Noahs Ark Pre-School

Noah's Ark Pre-School St Johns Church Hall, Caudwell Hall Road (North East), IPSWICH, Suffolk, IP4 4QE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/03/2013 08/10/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are active learners, particularly when accessing the well-resourced outdoor area. They engage in a wide range of learning experiences which reflect their interests and promote their good progress.  A successful key person system ensures children develop a strong sense of belonging at the pre-school and feel reassured by the caring staff.  Partnerships with parents and carers are exceptionally strong. An abundance of information is readily shared to ensure children's individual needs are consistently met, and parents are provided with ample opportunities to get involved in their children's learning.  The manager and staff team strive to maintain a high quality provision for children. They evaluate their practice effectively which ensures children continue to benefit from improvements made at the pre-school.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are limited opportunities for children to extend their learning through visits to different places in their local community.

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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 observed activities in the two play rooms and the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and spoke with staff and children at appropriate times.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journey records, planning documentation, the provider's self-evaluation form and some written policy documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to at the pre- school.

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Information about the setting

Noah's Ark Pre-School was registered in 1985 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in St John's Church Hall in the Ipswich area of Suffolk, and is managed by a voluntary management committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from two rooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs 12 members of child care staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, and the manager has Early Years Professional Status. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during school term time. Sessions are from 9am until 12pm, and from 12pm to 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 77 children attending who are in 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 and children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance children's learning experiences about people and communities in understanding the world, for example, through regular visits to places of interest in the local community.

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who attend

All staff at the pre-school have a very good understanding of how children learn and develop. This means that they are confident in planning a wide range of learning opportunities for children and know how to support their learning effectively. Children are keen to explore the well-resourced learning environment as many of the toys and games provided are matched to their interests. For example, children eagerly access the trains and track as they recall enjoying these during a previous session. The staff are skilful in extending children's learning by introducing new ideas. While children play with small world vehicles, staff introduce further opportunities for children to make marks as they draw a road on a large sheet of paper. This engages the children as they manoeuvre their vehicles up and down the newly created road markings. Children's individual learning journey records provide a meaningful insight into their learning and development, with

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who attend

photographs to celebrate their achievements. Staff skilfully track children's ongoing progress through regular observations, ensuring that they are able to identify any gaps and plan the next steps in learning for each child. As result of these effective assessments, children make good progress, given their starting points and capabilities.

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who attend

Children are well supported in the acquisition of strong language and communication skills because staff listen perceptively to them and skilfully ask questions during tasks to extend discussions. Children enjoy chatting to one another as they play. For example, they talk together about the giant snails, using rich. descriptive language to describe their 'brown and bumpy' shells. Older children in the group learn letter sounds and are confidently able to recognise their names in print. This helps to ensure they are equipped with the skills they need to be ready for school. Children develop positive relationships with community members, such as fire fighters, paramedics and doctors who visit the setting to talk about their roles. However, there are few opportunities for children to get out into the local community themselves, which limits their learning through first hand experiences.

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who attend

Children show great excitement when getting ready to go outside to play. They eagerly reach for their coats and confidently seek support if they need help with doing up zips and buttons. Staff encourage them to persevere with trying for themselves so that eventually they manage to do up their own coats. Children have rich opportunities to explore the natural world as they use trowels to dig for potatoes in the soil, and use natural materials to make a bug hotel. Staff build effectively on the children's interest in watching a bee in the heather, facilitating discussions about the difference between bumble bees and honey bees. Younger children enjoy exploring a good range of malleable resources, for example, they spend time squeezing jelly between their fingers and compacting the sand down with their hands. Children are developing good mathematical skills. This is because staff make the most of opportunities that encourage children to count and think about numbers in

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who attend

their everyday routines. Older children count the pieces of apple on their plate at snack time, while younger child are encouraged to recognise the numbers on the bottom of the ducks they have fished out of the water tray. A wide range of interesting resources are provided to support children's creativity. For example, children delight in creating patterns as they plunge large mop-like tools into trays of paint before dabbing and swirling them onto paper.

