Furzton Tots Preschool

Furzton Tots Preschool Ridgeway Community Centre, 33 Dulverton Drive, Furzton, MILTON KEYNES, MK4 1NA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/05/2013 24/10/2012

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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 are happy, settled and have fun as they playing with toys of their choice.  Children show an interest and enjoy investigating the wide range of toys and resources that support their skills in information communication technology.  Children enjoy being outdoors, where they are provided with a broad range of equipment that develops their physical skills.  Parents are generally happy with the service provided and those who volunteer to help within the pre-school are supervised well and clear about their role and responsibility.

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It is not yet good because

 The way staff are deployed throughout the day means they miss opportunities to support children and extend their learning.  Although each child is assigned a key person the system does not account for staff absences which means some children do not receive the individual support they need, their progressed is not effectively assessed and their next steps in learning are not identified.  There are not enough opportunities for children to develop their self-care skills.  Information about children's health and allergies is recorded in basic detail, but not discussed in full with parents to ascertain what care some children need in the event of an emergency.

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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 inspector observed children at play both inside and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to a selection of parents during the inspection to seek their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a range of documentation relating to the organisation of the pre-school.

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Information about the setting

Furzton Tots Pre-School has been operating since 2008 and was registered by Furzton Tots Pre-School Limited in 2011. It operates from the main hall in the local community centre in Furzton, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. Children have use of toilets situated off the main hall and access to an enclosed garden area for outdoor play. Staff use the kitchen to prepare snacks. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9.15am to 2.30pm during term times only. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 43 children on roll who are all in the early years age group. Funding is in place for the provision of free early education for three- and four-year-olds and the pre-school supports children special educational needs and/or disabilities. Five staff work directly with the children, including the manager. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Childcare and Education and has recently

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Information about the setting

gained Early Years Professional Status. One member of staff holds a foundation degree which is a level 5 qualification, the remaining staff hold appropriate childcare qualifications apart from one who is unqualified. The pre-school receives support and guidance from the Milton Keynes Early Years and Childcare Team.

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must:

 deploy staff to ensure children's needs are met and that children are supported well by ensuring that the key person system works effectively

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must:

 ensure records relating to children's health, including any allergies and medical needs, are recorded in full and discussed with parents so appropriate action can be taken if needed.

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

 provide further opportunities for children to develop their self-care skills, especially at meal times

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

 use naturally arising situations to extend children's learning, for example, during conversations about topics such as the weather.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time in this busy pre-school where they take part in many activities that cover all areas of learning. Children are very enthusiastic and keen to take part in the range of activities and toys set out for them each day choosing favourites, such as, dressing the dolls where they concentrate well. However, the satisfactory quality of teaching means staff do not always extend children's play opportunities to increase their learning. For example, when talking about the weather they do not ask children to think about appropriate clothes to wear for the different types of weather. Occasionally staff do suggest activities, such as, having a picnic with the play food, but this does not have time to develop as almost immediately their play is halted when a member of staff suggests they go and have their snack. Throughout the day, children are not encouraged to settle to activities, nor do they have the support from adults to sustain their learning. As a

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who attend

result, children tend to flit between activities and noise levels escalate.

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who attend

Children enjoy playing outside where they gain exercise in the fresh air and use a variety of equipment designed to increase their confidence and co-ordination. For example, they climb on plastic crates, step across them with the help of a member of staff, balance on the wobbly boards and negotiate the stepping-stones. Children use tools, such as scissors, to develop their small muscles and dexterity as they use their fingers to create pictures with paint. Staff use a bag of finger puppets to accompany the children as they sing their wide repertoire of songs and rhymes with gusto. Children communicate well with adults and approach visitors freely. They express their sense of curiosity as they ask questions and initiate conversations, often recalling events from their own family life. Children are recognised as individuals and the 'All About Us' board has comments from children about themselves, such as, 'I've got blue eyes', 'My hair is curly' and 'I speak Urdu' to help them

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who attend

understand and respect diversity. Children have great fun investigating a wide range of toys and equipment, such as, real life telephones, toy laptop computers and shop tills that helps them develop basic technology skills in operating equipment. Staff supervise children to ensure they wash and dry their hands before snack and lunch time to prevent germs from spreading. However, there are too few opportunities for them to develop their self- care skills. For example, staff pour the milk or water into their beakers for them and pass round the plates and spoons for them to eat their mango with. Afterwards they have to sit and wait for everyone to finish which again creates a situation where noise levels rise unnecessarily and behaviour deteriorates.

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who attend

Children make satisfactory progress in their learning and development. Each child is allocated a key person to ensure that their individual needs are met. However, this system does not account for when staff are absent which means children, especially the two year olds present, do not always receive the interaction they require to support their learning. It also means children's records are not updated consistently. Generally staff make observations and are beginning to use these to plan for individual children, however, this is an area that is still developing since the last inspection. Some parents comment they would like more feedback about their children's achievements and progress and this is being addressed by the introduction of parent consultation meetings where staff can share the children's learning journeys. Since the last inspection, the pre-school has received support from the Local Authority to increase the range of activities available and help

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who attend

children prepare to transfer to school. For example, each week a teacher from a local school organises an activity, such as physical exercise so children can practise their dressing skills in preparation for school.

