Grange Park Pre-School

Grange Park Pre-School Grange Park Community Centre, School Lane, Grange Park, NORTHAMPTON, Northamptonshire, NN4 5FZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/05/2013 25/09/2008

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Children learn through play and enjoy their time at the pre-school. They are active learners and participate in a good range of appropriate indoor and outdoor activities.  All children are fully included in the life of the pre-school. They are settled and secure which effectively promotes their well-being and confidence.  Successful partnerships with parents, other providers and professionals results in an integrated approach to the children's care, learning and development.  Management and staff are fully aware of their responsibilities to protect children from harm. Safeguarding knowledge is secure and staff successfully identify and minimise potential risks to children within the environment.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The organisation of routines at the end of the session occasionally impacts on the quality of the learning provided. As a result, children are not always engaged in purposeful play.  Staff do not always help children to develop their understanding of why they their wash their hands or provide opportunities to develop their self-care skills, such as, serving their food and pouring their own drinks. Consequently, children's independence and their understanding of health awareness are not fully optimised.

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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 the pre-school rooms and outdoor play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the nominated representative of the Pre-school committee, the manager, staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, tracking documents, planning systems, a selection of policies and procedures and children's records.  The inspector discussed self-evaluation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.

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Information about the setting

Grange Park Pre-school was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register. It is run by a management committee. The pre-school operates from the Community Centre in Grange Park on the outskirts of Northampton. Children have access to two rooms and two fully enclosed areas are available for outdoor play. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The pre-school is open during term time only. Sessions are available from 9am until 12 noon and from 9am to 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 110 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 review the organisation of routines times, such as at the end of sessions, to ensure that children continue to be as highly engaged and motivated as at all other times

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

 enhance opportunities for children to learn about health awareness and develop their self-care skills, for example, by serving their own food and pouring their own drink.

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who attend

Children encounter their environment through relating and communicating with others and engaging physically in their experiences. They are developing the skills needed to help in the next steps in their learning, including school were appropriate. Parents are valued as active contributors to their child's learning and development. They initially provide 'all about me' information about their child's interests and stage of development. Staff then use this information to aid the settling-in and the initial assessment process. As a result, children settle quickly and enjoy their time at the pre-school. The key person system successfully supports engagement with all parents. Good communication procedures mean that parents have opportunities to view their child's assessment file and to share updates about their child's on-going learning at home. For example, parents are encouraged to post comments on the 'wow tree' board. In addition, parents are invited to consultation

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who attend

evenings and receive regular newsletters.

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who attend

Activities and play opportunities are planned according to the children's current interests and development needs based on the staff observations of them. For example, children's role play in the shop leads to discussions about where food comes from and how things are growth. As a consequence, staff plan activities to enable children to plant seeds and observe growth. Procedures are in place to monitor and track the children's progress over time in all areas of their learning and development and staff effectively complete the Early Years Foundation Stage progress check at age two.

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who attend

Staff build positive relationships with the children and become involved in their play. They successfully develop children's language for communication through their on-going discussions and interactions. For example, staff talk to the younger children about what they doing, as they play with the dolls' house. As a result, they begin to form simple sentences as they put their thoughts into words. Older children communicate with growing confidence. They describe what they are doing during construction activities, recall past events and are able to express their needs, such as, asking to go to the toilet. Staff understand that strong foundations in a home language support the development of English. They take time to learn familiar key words, use appropriate pronunciation of words and introduce English language during the context of the children's play. Consequently, children are beginning to develop their vocabulary in English and all

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who attend

children and their parents feel valued and included.

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who attend

Children are developing their early literacy skills. They look at books for enjoyment and enjoy sharing picture books and stories with the staff. They are encouraged to recite rhymes, such as, 'twinkle, twinkle little star' and especially enjoy those with actions. Younger children happily make marks on paper. They chalk on the paving stones and use their fingers to form numbers and letters in the sand. Older children are beginning to write their names and link sounds to letters. They draw recognisable pictures and are proud of their achievements. Children's mathematical development is effectively promoted. Staff encourage children to count during the context of their play and question them to build on their existing skills and knowledge. For example, children are encouraged to talk about the shapes they have arranged during their construction play and to work out why sand falls through the sieve and the dried peas do not. In addition, staff encourage children to

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who attend

experiment with the puzzle pieces in order to make them fit.

