed to providing a quality service. Self- evaluation involves the whole team, so that there is a sense of ownership. This is reflected in the day to day organisation and how the team works in a harmonious and efficient way; to promote the children's well-being, keep them safe and well-cared for.

p.1

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed the main classroom, the outdoor cabin and outdoor play areas, and the range of equipment available to the children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector joined a group of children as they participated in forest school activities away from the premises and joined other groups of children in the school hall as they participated in music and movement activities.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the owner/manager and conducted a joint observation with the manager of an adult-led activity. He held discussions with staff during the time spent in the classroom, outdoor play areas and forest area.

p.2

Inspection activities

 During the inspection, the inspector viewed children's assessment and planning records. A selection of other pertinent documentation was also viewed.

p.2

Inspection activities

 Prior to visiting, the inspector viewed the pre-school's website. During the inspection, the inspector interacted with children and spoke to parents.

p.2

Information about the setting

Tiddlywinks Pre-School was originally registered in 1994 and was registered again in 2012 to reflect a change in legal status. It is registered on the Early Years Register and is situated within a classroom in Leyland Methodist Infant School in Leyland, Lancashire. It is now managed by an individual under a company status and the manager and staff remain the same. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

p.3

Information about the setting

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, term times only. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon and 12 noon until 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 45 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.

p.3

Information about the setting

The pre-school employs nine members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications with one member of staff holding a qualification at level 4. Six members of staff hold qualifications at level 3 and one member of staff holds a qualification at level 2. The owner/manager holds Qualified Teacher Status and Early Years Professional Status. The pre-school has completed the Lancashire Step into Quality and is currently working towards the full Lancashire Quality Award.

p.3

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

 refine children's opportunities to explore and operate information and communication technology equipment, such as creating opportunities for more independent use of the digital cameras and the programmable bugs in the outdoor play area and when visiting the forest school base.

p.3

who attend

The pre-school provides children with a vibrant learning experience, based on variety but with a consistency of approach. The manager and staff have ensured that they maximise learning in a variety of ways, which includes regular trips to a local wooded area. This acts as the base for forest school approaches to learning. Each member of the group and all members of staff take turns to regularly visit this area as part of the learning programme. At the main base, the pre-school is thoughtfully and very attractively organised with a wide range of toys and equipment that extends the children's independent play indoors and outside. This effective organisation is significantly supporting and enhancing children's all-round development. Displays are rich in numbers, labels and posters, children's photographs and creative work. This makes it an exciting and fun place to be and reinforces children's sense of belonging and fosters their emerging literacy and

p.4

who attend

Adults planning and organisation of the learning programme provides optimal challenge through well thought out but flexible daily routines. The complimentary more unusual experiences, such as those gained from forest school. For example, in forest school, they listen to the story about a monster in a similar place to that of the story, which adds to the magic. Afterwards, they make 'crumble' from mud, water and leaves in the hollow of a tree stump. On route to the forest, children talk animatedly about the features in their environment, such as the lion and fox door knockers. They know when they approach the relevant house and there is much excited discussion that takes place.

p.4

who attend

The prime areas of learning are skilfully enhanced by enthusiastic and knowledgeable practitioners, who support children well, without taking over. Children are self-motivated and eager to join in and explore. They demonstrate a very good understanding of taking turns and sharing and enjoy being active and using their physical skills. For example, while outdoors, a group of several children experiment with a large selection of balls to see, which roll down or travel the fastest along a length of guttering. They instigate their own play confidently organising and listening to each other's ideas while playing in the home corner. Equipment in the sand is shared and they use tools or help each other to fix things together when making models. Their dexterity and early design skills develop by the freedom to use tools, such as, scissors, tape, glue and other materials when making models. First-class adult interactions promote children's critical thinking as adults act as a

p.4

who attend

support to help their thinking about how they may fix things together and remind them about the safe use of tools.

p.4

who attend

During adult-planned activities, children's concentration is supported very well, such as during a counting and matching game. Staff provide a favourite character from a book, which is divided into six pieces and each piece is numbered between one to six. Children roll the dice to discover, which piece of puzzle is next. They count the spots on the dice and then have to find the correct number. Children enjoy this and spontaneously add their thoughts as they recognise they have rolled the same number on the dice or when they only have one piece left. Good adult praise and acknowledgement of the children's achievements helps them to feel confident to try things out.

