Acacia Pre-School

Acacia Pre-School Acacia Intergenerational Centre, 230 Grove Road, MITCHAM, Surrey, CR4 1SD

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/03/2013 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

 An extensive range of interesting, stimulating activities are available. The unlimited access between the indoor and outdoor environments enables children to choose where they wish to play and encourages their decision-making skills.  Children are making significant progress from their initial starting points, because of the extensive opportunities available to them and the valuable support they receive from the staff. Their individual needs are clearly understood and planning of activities ensures a balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities.  Leadership and management of the setting is excellent. The centre manager, manager and staff have a clear vision of the outstanding practice they are promoting and all members of staff are involved to provide consistency. There are consistent practices in place to monitor and ensure that children are enabled to progress exceptionally well.  Staff use the Every child a talker (Ecat) programme exceptionally well to support

p.1

This provision is outstanding

children's emerging vocabulary skills. Staff are highly skilled in using open-ended questions to make the children think about what they are doing. As a result, children are progressing significantly with their vocabulary from their starting points.

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main play rooms and the garden.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the provider, manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the observations.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, planning documents, the self- evaluation form and a selection of policies and procedures and children's records.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the centre manager.  The inspector also spoke with parents.

p.2

Information about the setting

Acacia Pre-School registered in 2012. It is situated in Acacia Intergenerational Centre. Children have access to a large play room with direct access to the large garden.The pre- school runs during term time with morning sessions from 9am until 12pm and afternoon from 12.45pm to 3.45pm

p.3

Information about the setting

It is registered on the Early Years register. The pre-School is mainly for children eligible for free early education for funded two to three year olds but there are occasionally spaces for non funded children. Five staff currently work with the children. The manager has a degree in Early Years and the other staff are qualified to level two and three. There are currently 28 children on roll who all receive two year funding.

p.3

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

 look at resources used during snack time activities to enhance further children's independence skills.

p.3

who attend

The extremely caring and supportive staff greatly nurture children's personal and social development. They take time to settle the children into the setting and help them to understand their feelings and how they can develop. All children play well together and support each other. Staff support children's communication and language development extremely well. The manager and her staff are highly skilled in asking the children open- ended questions to get them to think about what they are doing. Staff use the Ecat programme exceptionally well to support the children's emerging vocabulary. Parents are invited in every Friday to participate in the '8 rhyme challenge' to support the children's speech. They sing songs with the children and have the song book at home to carry on with the learning. This greatly enhances the children's communication and language skills.

p.3

who attend

Children are making significant progress with their learning and development. Staff provide a very high standard of childcare practice by creating a vibrant, safe and enriching environment. Learning is promoted exceptionally well because staff provide an extensive range of activities and experiences covering all seven areas of learning. This effectively supports children as they ensure that activities are interesting and highly individualised to meet specific learning needs. All planning is individual for children and takes into account their interests and stages of development. Staff then successfully link this to the learning intentions, which are used by the staff to progress the children across the seven areas of learning. Staff use the publication Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage in their practice to support children's progress and to highlight the next steps in their development. For

p.3

who attend

example, they competently track where children are within their age bands. They then use the sections regarding enabling environments and positive relationships to support children's ongoing development. Staff use the traffic light system to track the children's progress to see if they are moving on or require extra support in certain areas.

p.4

who attend

Staff have also started to complete the children's two-year developmental check. They use the excellent observations that are in place to track the children's progress against the developmental milestones. Staff arrange meetings every six to eight weeks to discuss the children's progress, with the parents, and look at targets that have been set to progress the children's learning and development. Therefore, staff keep parents fully informed at all times about their children's progress. Staff work closely with the parents to settle children into the setting. Staff also work closely with the children when they move to other settings. They work closely with the school family worker to carry out school readiness sessions to support children on their move to the school nursery.

p.4

who attend

Physical development is a high priority and is promoted exceptionally well in the indoor and extensive outdoor environments. The garden is set out well and is extremely well resourced. There are pieces of climbing apparatus, providing opportunities for children to extend their climbing skills and working out how to get down the slide. Children thoroughly enjoy learning about the chickens and collecting the eggs every day. They learn where they come from and how to handle them safely. This teaches the children how to care for living things.

