Meltham Community Pre-School

Meltham Community Pre-School Meltham Baptist Chapel, Mean Lane, Meltham, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD9 5QS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/02/2013 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

 Children are motivated and keen to learn in this welcoming setting. They show high levels of curiosity and imagination and demonstrate positive relationships with their peers and staff.  The successful implementation of the key person system supports relationships with children and their families. Strong partnerships with parents ensures children's needs are known and effectively met.  Children are happy and settled as they play, they choose where to play and they have independent access to toys and equipment.  Children are very well safeguarded in the setting. This is because all staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of how to make the premises safe and the manager has robust recruitment procedures.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities to encourage older children's self-reliance and independence skills, such as blowing their own noses, are not consistent.  Younger children require further support to express their feelings and emotions.

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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 spoke to the manager, staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector also took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.  Children were observed during play and staff's interactions with them.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's files, observations, assessments and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Meltham Community Pre-School was re-registered in 2012 having previously been known as St. James' Church Pre-school Playgroup based at St. James' Church, Meltham Mills. It is managed by a committee and operates from the schoolroom at Meltham Baptist Chapel, Meltham, Holmfirth near Huddersfield. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and it serves the local and surrounding areas. The setting is open during term time from Monday to Friday from 9.15am to 12.15pm and also holds a lunch club from 12.15pm to 1.15pm. It employs seven members of child care staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. There are currently 30 children on roll who attend for a variety of sessions. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special needs and/or disabilities. The setting

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Information about the setting

receives support from the local authority and provides funded early education for eligible children.

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

 review routines to ensure that all staff consistently support children's growing independence as they do things for themselves, such as, wiping their own noses

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

 enhance support for younger children to express their feelings, when they become frustrated, by providing photographs and pictures of faces showing different emotions for children to look at and talk about.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy attending this pre-school which provides them with a vibrant, welcoming and stimulating environment in which they learn through play. Approaches to assessing children's starting points as they start to attend the setting are good because of the close and effective partnership working between the staff and parents. The information gathered from parents helps staff plan activities based on individual children's interests and helps with settling children into the setting. Toys, games and other resources are easily accessible to children because they are stored in low units. This means that children can see what is available and freely choose what they want to play with.

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who attend

Children have opportunities to practise and extend their communication and language skills. This is because staff listen attentively to them and use open-ended questions, allowing time for children to respond. As a small group of children play with dolls, they wrap them in blankets and place them in pushchairs and take them to a member of staff. She helps children to engage in symbolic play by asking them if the 'babies' are tired or hungry. The member of staff also provides a running commentary about taking them for a walk in the fresh air. This means that children are given opportunities to represent their experience in play and become more deeply involved as adults give children time to talk and explore ideas together. Another group of children play in the sand area and they make sand castles, filling buckets with a range of different spades and scoops. They are delighted to find shells which have been buried in the sand and begin to count them as

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who attend

they talk about their memories of sea-side holidays. Therefore, children make connections in their learning as they explore objects that trigger memories of past experiences.

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who attend

Every child has a well-presented learning and development file and these include photographs of children enjoying activities, observations and summary assessments of children's progress. Parents are able to contribute to this by sharing with staff what children have been learning at home. Children's learning is effectively tracked over time to ensure any gaps in learning are quickly identified. This means that children are acquiring the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for the next stage of learning. Through planned, purposeful and spontaneous activities, children's learning and development is well-supported across all areas of learning. Children for whom English is an additional language and children with special needs and/or disabilities make good progress because staff provide well-targeted individual support.

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

Children settle well because they benefit from an extremely effective level of adult attention and this ensures that they form positive and trusting relationships with the staff. Children and their parents receive a very warm welcome and children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and identity as they find their name labels, placing them on the registration board. Children form good relationships with each other and the staff caring for them. They turn to the staff if they need reassurance or cuddles if they are feeling sad. Children cooperate well by taking turns in games and activities and receive praise and encouragement from staff. Consequently, this means that children's personal, social and emotional development, confidence and self-esteem is well-supported. Children behave well because there are clear boundaries and they are encouraged to share and take turns. Staff remind them to use their 'listening ears' during circle time, as they talk about the

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

weather and what they are going to do today. However, sometimes younger and less verbal children quickly become frustrated as they struggle to express themselves. Therefore, there is scope to expand the range of activities to support children to learn to express their feelings.

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

Children learn about the importance of a healthy diet as they choose from a varied selection of fruits and natural yogurt. Healthy lifestyles are further promoted as they are provided a range of large play equipment that can be used for children to climb on, crawl through and practise their balancing skills. They also enjoy stretching, reaching, twisting and turning as they take part in large group play with a colourful parachute, taking turns to run underneath to the other side. Children develop good self-care skills as they wash their hands before eating their snack and they are able to pour their own drinks. However, these self-care skills are not consistently promoted in regard to children carrying out tasks, such as wiping their own noses. The setting has links with local primary schools and teachers visit the children prior to them beginning school. This aids transitions between home, setting and school as children are prepared for starting school.

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provision

The pre-school is managed by a committee which includes parents. They meet regularly to discuss the running of the pre-school and are very open to the views of parents and others. Children are also consulted as staff talk to children about what they enjoy doing and things they would like to do in the future. These views feed into the evaluation of the setting, as the manager and staff reflect on the provision and consider ongoing improvements. There are good links between identified priorities and plans for improvement. The manager has identified plans for the new outdoor area, now that funding has been secured. The planning for children's learning and development incorporates their individual interests. There is a good balance of child-initiated and adult- led activities, which ensure children encounter a broad range of experiences across all areas of learning. The 'possible lines of development' sheets consider both individual and

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provision

group activities and the staff have regular meetings to discuss the educational programmes.

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provision

A robust recruitment and vetting process is in place to check and monitor staff's suitability to work with children. Safeguarding is given high priority and all staff have a good understanding of how to protect children in their care. They know what procedures to follow should a concern arise. Children's safety is further promoted because the manager and staff are vigilant in undertaking risk assessment to ensure all areas used by children minimise the risk of injury.

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provision

The manager is extremely dedicated and motivated to improve the staff's knowledge and learning. All staff have appraisals, their knowledge and practice is monitored and individual training and development plans are in place. Staff work very well together as a team and regularly discusses children's progress and plan future activities. When staff return from training, the manager makes sure they make full use of what they have learnt. For example, one member of staff attended a training session on the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. The whole team benefited by discussing the changes and putting strategies in place to develop the provision, to best support children's learning and development. Parents have access to a wealth of information, via notice boards, newsletters, photographs and the induction pack. Partnerships with other agencies are established and this enables the setting to secure any support they need, which ultimately

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provision

benefits the children and families that attend this happy setting.

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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 EY452474 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 810856

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider Meltham Community Pre-School Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07703 594434 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

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’.

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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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