p.4

who attend

Children show a keen interest in numbers and talk freely about those they see when out walking, noticing that a door has a three and a six on it. They shout with glee when they spot a zero, exclaiming, 'it's a zero, it's a zero' while pointing to the speed markings painted on the road. Children's language for thinking and speaking is actively encouraged. They eagerly join in with the rhyming end to sentences during a story. Some of the four- year-old children can recite two and sometimes more full sentences. Books and other printed resources are freely available and children share favourites, such as those about dinosaurs with their friends. Children recognise their own names on labels in the playroom and eagerly type their first name and some letters of their surname on a laptop. They are confident when shown how to use the touch screen electronic tablet. A wider range of tools and paper to write with, are easily accessible to the children throughout the play

p.4

who attend

A good range of technology is available to the children and they seek and use what is freely available to them, for example, completing a three bears programme on the computer. The setting has an interactive white board and music players, which children use regularly. Digital cameras and programmable bugs are also available but they are not as easily accessible as they could be for children to use. Staff do plan activities, such as taking pictures of the children and then transferring them onto the computer, so they can create and print calendars to take home. However, the staff have not fully explored additional ways to refine and increase the use of technology equipment. For example, by taking and printing pictures on route to the familiar destinations, such as forest school and then encouraging the children to sequence them. Staff are very receptive to such ideas and eager to embrace new ideas, for example, helping children to explore the ways that

p.5

who attend

the programmable bugs work on different surfaces outside.

p.5

who attend

Children's progress is based on robust observations and assessments for their learning. Parents are actively engaged to support the early assessment on which the staff base their planning for children's next steps in learning. Parents are consulted when children start and regularly updated through daily discussions and a parent liaison book. This allows written messages and information to be exchanged between staff and parents. Good information about the aspects of the seven areas of learning as detailed within Early Years Foundation Stage is included within this book. This helps parents to understand how the different activities and the actions of the children link to the seven areas of learning. Once a term, parents are invited into the setting for key person clinic during which the children's records of progress are viewed and discussed.

p.5

who attend

Staff regularly record their observations of the children and a simple but effective way of labelling these to reflect their assessment of children's continued progress is implemented. These labels are small printed and colour coded to reflect the expected developmental age bands, as recorded within the 'Development Matters' guidance document. They act as an effective visual prompt to quickly establish children's current stages of development and allow staff to identify if they are operating within, below or above any aspect of the expected stages of their development.

p.5

who attend

Staff plan exceedingly well, based on children's own needs. They have high but realistic expectations and understand that different strategies are sometimes needed to continue to assess children accurately. They plan the activities to ensure a full-team approach. This works particularly well for children, such as those who are in the early stages of learning English. Pictures are used to communicate with the children and key words are understood and the correct ways of saying them are printed on the card displayed around the room. Ways to support the children are reflective of the recommended guidance. They demonstrate the staffs' commitment to meeting each child's needs with sensitivity and to aid maximum development given their individual starting points and abilities. This includes ensuring that all staff speak slowly and clearly. They limit the number of words used and they use a range of stories and songs to encourage the children to join in. For those

p.5

who attend

children still not ready to share what they know verbally, staff ask them questions during play to identify their understanding of English and other aspects of their development, such as counting. For example, they encourage children to make different groups of currant buns. Ways to communicate with parents, who speak little or no English are established before children are cared for. Consequently, children relish their time at this setting and because they receive first-class support from motivated adults, they are very well prepared for school and their next stages of learning.

p.6

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

A significant factor in the effectiveness of the pre-school is its ability to establish effective ways to support the children through the variety of transitions they will encounter during their time at the pre-school. Relationships are established before children start as home visits take place and visits to pre-school allow them to meet staff and gain confidence in their company. The engagement of parents ensures children's unique needs are known and can be attended to, so that children's health and well-being is promoted and they form bonds quickly. Staff know the children extremely well and their friendly and caring attitudes have enabled the rapid development of very secure relationships between them.