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who attend

Children form friendships and seek out others to share experiences. For example, they play hopscotch games, share ideas as they play alongside one another at the sand tray and build together in the builders' yard. Children learn to differentiate between loud and soft sounds. They enthusiastically shake the rain maker, bang the tambourine and listen to the sounds of the jingling bells. Effective use is made of the outdoor area as a learning environment. For example, children make constructions out of the large blocks, prepare food in the kitchen and put the shells to their ears to listen to the sound of the sea. In addition, staff provide resources to challenge children's physical skills. Children crawl through the caterpillar tunnel and manoeuvre the wheeled toys with growing precision. They throw bean bags into the target board and carefully balance and walk on the stilts. However, occasionally children's continuing enjoyment of the activities provided is not as

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who attend

effectively sustained as all other times. For example, when children move indoors at the end of the morning session, noise levels rise and for a short period of time, some children are not effectively engaged in purposeful play.

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

Staff develop positive relationships with the children and their families. Staff invite new parents and their children to the pre-school before they attend. They take time to find out about each child's background, preferences and usual routines. This helps to ensure continuous and consistent care for the children and effectively aids transitions from the children's home into the pre-school. Children are respected as individuals and the key person system helps young children form stronger emotional attachments to a member of staff. Consequently, children settle well and display a sense of security. For example, they seek reassurance if required and confidently move around the rooms and outdoor play areas selecting the resources they want to play with. Older children make successful transitions to other childcare provisions because staff establish links with reception teachers. They share information about the children's care, progress and attainment

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

Children play in a warm and welcoming environment. From a young age they are encouraged to share, take turns and be kind to one another. Staff explain why certain behaviour is unacceptable and find out what may have gone wrong when children become upset. Children's confidence and self-esteem is raised because staff praise them for their achievements. They are taught to recognise dangers. For example, children learn how to use tools, such as, the scissors safely, how to cross the road appropriately and why they should not talk to strangers.

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

Children's good health is effectively assured. Staff maintain appropriate records, including accidents involving children or medication administered. In addition, staff encourage children to be active and enjoy outdoor activities in the fresh air. For example, children run and play circle games. Children's individual dietary needs are acknowledged and met because staff take account of the wishes of parents. Snack and meal times are social occasions where children sit together to enjoy their food and one another's company. However, children are not always encouraged to independently pour their own drinks and serve their own food at snack time. As a result, children's self-care skills are not always fully maximised. Staff encourage children to implement effective hygiene routines, such as, washing their hands before eating their snack and after using the toilet. However, older children are not told why this procedure can contribute to their continuing good

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

health. As a result, children's health awareness is not fully promoted.

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provision

Management and staff have a good overview of the educational programmes required to support children's learning and development. They strive to provide a good range of experiences which reflect the needs and interests of the children and help them to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff appraisals and supervision are used to identity training needs. For example, staff have attended 'striving for quality' training and some staff members are currently completing a 'let them be two' training course in order to ensure that the needs of two-year-olds are well met. Self-evaluation is used to highlight strengths and areas to improve the quality of the provision. For example, management plans to continue to develop the outside play area. The actions and recommendations raised at the last inspection have been met. This effectively demonstrates continual improvement. In addition, management seeks advice from a

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provision

consultancy firm and local authority development workers offer help and support so that management and staff are able to review and continue to improve their practice.

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provision

Management and staff understand their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements in order to create an environment that is welcoming and safe. A good range of appropriate written policies and procedures are in place to support the effective management of the provision and made available to parents. Vetting and induction processes for all adults who work or have contact with the children are secure. For example, management obtains enhanced disclosure and barring service checks. This ensures that all staff are suitable before they have unsupervised access to children. Children's safety is given high priority. Regular risk assessment and daily checks are established to ensure that measures are in place to avoid dangerous situations occurring. As a result, children are able to move around safely and independently. For example, the security of the premises prevents intruders entering the premises and procedures are in

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provision

place to ensure that children are only collected by authorised adults. The identity of visitors is checked before admitting them to the pre-school. An appropriate record of visitors is kept and the times of arrival and departure are recorded.

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provision

A good partnership with parents ensures that children's care is consistent and their development is promoted. Parents are able view informative information about child development and aspects of the pre-school in the entrance area. They share positive views and state that their children are happy, settled and making good progress in their learning and development. Staff fully understand the importance of partnership working with external agencies in order to secure appropriate interventions for children to receive the support they need. For example, children with identified needs receive appropriate individual support as required and staff attend meetings alongside other professionals to discuss their progress. As a result, attainable targets are set to aid the planning of appropriate activities in order to support the children's continuing learning and development. Staff make appropriate links with other early years providers to ensure

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provision

continuity of the children's care and learning. For example, reception teachers are encouraged to visit the pre-school to observe and begin to develop relationships with the children.

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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 EY285845 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 870762

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 110 Name of provider Grange Park Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 25/09/2008 Telephone number 0772 9151944

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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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