p.4

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

Staff have secure and highly effective measures in place to promote children's ongoing safety in both the indoor and outdoor environments. Risk assessments are robust and thorough, clearly identifying all possible hazards and any action taken to minimise these. They carry out fire drills on a regular basis. It also allows children to learn what to do in an event of an emergency. Staff demonstrate an extremely positive approach towards inclusion. They show a comprehensive understanding of each child's unique needs and have detailed information on child record forms of individual requirements. A variety of resources and displays around the setting depict positive images of diversity, including those of culture, gender and disability.

p.4

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

Children thrive in an environment where staff maintain an extremely high standard of hygiene practice. All children learn about good hygiene routines through washing their hands at appropriate times throughout the day. Children enjoy valuable social experiences during snack times. Children sit with the staff and peel oranges to eat. They help the staff count the number of bowls and cups the children need. Children take it in turns to choose what drink they would like and staff encourage them to say the name of the drink rather than just point This greatly enhances the children's independence skills as well as their self-help skills. Children ask staff if they can help to cut the apples and pears up. However, staff use sharp knives to cut the fruit and explain they would hurt themselves as it's too sharp for them to use. As a result, only some children experienced preparing fruit for snack time due to the resources available.

p.4

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

Children thoroughly enjoy outside play. The enclosed garden is extremely well equipped to enhance all areas of development. Staff supervise the children on the climbing equipment, encouraging them to use it in different ways. Children enjoy moving their body in different ways to slide down the slide. This greatly enhances their physical skills. Children thoroughly enjoy role playing and talking with the staff about what they are making. A robust key person system is in place to ensure staff meet the individual needs of the children. The key persons work closely with the parents to find out about the children's individual needs. Staff carry out home visits to assess the children's starting points and to find out the children's interest to enhance their settling in experience. Staff are all consistent in their approach to behaviour management. Clear and concise boundaries are set and children fully understand them. The setting also works closely with the local

p.5

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

authority to provide support for the staff in dealing with children who have behaviour issues. All children work very well together and regularly help each other out during activities. Excellent strategies are in place to teach the children how to work together. Given the children's ages and stage of development they are all exceptionally well behaved.

p.5

provision

Staff have an excellent understanding of child protection and how to safeguard the children in their care. All safeguarding requirements are met effectively. Staff fully understand and implement the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. Regular ratio monitoring ensures consistency of care across the setting, which has a beneficial impact on the children. A robust recruitment process is in place as well as checks to ensure staff are suitable to work with the children. The planning is linked effectively with the relevant guidance and as a result, staff are able to support each child to progress in the seven areas of learning at a level appropriate to their starting points. Staff keep parents extremely well informed about their child's care, learning and development through valuable verbal exchanges upon arrival and collection. Observations demonstrate what children have achieved and include the next steps identified for their individual

p.5

provision

Leadership and management of the setting is very strong. The centre manager, manager and staff work closely together to bring about the best possible outcomes for all the children. The manager carries out regular supervision to make sure the staff practice is strong and consistent, and to highlight any training needs. The self-evaluation clearly link to the setting's development plan on how to work towards the targets and the time frame to complete them. The parents share their views on the setting. Staff meet with the parents to talk about the setting and talk about any issues that arise from the activities, such as the door continually being open to support outdoor play. As a result, the service is highly responsive to its users and clearly underpins the setting's practice.

p.5

provision

Staff work closely in partnership with the parents. Parents access the children's learning journeys at anytime and discuss with the staff the progress the children are making. Parents regularly share with the staff what they have been doing at home. Staff use this information successfully to further enhance the activities and resources they provide. Staff work in excellent partnership with the other agencies caring for the children. Staff arrange breakfast clubs for the parents to attend with their children to learn about healthy eating. Staff attend various other meetings with the other agencies to share information regarding the progress the children are making and to set new targets for them to work towards. This strongly enhances the setting's ability to meet children's individual needs.

p.6

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.

p.7

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.7

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 EY450616 Local authority Merton Inspection number 882697 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 3 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider London Borough of Merton Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 0208 5453140

p.8

Setting details

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.8

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.8

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.

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.9

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.10

Type of provision

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

p.10