p.6

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

The setting currently cares for children aged over three years, which means that normally those attending only attend the pre-school for one academic year. However, staff ensure that they know the children's preferences and learning styles, so they are supported throughout their time at the setting. Their confidence in social situations is developing. Staff ensure that the children have lots of practical experiences to develop their self-help skills. For example, time is incorporated into routines to allow the children time to practise dressing themselves to go outside to play or to remove their shoes and socks in preparation for a 'music and movement' session, which takes place in the main hall. For children due to start within the school, visits during the last term take place and the teachers visit the pre-school. Some of the staff work in the school and pre-school, which supports the less confident children. For those children moving to a different school, staff

p.6

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

talk about how their school will have a main hall like the one they visit or they look at the school uniforms they will be wearing.

p.6

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

Children's growing understanding of keeping themselves safe and healthy is promoted effectively and demonstrated in their independent actions. For example, they seek the dust pan and brush without being asked to brush up sand off the floor. When crossing roads, they understand the need to stop away from the kerb and look both ways. They will often call to others when they see oncoming cars approaching. Visits from agencies, such as the fire brigade, help them to learn about safety in their wider world. Healthy lifestyles are actively promoted through the daily routines, seasonal events and discussions during activities. For example, they wash their hands before eating; enjoy healthy snacks of fruit and salad vegetable. They grow crops in the garden and have regular fresh air and chances to be active both in the outdoor play areas and when visiting forest school. Children learn about the importance of exercise as staff talk with them

p.6

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

about their raised heartbeat after the movement sessions.

p.7

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

Children show increasingly high levels of self-control during activities and confidence in social situations. Early negotiation skills are fostered well. For example, a child asks if they can lead the group and the staff invite the other children to share their thought before agreeing. This supports children to be confident in expressing their views in a controlled and polite manner. Staff enhance this further through their praise and their polite and courteous role models.

p.7

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

Resources are well organised and reflective of the diversity within the setting. Welcome signs in varying scripts and languages are displayed alongside the key words of those languages of the children attending. The pre-school setting is based in a Christian school, however, the religious and special celebrations of children attending from differing cultural groups, is equally acknowledged. For example, Chinese New Year and Diwali. This promotes an inclusive atmosphere and helps the children to explore more fully the beliefs and customs of their own and those of other people.

p.7

provision

The setting is exceedingly well organised and the steps put in place ensure that children are kept safe and their well-being is attended to robustly. The owner/manager has ensured that she has revised her policies to ensure that they fully reflect and meet the welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Arrangements for safeguarding children are robust, with a firm foundations put in place through the rigorous recruitment and selection procedures. Staff are fully vetted to ensure that they have the integrity of character, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of the children. Staff have a detailed understanding of the steps to follow should they have a concern about a child and how to report such concerns.

p.7

provision

The staff team has a wealth of early years knowledge, experience and qualifications. The termly supervisions, annual appraisals and regular team meetings provide ways for the staff to develop their professional skills and foster a culture of mutual support and teamwork. This is evident in the way that the team work in a harmonious and efficient way. Safety within the premises and when on outings is implemented exceedingly well. Children practise the evacuation procedure regularly, so that they gain a practical understanding of what to do in an emergency.

p.7

provision

The systems for monitoring the learning programme are effectively implemented and staff are actively involved in the planning and organisation. Regular training as a team ensures consistency of approach. The owner/manager is committed to the quality and improvement of the provision. Self-evaluation is currently based on close partnership working with the local authority early years team and the completion of a quality award scheme. The views of children and parents are sought regularly. The setting holds lead practitioner status with the local authority, which means that the setting also supports other early years providers to develop their quality of service. The team approach to evaluation for improvement means that the team feel a part of the setting and their views are valued. Consequently, children benefit greatly. They are happy, secure and safe in this highly motivating but pleasant and relaxed environment.

p.7

provision

A very large range of information is used to engage parents, including a website, handbooks and newsletters. Daily discussion, notices and photographs of the children provide further information and support the development of highly effective partnerships. The ways staff support the children into nursery and the information shared about their children's learning is highly valued by parents. The setting demonstrates consistently high methods of ensuring that effective partnership is implemented with relevant agencies and settings to ensure that children are robustly supported and no child is disadvantaged.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number EY452428 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 880687

p.9

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Gill Conway Trading as Tiddlywinks Pre-School Ltd Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01772 454250

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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,

p.10

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11