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

Children from a range of different backgrounds and cultures attend the pre-school and staff promote diversity well by incorporating festivals and events into the curriculum. Children visit the pre-school prior to entry so they can get to know their key person and familiarise themselves with the environment. Children are happy and generally play well together. However, as staff are often involved in tasks away from the children they do not always notice incidents of unwanted behaviour which mean children have to self-regulate, for example, after a squabble in the home corner one child tells another to 'hug him' as a way of resolving the matter. Children are encouraged to tidy away the toys after use to maintain a safe environment. Staff use a signal to attract children's attention and encourage them to listen to the instructions being given but again children are allowed to become extremely noisy. Children are encouraged to think about their own safety. For

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

example, they relate to the character in the story being read at group time by calling out 'look and listen' when asked what they must remember to do when crossing the road with their parents. Children practise the evacuation drill regularly so they know what to do and where to assemble in the event of a fire; staff are equally aware of their role in this situation. As a precaution, fire exits are free from obstruction and clearly indicated with illuminated 'running man' signs and a fire blanket is available in the kitchen.

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

Children enjoy healthy snacks, which contribute to their good health. For example, they enjoy fresh mango which staff remind them is 'good for you' with tooth-friendly milk or water to drink. Several staff have food hygiene certificates which mean they have knowledge of how to store and prepare snacks for children. For example, they wear disposable gloves when handling food and keep records of all food purchased to ensure it remains within 'best before date' so they do not spoil and make children unwell. Nappy changes take place in the bathroom, which gives children a degree of privacy and staff follow a routine designed to prevent germs and odours spreading. Staff record information about children's health including any allergies. However, these records contain insufficient information to enable all staff to be aware of the action to take so that children receive appropriate care if needed. These gaps in information have not yet had an impact as no

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

situation has arisen where this information has been needed. Children move freely and independently around the premises both inside and outside. They explore the areas set up by staff including a book corner where they enjoy looking at both fact and fiction books and a home corner where they recreate real life situations like cooking dinner. Children select age-appropriate toys and resources to support their learning, for example, small world characters and buildings to develop their creativity and imagination.

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provision

The leadership and management team adequately care for children and provide activities to enable them to make satisfactory progress in their learning. However, there are gaps in the quality of teaching and robustness of the key person system. This means children are not always supported in their learning and their progress is not always monitored consistently. This is particularly true of some two-year-old children attending. Staff successfully support a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and interact with outside agencies to ensure they receive appropriate intervention and support to help them make progress in their learning and development. The manager takes the lead for safeguarding and follows up any concerns immediately that she or the staff have about the children's welfare. She is familiar with the referral process, which is detailed in the pre-school's written policy. Staff are vigilant in the way they supervise

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provision

children and are especially mindful of keeping the door secure at all times as the premises are often used by other community groups while the pre-school is in operation. Risk assessments have been completed for all areas to highlight potential hazards and staff undertake daily visual checks to ensure the environment is safe prior to children arriving, for example, removing a marble found on the floor. However, she has not considered the potential impact of the limited information recorded about children's health needs.

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provision

There are suitable arrangements in place to recruit and induct new staff but recent changes in staff have clearly impacted on children's learning and staff deployment within the pre-school. The manager recognises this, and has welcomed the support provided by the local authority in bringing about improvements. They have recently introduced a new assessment record to monitor children's progress and help identify children's next steps in learning more effectively but this has yet to become established practice within the pre- school. As the manager is usually working with the children to ensure the correct ratios are maintained she is able to observe staff performance but as she does not always delegate effectively so ends up undertaking most responsibilities and tasks herself. Staff meet regularly with the manager to discuss their performance and have opportunities to further their knowledge and understanding by attending relevant training, such as,

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provision

Partnerships with parents are improving. There is a range of information in the foyer available for parents including a set of policies and procedures detailing all aspects of the pre-school. Staff have recently introduced a whiteboard where they add details about the daily activities along with relevant questions to discuss at home, such as, 'what does a caterpillar turn into?' so they feel involved in their child's learning. The comments book includes some positive feedback and parents spoken to during inspection endorse this. All parents say their children are happy and enjoy attending the pre-school. They feel they settle well and make progress in areas, such as, communication and confidence. Parents say there are a range of activities like cooking and physical education on offer and say children sing lots of songs they learn from pre-school at home and are beginning to show an interest in books. Parents are welcome to help within the pre-school and staff ensure

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provision

they are fully aware of their role and responsibilities to keep children safe.

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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 EY437709 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 918449 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 37 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Furzton Tots Pre-School Ltd Date of previous inspection 24/10/2012 Telephone number 07877012261

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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

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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