St Osyth Preschool and Nursery CIC

St. Osyth Preschool CIC 64 Mill Street, St. Osyth, CLACTON-ON-SEA, Essex, CO16 8EW

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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

 Assessment at all ages is sharply focused and used successfully to plan suitable and challenging activities.  Children make good progress because staff have a secure knowledge of how to promote learning and provide a stimulating and exciting environment.  Children form secure attachments, which promotes their emotional well-being because staff recognise them as individuals and work closely with parents to ensure their needs are met.  Children benefit because the managers successfully identify the strengths in the staff and fully encourage and support their professional development through training and mentoring.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 At snack time in the younger children's room, staff do not fully promote self-help skills. As a result, younger children do not learn to pour their own drinks or chose their own plates.  Occasionally, staff do not obtain sufficient information about a child's interests and abilities from their parents when they first start. As a result, staff are not able to fully support some children to ensure they make the best possible progress.

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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 compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed activities in both the playrooms and the outdoor learning environments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors held meetings with the managers of the provision, spoke to staff and interacted with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of inspection and information included in the self-evaluation document.

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Information about the setting

St Osyth Preschool Community Interest Company (CIC) was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It operates from a converted commercial premise in St Osyth, Essex. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff, one of whom holds appropriate early years qualifications at level 5, one at level 4, three at level 3 and two staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2. Several staff are working towards further qualifications.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm and children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 80 children attending who are within the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school has strong links with the local school.

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

 improve consistency of obtaining information from parents when the children first start to ensure staff are able to fully support all children to make the best progress possible

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

 strengthen existing ways of building on how staff encourage children to develop their independent skills, with particular attention to snack times with the younger children.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in their learning and development as they explore a broad range of activities, resources and experiences. Staff interact positively with the children, talking and playing with them and skilfully challenging them as they ask open- ended questions to encourage them to think for themselves. For example, they ask children to predict what will happen next in the story and value and build on their responses. Staff use signing at group and snack times and visual timetables are used to further support children in their communications skills, including those with English as an additional language. Children develop a love of books as they share stories with others or independently. Even the very young children hold the book the right way up and turn the pages one at a time.

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who attend

Children's independence and self-care skills are mostly promoted well as they access the resources independently and put on their own coats to go outside. At snack time the older children pour their own drinks, then clear and wash up their cups and plates. However, children in younger room are not fully encouraged to be independent at snack time as their drinks are poured for them and plates are given out. This means that the younger children do not have so many opportunities to practice and develop these skills.

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who attend

Children have opportunities to explore natural materials, such as hay and vegetables. They lift up the hay and load it onto the small tractor as they wheel it around the tray picking up farm animals along the way. Children delight in peeling leeks and cabbages, smelling the leaves and shredding them. They water the plants that they helped to plant, understanding that they need water and sunshine to grow. They talk about the weather as the rain starts and make decisions about putting coats on. Children develop their physical skills as they ride around in cars and on tricycles, rock on a see-saw, run, jump and balance. They use their critical thinking skills to work out how to construct a balance beam so that they can use it in their play. Children competently complete puzzles, matching shapes, size and colours, which helps to develop their understanding of mathematics. They have access to a range of materials for craft and use different coloured paper to

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who attend

create a collage picture as they scrunch it up and stick it to create castles. Children's requests are acknowledged and acted upon, for example, a request for painting as the children are getting ready to go home is added to the plans for the next day to ensure the child's needs are met.

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who attend

Children excitedly use the video camera, recording each other's faces and their favourite play items. They happily show the staff what they have recorded as they work out for themselves which buttons to push. Large cardboard boxes add to the children's imaginations as they pretend they are on a bus or in a boat as they climb inside them. The activities motivate and interest the children providing positive opportunities for them to be ready for their next stage of learning and their eventual move into school.

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who attend

Staff support the children in their play by gathering information about their interests and abilities form the parents when they first start which enable them to begin to plan to meet their individual needs. However, this information is not consistently thorough. As a result, there are times when children are not fully engaged in the session because staff do not have enough information about their interests.

