Blackmoor Badgers

Blackmoor Badgers Blackmoor Village Hall, Honey Lane, Blackmoor, Liss, Hampshire, GU33 6BU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/02/2013 23/11/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Children do not make sufficient progress, as there are weaknesses in the delivery of the educational programme. Activities lack challenge and staff do not engage purposefully with children.  The quality of planning and observational assessment is weak. Staff do not effectively identify children's next steps.  There is poor use of self-evaluation to monitor existing practice, identify priorities for improvement and to plan for how these will be achieved.  There is no programme of professional development for staff.  Insufficient progress has been made in addressing recommendations made at the last inspection.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy and settled. They enjoy good relationships with other children and staff.  Children are gaining a good understanding of personal hygiene routines.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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

 The inspector observed interactions between staff and children.  The inspector held discussions with the provider/manager, staff and children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of relevant documentation, including some policies and procedures, evidence of staff suitability and children's records.

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Information about the setting

Blackmoor Badgers registered in 2010. It is a privately owned group, which is located within the village of Blackmoor, near Liss in Hampshire. The provision includes a pre- school and a holiday playscheme, both of which operate from two rooms in the village hall. Children come from the local community and surrounding areas. The pre-school opens five days a week during term time. Sessions are from 9am to 3pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 9am to 12.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This includes a lunch club. The holiday playscheme operates on various days during school holidays, with sessions held from 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday. Blackmoor Badgers is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 18 children in the early years age group on roll. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early

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Information about the setting

education for children aged three and four years. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language There are four members of staff who work with the children. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one member of staff is studying for an appropriate qualification. The pre-school receives support from the local authority children's services and Children's Links.

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must:

 develop the educational programme by observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and stage of development and using this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable learning experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development

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must:

 improve systems for ongoing assessment of children's progress and identification of the next steps in their learning

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must:

 foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement through a process of rigorous self-evaluation and monitoring and supervision which includes coaching and training for staff and promotes the interests of children

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

 provide children with more opportunities to investigate resources that help them learn about technology

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

 increase opportunities for children to be creative and think critically by enabling them to find their own ways to represent and develop their own ideas

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

 make better use of the daily routine to encourage counting, estimation and use of mathematical language

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who attend

Children do not make progress in their learning because the quality of teaching is weak. Activities do not provide children with adequate challenge and the value of some of these is limited. Whilst staff interact positively with children, they do not use children's interests as a springboard to extend their learning or ask searching questions that encourage them to think critically. Each child has an allocated key person who is responsible for supporting their learning and development and maintaining their progress records. However, observations and assessment of children's progress are not frequent or accurate enough to help staff know what children need to learn and to plan effectively for the next steps in their learning. The provider/manager is aware of the need to complete written progress checks for children aged between two and three years. She has started to produce these although parents have yet to see them.

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who attend

Children remain busily occupied and involved in their play. They enjoy exploring small world toys and acting out stories together. Children look at books and comics, both independently and with staff. They talk about what they can see in the pictures. Children are keen to make lucky envelopes for Chinese New Year using stamps featuring Chinese characters. They are enthusiastic and enjoy exploring the gold and red paint provided. Staff sit alongside children and oversee the activity. However, the organisation of this is poor. Staff do not talk to children about Chinese New Year or what they are making or why. Staff do not differentiate the activity in any way to meet the needs of older and more capable children. There are no pictures, books or other resources relating to Chinese New Year for children to look at or explore so they can develop their understanding and knowledge.

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who attend

Children are learning to be independent and to develop their self-help skills. They fetch their coats and wellington boots and try to put these on themselves before they go outside to play. Children relish being outside in the garden. The vegetable patch is especially popular and they capably handle a range of appropriate gardening tools, such as trowels, rakes and forks. Children become excited when they find potatoes and this discovery arouses the attention of others who are keen to join in with the search. They proudly take their potatoes to staff who hold them for them but do not build any further on their interest. They do not encourage children to talk about the differing sizes of the potatoes they have found or encourage them to sort or count these. Staff talk amongst themselves about the roots that are sprouting from the potatoes but do not draw these to the attention of the children or explain that this means they can re-plant them later in the

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who attend

Children remain involved as they explore the different materials included in the collage boxes and use these to create pictures. Some children talk about these, for instance, explaining that the small pieces of soft wool are like snow. Those children who need help to cut with scissors receive some support. However, it is very evident from the range of artwork displayed that many of the art and craft activities children experience rely far too much on them simply reproducing someone else's ideas. Children are given photocopied pictures of snowman to colour in and pre-drawn, pre-cut outlines of penguins and birds. This limits children's ability to be creative and express their own ideas.