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who attend

Excellent partnership working with parents is promoted throughout the pre-school. Staff meet with parents very frequently to encourage them to share what they know about their children and to discuss children's ongoing progress. Parents keenly attend breakfast events at weekends and weekday coffee mornings to increase their involvement in their children's learning, with some parents proactively requesting more specific information about the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children learn about wider cultural practices as parents visit the setting to show them how to put on a sari, and demonstrate traditional Indian dancing styles.

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

Children share strong bonds with each other and with the approachable and caring staff. They receive lots of reassurance and direct support as they separate from their parents, helping them to feel confident and secure. Transitions from the home into the pre-school are well managed through a gradual and flexible process for settling in. Staff make visits to each child's home so children can get to know them in familiar surroundings, and important information can be gathered from parents. This means that children's needs are effectively met from the very beginning.

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

Staff are good role models. They speak to the children and each other with respect, modelling positive language and behaviour. Staff manage children's behaviour well, they use positive strategies to deal with any behaviour issues and encourage children to handle disagreements by talking to each other about their feelings. Children are developing a strong sense of responsibility as they happily help to tidy away resources, and keenly find a brush so they can help to sweep up the soil.

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

Staff prepare children well for their move to school. They have opportunities to try on items of school uniform and use school book bags so that they are familiar with these aspects of school life. Teachers from local schools are invited into the pre-school to enable children to meet them and start to form new attachments. When this is not possible, staff take photographs of new school premises and share these with the children so that they can recognise the key areas when they start school.

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

Physical play is carefully planned for both indoors and outdoors on a daily basis. A full range of opportunities to access large and small equipment and to run around freely ensures children benefit from regular exercise and plenty of fresh air. The design of the outdoor area provides valuable opportunities for children to take safe risks in their physical play. In particular, younger children develop their physical strength and control as they learn how to walk safely up and down the sloped ground. The pre-school offers a varied menu of snacks and meals which are freshly prepared, nutritious and tailored to meet children's individual dietary needs. Children enjoy social meal times and are frequently supported to use a knife to spread bread and to pour their own drinks. This promotes their independence effectively.

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provision

All staff have a full understanding of their role in safeguarding children. Policies for safeguarding are robust and updated to reflect new guidance. Staff implement good routines to minimise hazards to children, regularly checking that all areas are safe for children to use. This includes thorough checks of the outdoor area before children are able to go outside. Staff are well deployed, which helps to ensure that children are supervised and receive extra one-to-one support when needed to meet their needs. All of the legally required documents, policies and procedures are in place, which supports the efficient and safe running of the provision.

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provision

Morale is positive amongst the staff team as they share a strong commitment to continuous improvement. Staff are actively supported in their professional development, ensuring they have the skills and training they need to meet children's needs successfully. The manager holds regular meetings with staff and observes their practice as they work with children. This enables all staff to identify areas where development might be needed. For example, the manager observes how staff interact with children and use the skills they have gained through 'Every Child a Talker' training to support staff so that they can maximise communication opportunities for children. Self-evaluation is used to identify a range of targets to extend the existing good quality practice at the setting. For example, well set out plans are well under way to develop the outdoor environment, ensuring children are offered increased opportunities for growing and writing outdoors.

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provision

Staff and managers have established strong relationships with parents. Parents comment that they receive detailed information about their children from the pre-school and they feel comfortable when approaching staff to discuss their child's needs. Parents increasingly contribute comments to their children's learning journey records. This means that children can enjoy continuity in their learning experiences. The pre-school works particularly hard to foster beneficial partnership working with all possible outside professionals. As a result, children with special educational needs receive timely support and specialist intervention, and make good progress.

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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 251580 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 908628

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 77 Name of provider Noah's Ark Pre-School Date of previous inspection 08/10/2009 Telephone number 01473 721252

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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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