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who attend

Each child has a 'learning journey', which their key person uses to track their achievements, identify the next steps in their learning and plan for how these will be achieved. These records are detailed and comprehensive and build a clear record of children's progress. Parents are invited to view these whenever they wish. Sessions are organised each term for parents to go through these with their child's key person, add their own comments and be involved in planning their child's next steps. Parents are also involved on a daily basis as some make comments in their child's diary informing staff of their child's interests and progress at home. This valuable exchange of information means that, on the whole, staff and parents work closely together to support children to meet their needs.

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

Children form secure emotional attachments with their key person and their peers, building trusting relationships. They are happy, confident and have fun in the stimulating learning environment. New children and those who find it more difficult to separate from their parent are supported very well. They are reassured and comforted by warm and caring staff to ensure that transitions from home to the pre-school are as smooth as possible. Younger children are supported with transitions to the older children's room. They become familiar with the room as they use it at lunch times and also in the school holiday periods. Children attend trial sessions with their key person who introduces them to their new key person and makes sure all records and information are passed on and fully discussed.

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

Children gain a sense of belonging as they see many examples of their artwork and photographs displayed. They explore a good range of quality resources both indoors and outdoors which are set out in designated play areas. The toys and activities are easily accessible, which encourages children to help themselves and follow their own interests.

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

Staff follow good hygiene routines as they change nappies or prepare snacks, providing good role models. Additionally, children learn about personal cleanliness as they wash their hands before eating or visiting the toilet. They independently access a variety of healthy snacks and some bring packed lunches to enable them to stay all day. Lunch is a sociable time where children sit and chat to each other and the staff and often talk about the foods and how they give them energy to grow and play. Children learn to keep themselves and others safe with the support of the staff. They talk to them about safe actions and behaviours, such as being kind to their friends and sharing the equipment. Staff use age-appropriate explanations to support children to manage their own behaviour. For example, children are reminded that they only knock down their own towers. Staff offer to build a tower for them so they can knock that one down. Staff use

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

'first' and 'then' picture cards giving clear choices and helping children to learn the routine. For example, at tidy up time they say 'first' we tidy up, 'then' we can sing songs.

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provision

The strong and effective leadership and management team oversee and monitor the provision and day-to-day practice well. Ongoing self-evaluation and critical reflection takes into account the views of parents, children and other professionals, to form a valuable part of the process. There is a clear awareness of the strengths of the pre-school and realistic targets for development and improvement are set. For example, now that they have settled into the setting, staff are keen to enhance the outdoor area further. They have clear plans, which include building a bird hide where children will be able to view the birdlife on the river. Children are protected from abuse and neglect due to the staff's secure knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding. Clear policies and procedures support their practice. Several staff have attended recent safeguarding training and whole staff training has been arranged to ensure everyone is trained and a consistent

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provision

approach followed. Thorough risk assessments take place and the premises are checked daily to ensure hazards are minimised and children are safe. The environment is secure and there is a bell and alarm on the main entrance door for when parents arrive. All doors have a key code entry system to ensure that children are protected from intruders and cannot leave the premises unsupervised.

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provision

Staff recruitment is robust, induction procedures followed and all new staff are supported by a mentor. Staff are enthusiastic and motivated to increase their knowledge and skills further through training. They bring new ideas into the setting and are all involved in planning.

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provision

Partnership with parents is strong. Parents speak very highly of the pre-school and many comment on how well their children are progressing, especially in their language and communication skills. They value the time that staff take to settle the children and state that their children love attending. The staff work closely with parents and other agencies who are involved with individual children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, the local authority and speech and language therapists to ensure all children are supported to make good progress. They build close links with the local school and teachers are invited in to meet the children before they go into school. Valuable, detailed children's records are passed onto the school to ensure that the teachers have vital information about the children's interests and abilities to aid smooth transitions.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY451581 Local authority Essex Inspection number 892431

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 56 Number of children on roll 80 Name of provider St. Osyth Preschool CIC Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07958047058

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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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