Saint Michael's Ark

Saint Michael's Ark St. Michaels Church of England Primary School, Constantine Drive, PETERBOROUGH, PE2 8SZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/05/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Although, the setting has only been operating for a short time, staff have quickly developed excellent team work, which enables them to provide good quality care and education for all children.  Staff work well with parents and carers to settle children into the setting and ensure that they feel safe and secure. As a result, children play happily and confidently and make good progress in their learning and development.  There are secure systems in place to effectively track children's progress and address any developmental concerns, particularly for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for children to develop their understanding of each other's differences and similarities are not fully explored.  The larger outdoor areas are not as well used as the smaller, free-flow outdoor play space to extend children's participation and interest in active physical play.

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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 activities and their interactions with staff during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager and the provider about aspects of the leadership and management, including safeguarding and recruitment procedures.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documents were examined, including policies and procedures, accident recording and the children's learning journals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with parents and looked at the parent survey to find out their views on the quality of the provision.

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Information about the setting

St Michaels Ark was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is one of five settings in Peterborough operated by Family Action, a national registered charity. It is situated in St Michael's Church School on the new Cardea estate, Peterborough. Children have use of a purpose built classroom and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 47 children on roll within the early years age range. The setting supports several children who are learning English as an additional language and some who have special needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school serves the local area and children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school offers early years funding to eligible three- and four-year-olds.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon and from 12.30pm until 3.30pm. A lunch club operates from 12 noon until 12.30pm.

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

 enhance children's understanding of each other, for example, by exploring further ways extend the displays of artwork, labels in their home languages, photographs of themselves and their special people

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

 develop further the opportunities for children to spontaneously extend their active physical learning outdoors by maximising use of the complete outdoor environment.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good because staff have a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff have a good knowledge of each child's individual needs and use that knowledge to provide a broad range of enjoyable activities that mostly meet all their learning needs. They assess children's attainments on arrival and carefully track their progress towards the early learning goals. Staff understand the importance of working with parents to ensure children's progress is consistent with expectations. In particular, they ensure that children who are learning English as an additional language are developing their home language in line with their age and stage. This helps to pick up any possible concerns in their communication and language development, so that early intervention can be sought. Staff have a comprehensive understanding of the additional support required for children with

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who attend

special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with parents and other professionals to monitor their progress and ensure their full participation in the activities and routines. All this helps to ensure that all children, given their starting points, are making good progress in their learning and development.

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who attend

Staff encourage children to participate in the delightful planning book. They include their photographs and make comments about the activities they have enjoyed, which helps staff to identify and plan for their individual interests. Each child has their own record of learning and this is regularly shared with parents, so that they can add what they know about their children's interests at home. Consequently, parents are very involved in their children's learning. Staff welcome parents into the setting and ensure that all children receive a warm and personal greeting as they arrive. This helps children to feel a sense of belonging. Opportunities for children to learn about each other's differences and similarities, for example, through pictures, posters and photographs of themselves, their home languages and their special people are not fully explored.

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who attend

Children clearly enjoy their learning through play. They join in excitedly with a bubble blowing session outdoors and watch the effect of the wind, or create potato prints with colourful paints indoors. The well-organised learning environment means that children can make their own choices and become self-reliant, which prepares them well for their future learning. Staff successfully support and enhance children's learning by responding to their questioning and offering help when needed. For example, older children and an adult consider why the rice is stuck in the neck of the funnel. They decide it's because the rice is wet and sticky. They add more water to test out their understanding of the world and see what happens next. Staff are skilled at storytelling, resulting in children sitting enthralled as they listen to the adventures of a caterpillar.

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who attend

Children's listening skills are encouraged in fun ways as they whisper questions and answers at circle time and sing very, very quietly. Books are readily available, so children can enjoy spontaneous stories or sit with friends to look through the pages. Drawing materials, such as, pencils, crayons and chalks are usefully deployed in all areas to encourage children to develop their early writing skills. Children develop their mathematical knowledge in enjoyable ways, for example, they explore sizes and shapes during games on the interactive whiteboard. Resources, such as building blocks and interlocking shapes, enable children to design towers and structures to involve them in their pretend play. Younger children lay on the floor engrossed in moving their play vehicles around, in and out of the entrances, which they have created. Staff value children's artwork and encourage them to make models and collages using 'junk' paints

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who attend

and glue. They plan activities that help children to learn about the wider world and invite visitors in to share their occupations and interests with them. For example, children visit the local supermarket to buy food and welcome local fire fighters to their pre-school.

