Langley Rangers Activity Club & Noah's Ark Pre-School

Langley Rangers Activity Club & Noah's Ark Pre-School Church Langley Community Centre, Church Langley Way, HARLOW, Essex, CM17 9TG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/05/2013 09/09/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children arrive happy and keen to start their day. This is because they feel secure, due to the positive relationships throughout the pre-school.  Staff make clear their expectations for children's behaviour, which means that children behave well and respond positively to others.  Parents are provided with useful information about children's daily progress and what they have enjoyed at the pre-school.

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It is not yet good because

 Planning is not fully developed to consistently reflect the individual needs of all children attending the pre-school.  Children do not always have access to a full range of information and communication technology resources to support their learning in understanding the world.  Self-evaluation has yet to be used to fully monitor all areas of the provision to accurately identify potential for improvement.

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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 children's play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.  The inspector and manager undertook a joint observation of a teaching activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working in the pre-school, the provider's self- evaluation form and a range of other documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Langley Rangers Activity Club and Noah's Ark Pre-school was registered in 2009. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from Church Langley Community Centre in Harlow, Essex. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs 15 members of staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and seven at level 3.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9.15am until 11.45am and from 12.15pm until 2.45pm. The activity club opens each day during term time from 7.30am until 9am and from 3pm to 5.45pm. During the school holidays, the activity club opens each day from 8am until 6pm.

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Information about the setting

Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 78 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 are learning English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 develop the planning to make sure that it accurately reflects the assessment of individual children's skills, interests and progress so that learning experiences offer challenge.

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

 strengthen the programme for understanding the world by providing a range of programmable toys, as well as equipment involving information and communication technology, such as computers for children to use and explore

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

 develop further the process of self-evaluation to fully monitor all areas of the provision and ensure planned actions to overcome weaknesses are concerted and effective.

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who attend

Children are eager to attend the pre-school and motivated to learn. They clearly enjoy learning through play, entering happily and choosing what they wish to do from the range of resources offered. Children have access to a variety of age-appropriate toys and resources to encourage them to make sound progress in their learning and development. They explore and play displaying emerging levels of independence and demonstrate a positive attitude towards learning. Staff have a developing understanding of the learning and development requirements. They observe the individual children's progress and record their development in their profile folders. However, they currently do not always use these effectively to plan and provide relevant experiences to consistently meet the individual learning and development needs of all children.

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who attend

The key person system supports effective links with parents and carers. Staff communicate with parents on a daily basis through discussion and effective use of a home-link book that supports a two-way flow of information. This approach successfully engages parents in their children's education.

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who attend

The indoor environment is effectively organised, allowing children to access a developmentally appropriate range of toys and resources covering all areas of learning. Children are encouraged to make choices about their play and learning. However, the range of information and communication technology equipment, including programmable toys, is not as varied. This reduces opportunities for children to develop their understanding of the world. Children participate in activities both indoors and outside and these include a good mix of adult-led and child-initiated play. They play outside on a regular basis and the outdoor area promotes children's developing physical skills and confidence. Children choose from a range of physical play equipment, including wheeled toys, balls and hoops. Staff are on hand to monitor safety and offer children support.

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who attend

Attentive staff play alongside the children offering gentle support and encouragement, enhancing their skills with individual attention. Staff promote the communication and language skills of all children, including those learning English as an additional language or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, children are confident enough during registration time to stand up in front of staff and their friends to share their news from home. They know and are able to recite enthusiastically the days of the week, supported by staff. Children enjoy sharing their favourite story books with staff and their friends, which helps to promote their early enjoyment of books; a useful attribute for when moving on to school. Staff engage actively in conversations with the children about the pictures they see, and give them time to initiate discussions from shared experiences, such as talking about the seaside. Accessible writing materials are available for all children

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who attend

to practise their early writing skills. Children's mathematical learning is promoted effectively, for example, staff encourage children to count the number of fingers as they draw around the outline of their hands. Staff extend this learning further as together they compare adult and children's hand sizes. Consequently, children are developing skills to support their eventual move to school.

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

The pre-school has established a positive key person system, which supports children to feel secure and have a sense of belonging. New starters settle quickly into the pre-school due to the effective settling-in systems, resulting in most children separating from their main carer with ease. Staff obtain information from parents about the children's interests when they start and provide resources to aid the settling-in and initial assessment process. Children concentrate and persevere on their freely chosen activities as well as those led by adults. They respond well to the clear boundaries set for them. Children learn about the needs and feelings of others through sharing, taking turns and helping others. They demonstrate they can negotiate and solve problems, for example, as they confidently inform staff if another child has upset them. Children are learning to understand that their actions can hurt other children's feelings. Their behaviour is good, as staff share

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

consistent expectations and are good role models themselves. Regular praise and encouragement offered by staff promotes children's self-esteem. Children willingly take on responsibility, for example, tidying away toys and resources at the end of the session.

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

Staff support children's good understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They provide nutritious snacks, which include fruit and vegetables. Children develop good independence skills as they receive time and encouragement to serve themselves and pour their own drinks. Staff discuss the importance of hand washing with children in order to protect them from harmful germs. As a result, children develop independence in hygiene and managing their personal care. Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise during outdoor play. The daily routines include useful safety reminders to raise children's understanding, such as learning to take care with the paint or when using simple tools. Regular fire evacuations enable staff and children to know what to do in an emergency. As a result, children enjoy their experiences in the pre-school and learn skills that support their future learning.

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provision

Children's welfare is promoted because safeguarding regulations and duties are appropriately met. Staff have a suitable knowledge and understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures and are aware of their responsibilities in this respect. They know how to report and record concerns and have attended relevant training. Vetting and recruitment procedures check that all adults working with children are suitable to do so. Children are protected in the event of an accident because a number of staff have a current paediatric first aid certificate. Children play in a secure, safe environment where staff complete daily safety checks and regularly review risk assessments to promote their welfare.

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provision

The manager and staff team demonstrate a commitment to the continual development of the whole provision and are beginning to identify priorities for improvement. However, the system of self-evaluation is not fully developed to help ensure that children benefit from continued and improved practice in all areas. For example, although the pre-school has started to identify some realistic future targets for further development, they have not yet been fully implemented to enhance the provision for children.

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provision

The manager monitors staff performance informally through observations and working alongside the staff. Staff are supported to attend some relevant courses and gain additional qualifications. Suitable induction procedures are in place to support new staff and students, and to help them understand their roles and responsibilities. The manager uses regular staff meetings to discuss and share any ideas and practice issues to further promote effective outcomes for children.

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provision

Effective procedures have been established to work with parents and as a result, parents speak positively of the care and learning their children receive. They describe the staff team as, 'friendly, approachable and caring'. They keep up to date with their child's learning through daily verbal feedback and informative display boards. Effective relationships with other professionals and external agencies are established so that children's needs are supported and help them to make progress. Links with other providers are in place and continue to be developed to further aid children's progress and development through a consistent approach.

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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 EY390560 Local authority Essex Inspection number 879080

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 78 Name of provider Chain Recreation Limited Date of previous inspection 09/09/2009 Telephone number 01279 629 611

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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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