Horam Community Pre-School

Horam Community Pre-School Horam Village Hall, Horam, East Sussex, TN21 0JE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/03/2013 26/01/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision is inadequate

 The registered provider has failed to ensure that the setting's safeguarding policy and procedures are implemented when there are concerns about a child's welfare. As a result children's safety and well-being is compromised.  The registered provider does not meet legal requirements to ensure that all members of the committee are suitably checked. Not all committee members have an enhanced criminal records disclosure, as required.

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It has the following strengths

 Children engage in a suitable range of activities and experiences and with staff support they are progressing generally well in their learning and development.  Children relate well to staff and each other. They show confident in their language and communication and are developing their independence. These skills will help them in the next stage of their learning.

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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 and spoke to children and staff. The inspector tracked children during the course of the inspection and observed spontaneous activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of documentation, including children's records and information displayed on notice boards.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to some parents and carers on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Horam Community Pre-School is a committee run group. It first opened in 1977 and is situated in Horam, East Sussex. The pre-school operates from two rooms within Horam village hall; children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open from 9.30am each weekday with differing finish times; Monday 1.15pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 3.45pm and Friday 12.30pm, term time only. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. Children attend either on a part-time or full-time basis. There are currently has 30 children on roll. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. There are five members of staff, including the manager. All of whom hold relevant National Vocational Qualifications at level 3 and the

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Information about the setting

manager has a relevant level 4 qualification.

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must:

 ensure that people involved in the care of the children, or anyone likely to have regular contact with children, including members of the committee, are suitable; for each person an enhanced criminal records disclosure must be obtained from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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must:

 make sure the safeguarding policy and procedures are followed; have regard to statutory guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' and in the event of concerns about children's safety or welfare, notify agencies with statutory responsibilities without delay

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who attend

The needs of all the children are not successfully met because of the provider's failure to meet the Safeguarding and Welfare requirements. Staff have suitable knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children's records show staff have initial discussions with parents about children's interests and developmental starting points. Staff monitor children's progress through ongoing observations and demonstrate that children are making satisfactory progress, based on their starting points for learning overall. This means that children are achieving at least what is expected of them.

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who attend

Staff encourage children's language development and thinking as they ask open-ended questions and show an interest in what they have to say. For example, during a pirate board game staff ask children 'whose go is it now?' Children successfully work out whose go it is after the person with the blue sword. Staff remind children to take turns and praise them for waiting. Some children introduce themselves to the inspector, shake their hand and invite them to play with resources. Therefore, demonstrating children feel secure within the pre-school. These experiences help children to develop skills for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

Children make their own choices about what to play with and are independent as they choose from a variety of toys and activities. For example, they enjoy exploring large foam building bricks to create towers and bridges. They confidently stack bricks to explore length and height; some children use tape measures to measure what they have made. Children have some opportunities to make marks through both adult-led and child-led activities, for example, drawing and painting activities. Some children recognise the initial letters of their name and staff encourage them to attempt to write and repeat the letter.

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who attend

Children move confidently and safely during outdoor play. They show good co-ordination and are developing skills in running, kicking and throwing balls. Children are beginning to develop a wider view of the world around them as they play with resources that reflect diversity, such as books, play people, and play food and utensils. In addition, staff and children are beginning to use Makaton signing as they sing, learning ways to communicate with people who find speaking more difficult..

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who attend

Staff share useful information with parents. For example, some parents complete weekend sheets about their child. This enables staff to find out about the children's weekend experiences and they add this information to children's learning journals. Effective communication and partnerships with the local primary school help to ensure children are prepared for starting school.

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

Children settle into the pre-school because the staff and parents work together to ensure that the settling-in process is managed at a comfortable pace for each individual child. Children benefit from receiving a warm and sensitive response from the staff who are considerate of their needs and feelings, this helps foster a strong sense of belonging. However, when staff identify concerns about a child's well-being, the action taken by those who take the lead on child protection matters is not always appropriate and fails to safeguard children.

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

Children find their names and self-register at the beginning of the session; they repeat this process at snack time and lunch time. They are learning that this is helping to check they are safe. Children freely select their own named water bottle when they are thirsty and are able to manage their own personal needs and learn to develop physical skills at snack and lunchtime. For example, children practise pouring their drinks and opening food packaging. Children's understanding of health is encouraged because they learn about feeling cold and needing to put their coats on before going outside. Children enjoy regular exercise that helps keep them healthy and promotes their physical skills. They confidently develop their coordination skills in the garden. This contributes to their good health.

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

The staff's clear, consistent boundaries and positive support ensures children learn right from wrong, what is expected of them and why. They encourage children to share, take turns, and consider the feelings of others around them. For example, staff remind children to share the role-play wheelbarrows. Children request the 'egg timer', enabling them to see when it is their turn to use popular resources. Staff model good behaviour and reinforce it through praise and encouragement.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward because of concerns about the handling of child protection concerns. The registered provider was found to be in breach of the Safeguarding and Welfare requirements because they do not have a clear understanding of their role in safeguarding children's well-being. Although they have a written safeguarding policy, the provider fails to ensure that this is implemented. As a result, procedures for reporting concerns are not correctly followed. Staff report any concerns about a child to the person who takes the lead on child protection matters and understand the need to record this information confidentially. However, the lead individual fails to notify agencies with statutory responsibilities of concerns without delay. In addition, there is no evidence available to show the suitability of all newly appointed committee members. These failures jeopardise the safety of children attending and demonstrates the provider's

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provision

inadequate understanding of their responsibilities.

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provision

Management have written policies and procedures that are generally reflected satisfactorily in staff practice and effectively shared with parents. Staff regularly carry out risk assessments of the building and outdoor environment ensuring hazards are minimised. The management and pre-school staff are currently reviewing the written policies and procedures to ensure they are up to date with current legislation. Self- evaluation identifies some strengths and weaknesses in the provision. Action plans for improvement identify the outdoor learning environment as a priority for development. All staff are involved in the self-evaluation and parents' views are sought annually through use of a parent questionnaire. A sound commitment to improvement is demonstrated.

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provision

Parents talk to the staff during drop off and pick up times. Staff organise informal open mornings, enabling parents to have access to their children's learning journals and talk informally to staff. This communication means parents receive useful information regarding their child's care and developmental needs. Discussions with some parents demonstrate they are happy with the pre-school and staff. Staff liaise with some external agencies to support the individual needs of children attending.

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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 109443 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 907787

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider Horam Community Pre-School Date of previous inspection 26/01/2011 Telephone number 01435 812192

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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

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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