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

Strong partnerships with parents help to ensure children manage their transitions from home or other settings well. Settling-in sessions are planned in partnership with parents and initial home visits give staff a good opportunity to get to know the children in their family environment. Once children are introduced into the setting, they are allocated a key person, which is an adult with whom they relate well. This helps to quickly develop close attachments and trusting relationships. As a result, children play happily and confidently and show good self-esteem. Children's behaviour is good because staff explain the benefits of sharing and being kind to each other clearly. Children have simple rules to follow that help them to develop the consistent routines, which will serve them well as they move into school, such as tidying away before they go home. Although, the pre- school has not yet had to manage transitions into school, staff have developed a close

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

relationship with the host school and are beginning to make their links with other nearby feeder schools. All this encourages children to make a confident entry into reception classes when the time comes.

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

The pre-school is well resourced, with ample low-level shelving to help children make their choices and develop their independence. Routines are flexible, enabling children to become engrossed in their self-chosen activities and develop their concentration. Free- flow play into an outdoor area is encouraged throughout most of the session, which means that children have ample opportunities for fresh air. The outdoor area has stimulating activities that interest children, including sensory materials, such as sand, bubbles and rice. However, a larger outdoor area is not fully utilised, which means that children have fewer opportunities for active, energetic outdoor exercise. Staff minimise the effect of this by planning active play in other parts of the school grounds or the school hall, but nonetheless, these opportunities lack spontaneity.

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

Children enjoy a good range of healthy snacks and have easy access to drinking water through the day to support their healthy growth. Parents provide lunchboxes and receive guidance from staff, so these are healthy and nutritious. Staff teach children about the benefits of healthy foods and have good conversations with them about fresh fruit and vegetables and how these support their growing bodies. Children have a good awareness of appropriate good hygiene, for example, they know they need to wash their hands before they eat their snacks. They practise the fire drill regularly and help adults sweep up spilled rice and sand. As a result, they learn good, practical skills that support their future development.

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provision

Parents are enthusiastic about the pre-school and say that staff are friendly and approachable. They indicate that they are pleased with the sharing of information and have a thorough understanding of their children's progress towards the early learning goals. Parents receive a comprehensive welcome pack and have good opportunities to meet with staff before their children start. This gives them a clear understanding of the provision and encourages good, two-way partnerships from the outset. Staff ask their opinions about the quality of the setting, so that they have a say in this new pre-school's future development. Partnerships with other agencies are flourishing, for example, there are firm links with specialist teachers for speech and language. There is a clear commitment from the head teacher to involve the children in the daily life of the host school, which will support them well in their future transitions. The provider has made

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provision

initial approaches to other childcare providers, so that continuity of care and learning can be implemented appropriately.

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provision

Staff are clear about their responsibility to keep children safe and know about the reporting procedures if there are child protection concerns. The provider has a robust recruitment process to ensure that staff undergo a thorough vetting procedure. This helps to ensure children's safety. A rigorous induction programme ensures staff, students and volunteers are all well informed about their roles and responsibilities, so that children benefit from appropriate levels of support and supervision. Staff supervise the children as they play and make daily checks of the premises. Robust written risk assessments take into account outings, activities and any new resources. As a result, children play confidently in a hazard-free environment. All staff attend essential training, such as first aid, which further enhances children's safety.

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provision

The provider, managers and staff work very well together as a capable and enthusiastic team. Although, they have only been together for a short time, they know each other well and work to each other's strengths. This means that children benefit from a broad range of learning opportunities delivered by confident and well-informed adults. The team have begun to identify training opportunities to support their skills and extend children's learning, such as the Every Child a Talker programme. Self-evaluation is developing and an effective action plan helps staff to prioritise their plans for the future. For example, they are championing a parenting programme that supports children's personal, social and emotional development. The experienced senior management team supports staff well through regular supervision meetings and enables them to meet regularly to share what they know about children's learning and development. Consequently, monitoring of the

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provision

provision overall and children's learning and development is robust and effective.

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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 EY457411 Local authority Peterborough Inspection number 894260 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 47 Name of provider Family Action Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07789691622

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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.

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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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