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who attend

Children work together to build 'a big tower' of bricks. Children use appropriate mathematical language such as 'long' and 'more' in correct contexts as part of their discussions about what they are doing. They point out their creation to a member of staff who acknowledges their efforts but does not extend their explorations any further. Children show knowledge of numbers and they count spontaneously. However, staff do not encourage children to explore mathematics as part of the daily routine. For instance, they give children plates to hand out at snack time but do not use this simple task to promote discussions about quantity or simple addition or subtraction and therefore challenge them further. Staff automatically write children's names on their pictures for them without giving them any encouragement to try this for themselves. This limits opportunities for children to investigate writing for a purpose.

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

Children are cared for in safe and secure premises that are clean and well-maintained. Staff control access and they supervise children carefully. Children can help themselves to a selection of play materials. However, other resources are not so easily accessible. Children cannot help themselves to items that enable them to learn about technology and staff are not allowed to offer sand and water in this room. Staff set these activities up in the hall on some occasions although children cannot explore these every day. The playroom is decorated with posters and there is some use of labelling, enabling children to gain awareness that print carries meaning. Staff take children outside to play in the small garden area so they have fresh air and can be physically active. They have space to run around and can dig in the vegetable patch or play on the small climbing apparatus or trampoline. However, the garden is not an effective learning environment. It lacks appeal

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

and staff do not take any resources outside to excite or arouse children's curiosity.

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

Children enjoy good relationships with staff and with one another. This leads to a happy, comfortable atmosphere with children who feel at ease and who are happy to approach others. There are clear friendships evident amongst some children and they play cooperatively together. Children behave well. Staff gently and calmly support those who are learning to take turns and share. They praise children for their efforts, which builds children's self-esteem and confidence.

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

Children learn about healthy lifestyles. They follow good personal hygiene practices. Children have a selection of different healthy foods to eat at snack time and they bring a packed lunch from home. The lunchtime session is relaxed and children are encouraged to try new foods in their lunchbox. Staff and children sit together and chat, which encourages them to engage in conversation. Parents are reminded that the pre-school promotes healthy eating and they are asked to support this in respect of what they provide their children to eat. Fresh drinking water is available throughout the session although children cannot help themselves to this.

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

Children learn how to keep themselves and others safe with the support of staff. They practise the fire drill, which helps them to develop their understanding of what they need to do should it be necessary to evacuate the premises in an emergency. Staff talk to them about the need to sit down when they are using scissors and to make sure they 'point the garden forks down.'

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

Children attend settling-in visits before they start at the pre-school and parents are encouraged to complete an 'all about me' form on their child's behalf. However, not all parents complete this form and there is no system in place to encourage this, even though this would contribute to continuity of care and help establish children's starting points. Staff complete a settling-in sheet a short time after children start which they send home to parents. This provides parents with information about how their children have settled into the group.

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provision

The pre-school meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage in a generally satisfactory manner. However, it does not successfully fulfil the learning and development requirements. There are also weaknesses in the pre- school's use of self-evaluation and monitoring of practice. All of these issues combine to impact adversely on how the needs of children are met.

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provision

Management and staff have an understanding of safeguarding and their responsibility to take action in the event of any concerns they may have about a child's welfare. There are appropriate recruitment and vetting procedures in place. New staff undergo induction and everyone has an annual appraisal. One of the purposes of this is to identify training needs. However, staff do not regularly keep up to date with training including safeguarding. There is no effective system in place to provide appropriate supervision, coaching and support for staff to promote professional development. The provider/manager has also not considered whether her systems for ensuring the ongoing suitability of staff are sufficiently robust.

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provision

Self-evaluation is weak and does not adequately identify all areas where the pre-school needs to improve. This was an area of concern at previous inspections. The provider/manager issues questionnaires to parents when new children start at the pre- school and they are welcome to come in and share their views. Required documentation is in place and is available for viewing. Other records relating to day care activities are kept off site at the provider/manager's home. The provider/manager takes account of any concerns reported to her and looks into these. Staff interact positively with children at all times and there is an understanding of appropriate ways to manage behaviour.

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provision

Parents are happy with the pre-school. They comment that they find staff 'friendly' and that their children like coming. Most are aware of who their child's key person is. Parents receive a welcome pack, which includes information about the Early Years Foundation Stage and the areas of learning. They are given details of the pre-school's policies and procedures and are told that these are available to view upon request. Regular newsletters provide information about what the pre-school is focusing on with children, for instance, promoting manners at snack time. Parents and staff have a relaxed relationship and there is an informal daily exchange of information. Staff send home children's 'special books' on some occasions and parents are invited to add their comments to these. However, not many parents contribute to this process. As a result, it is difficult for parents to accurately know how children are progressing and what staff have identified as the next steps in

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provision

There are some partnerships in place with local schools to help children move smoothly onto the next stage in their education. Teachers visit the pre-school and staff talk to children about going to school. They also take them to visit the local village school for any special events they put on. The staff work in partnership with other agencies or professionals, supporting children as necessary. This promotes continuity of care for children and aids their learning. The provider has devised systems to seek the permission of parents to share information should this situation arise.

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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 action. 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 EY412514 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 903334

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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 18 Name of provider Carole Ann Rudd Date of previous inspection 23/11/2010 Telephone number 01420 538160

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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