Blendon Preschool

Blendon Pre-school St James The Great Church Hall, Bladindon Drive, Bexley, Kent, DA5 3BS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/03/2013 13/05/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 2 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

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This provision is outstanding

 The staff provide an enabling and nurturing pre-school environment, both inside and outdoors, which helps children to thrive and make at least good progress in their learning.  Staff implement an exceptionally strong key person system where they are able to plan in detail for children?s individual needs, so children feel unique, settled and well supported in their learning.  Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and disadvantaged children make excellent progress as staff are highly skilled and extremely knowledgeable, setting realistic targets for children to achieve.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled relevant documents, including children's records and some policies.  The inspector gathered the views of parents and carers during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector undertook a joint observation of an adult-led activity with the provider/manager.  The inspector held discussions with the provider/manager, staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's activities indoors and outside, and the staff interaction with them.

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Information about the setting

Blendon Pre-school registered in 2000 and is a committee run group. It operates in a church premises. Children have access to a main hall and an outdoor play area. It is situated in the Blackfen area of Sidcup within the London Borough of Bexley. The pre- school is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 9.15am to 12 noon, and Wednesday afternoon from 12.30 pm to 3 pm term time only. Children may attend any time between these hours. The pre-school is funded to provide free early education to all children aged three and four years.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 30 children aged two to four years on roll. The pre-school makes provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for those who learn English as an additional language. The pre-school employs eight members of staff, part-time . Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications, one of whom holds Qualified Teacher Status.

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

 give explanations to parents of the importance of using children's home languages in the pre-school in order to provide stronger foundations for the development of English by children who learn English as an additional language.

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who attend

The highly effective key person system and the introduction of a new robust system for tracking children's progress ensure that staff understand the children extremely well and know precisely what is needed to challenge and support their needs. Children's interests are of the greatest importance to designing the planning of activities and they are closely monitored for change. The careful, elaborated observations are linked to the areas of learning, therefore, children's individual learning priorities and starting points are clearly identified, from which planning stems directly.

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who attend

Staff provide an exciting environment but the atmosphere is calm, and children show they are extremely happy and settled. They develop their independent learning skills as they move freely both inside and outside and follow their own interests during explorative play. Staff ensure that they are deployed very well to anticipate and support children's learning. Children respond to this really well. They call staff across the room to show them their achievements, which staff readily knowledge and praise, so boosting children's confidence in gaining new skills. Staff constantly talk to each other mentioning what they observe to the child's particular 'key person', just to reaffirm they are seeing something new and different from the child. Children are bubbly and happy. They giggle with each other during play and staff share the children's delight. Children learning English as an additional language experience their home languages through the aid of dual language books, signs

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who attend

and symbols, showing that staff value their family backgrounds. The nursery encourages children to use their home languages during play, but have not conveyed to parents the importance of this use as a basis for their children gaining a firm command of English.

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who attend

Staff make it a priority in providing children with support to develop their learning further by making full and effective use of the outside area. They undertake trips to the local community in which parents are always welcome to attend. Children revel in using magnifying glasses and peering through them, observing the environment and looking for changes. They converse with staff and chat about what they can see and compare findings. Small scale science projects, for example, using coloured water in flower vases gives the children the chances to think and comprehend new ideas and make comments such as "If I drink lots of coloured water, will it make me red?"

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who attend

Children adore being creative and dress up as fire officers and princesses throughout the session. They use the musical instruments independently and are encouraged to experiment with sound. The 'creative' space is set up so children can use it independently. Children are skilled in using tools, such as scissors and create their own pictures using their imaginations. They display their pieces of art so everyone has an opportunity to appreciate their creations.

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who attend

Staff are skilful in motivating and nurturing children's play. They provide resources to challenge and stretch the children's thinking and use excellent language to encourage the children to think. They instinctively anticipate where all children are going to need additional help, including those who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This exceptional support encourages the children to try for themselves, make mistakes and learn by exploring and experimenting. All children progress at least well, gaining valuable skills for their eventual move to school or other early years settings.

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

Children are very secure in their friendships with each other and particularly with the staff. This is shown when during play children go back to their key person for reassurance and to share an experience with them. They benefit enormously from having a key person who oversees their learning and development, knows them so very well and shares vital information about progress with parents on a regular basis. This sequence of events makes sure that parents know how well the children are progressing and how they may support them at home to further their development.

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

Children chose what they want to do and with whom. They are very familiar and extremely comfortable in their surroundings, knowing just where they can find toys and equipment, showing great independence as learners. They know the daily routines, all of which promote their self-confidence.

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

Staff provide accurate information to parents regarding their children's two-year-old progress checks. Disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/ or disabilities are exceptionally well supported and therefore thrive in the pre-school. Staff are extremely well trained and experienced. They have professional and effective links within the borough to ensure that children are receiving the support they need to allow them to develop and make excellent progress. Staff work tightly alongside parents and relevant professionals to ensure that all children will be able to make the move to other early years settings for their future learning seamlessly.

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provision

The manager has an excellent understanding of the legal responsibilities in promoting the learning, development and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are high quality systems in place to help safeguard children, protect their welfare and appoint suitable staff. Staff have attended safeguarding training and have a thorough knowledge of how to liaise with other agencies as required. Staff show consistent high regard to promoting children's safety while at the pre-school. They conduct thorough risk assessments and ensure appropriate safety equipment is in place. They teach children to be aware of how to keep themselves safe.

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provision

Since the previous inspection the manager and deputy manager have established an ongoing and highly effective system of staff appraisal. They work closely with the local authority to improve their practice. Training and coaching for staff is a priority for the pre- school and results in highly knowledgeable and dedicated staff who are able to deliver exceptionally high quality care and education to all children. They make a huge difference to those children who are disadvantaged, working closely with their families. Self- evaluation regarding the quality of the service takes place to pin point priorities for further development. Management review questions in parent questionnaires, to gather more response. They have made great improvements to meet all recommendations from the previous inspection, so children are now engaged actively throughout sessions. The manager works very closely to develop new ideas making it as collaborative a process as

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provision

possible between staff, children and parents.

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provision

Staff make time to have conversations with parents both at the start and at the end of sessions. They send out newsletters and display information for parents about the activities and changes within the pre-school. They are invited to look through children's records of progress and discuss findings with the children's key person. Their views are taken onboard within the self evaluation process and any issues are dealt with immediately. Parents spoken to during inspection report that their children are so very happy, and have made considerable progress since attending the pre-school. They feel they are fully included in their children's learning and development, and staff are 'very approachable'. All children are very well prepared for future learning.

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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 115340 Local authority Bexley Inspection number 846079

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider Blendon Pre-school Date of previous inspection 13/05/2009 Telephone number 020-8303-3170

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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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