Stepping Stones Preschool

Stepping Stones Preschool Avonway Community Centre, 36 Shaftesbury Street, FORDINGBRIDGE, Hampshire, SP6 1JF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/05/2013 14/05/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The pre-school does not implement effective measures to keep children safe.  Children's health and welfare is compromised because staff are not fully informed about their roles and responsibilities and do not always follow required procedures.  Children who speak English as an additional language do not receive the support they need to make good progress in their learning.  Staff do not organise play areas and resources effectively so that children's learning is consistently supported.  Self-evaluation is not fully effective in identifying areas for improvement and weaknesses in staff practice.

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It has the following strengths

 Children become confident and independent as they manage tasks for themselves and choose what they want to do.  Children benefit from daily opportunities to play and learn in the fresh air when they participate in forest school activities and use the outdoor play area.

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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 activities indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a representative sample of documentation including children's records, policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with management, staff, parents and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed self-evaluation documents and feedback from the local authority.

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Information about the setting

Stepping Stones Pre-school registered in 1997. It operates from dedicated rooms within the community centre in Fordingbridge, Hampshire. Children use a secure outdoor play area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free nursery education for children aged three and four years. There are currently 40 children on roll. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school is open five days a week during school term times from 9am until 4pm. This includes morning and afternoon sessions and a lunch club. There are seven members of staff working with the children. This includes one with a level 6 qualification and one who is working towards a level 5 early years qualification. There are five staff who hold early years qualifications at level 3 and one who is unqualified.

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enforcement action:

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice to:

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enforcement action:

- ensure risk assessments are reviewed, particularly with the introduction of new equipment, and safety arrangements implemented so that play areas are organised effectively to minimise potential hazards

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must:

 ensure staff understand and implement the policy and procedures for administering medicines and maintaining a written record of any given

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must:

 ensure staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and all staff receive induction training, with particular regard to safeguarding children

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must:

 ensure children who speak English as an additional language have opportunities to learn and reach a good standard of English language during the Early Years Foundation Stage

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

 review the organisation and use of play areas so that staff can join in and consistently support children's play and learning

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

 develop further self-evaluation processes and use these to drive future improvements by accurately identifying weaknesses in staff practice and areas for improvement.

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who attend

Overall, children make steady progress in their learning and development. They experience a broad range of experiences across all areas of learning and most develop the skills they need for future learning. They are confident, independent and enthusiastic. Staff support their interests by providing activities that they enjoy. They encourage them in their imaginative play and help them find the craft materials they need to create their own props. A group of boys pretend to be television characters and decide they want to make arm bands. Staff help them make cardboard tubes to fit over their hands and decorate them with paint. Children show others what they have made and talk about who they are pretending to be. Children learn to use tools they need to carry out these tasks.

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who attend

Staff introduce topics to help provide a focus for activities. These often follow children's interests and suggestions, such as the current topic of 'space'. At the beginning of the session staff remind children what is available for the day and the craft activity linked with the topic. They provide imaginative resources that children want to use. Staff use props when reading the story which helps to keep children's attention. Consequently, children contribute their thoughts about what will happen next in the story. Later in the day when children show an interest in craft activities, staff show them the model of a rocket they had made. They encourage children to think about how they can make one, what shapes to use and the materials they might need. This helps children solve problems for themselves.

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who attend

Most children become confident communicators. However, staff do not consistently provide children who are learning English as an additional language with effective support. Staff have some picture cards to help children understand what is expected and choose what they want to do, such as snack time and going outside. They spend some time with children each day and use this opportunity to encourage their language. For example, they talk about what they are drawing and encourage them to add eyes and a nose to the face in the picture. However, speaking and developing a good understanding of English is not given a clear focus when planning these children's next steps for learning. Consequently, children are not making as much progress as could. Generally, staff observe children regularly and monitor their progression. They identify their level of development and plan appropriate activities to help them move forward. Staff share this information with parents

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who attend

so they can work together to support children's learning at home. Parents value the home- pre-school communication book where they can both add pictures of children's experiences and encourage children to talk about them.

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who attend

Children develop friendships at pre-school. They chat to each other as they play and seek help from staff when they need it. For example, they ask staff to turn the computer on for them. Once this is done children sit sociably together to take turns in using the programme. Children know staff will help them and do not hesitate to ask for help. For example, staff explain to a child that another child wants a turn on the bike so perhaps after one more circuit they could change over. Children independently give up the bike and staff show how pleased they are with this response.

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

Children's safety is compromised. They do not learn about managing risk because the pre-school environment is not consistently organised to keep them safe. Outdoors, children play enthusiastically on the bikes and the slide. They know they need to wear a helmet when riding the two-wheeled bikes and follow the track around the playground. However, they ride very fast but have not yet grasped how to stop quickly. This is particularly hazardous when the slide is placed too close to the track and children do not get up quickly enough when they reach the bottom of the slide. Staff do not recognise the potential danger even when children bump into each other. Sometimes children place boards across the track to create more challenge. Staff supervise them when doing this and children carefully ride over the ramps. However, when toys are randomly left on the track these become a hazard because they can cause a bike to tip over when children do

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

not realise they are there. Children use the two indoor playrooms and the outside area for most of the session which provides them with plenty of space for developing their games. However, it means staff are stretched and unable to supervise children and support their learning fully effectively.

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

Children develop positive relationships with their key person and gain confidence in the caring and friendly atmosphere staff create. Children quickly choose what they want to do when they arrive and throughout the day they move confidently between indoors and outdoors. They become independent in managing tasks for themselves, whether this is organising their own snack or creating props to support their imaginative play. There are plenty of resources available and because they are stored at low level they are easy to use. Staff allow children the freedom to choose what they want to do. However, this means that some children do not join in with group activities. This is not well organised by staff and is disruptive when children are playing noisily and does not help older children prepare for school. Most children play sociably together and develop games together and generally they behave well.

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

Children enjoy healthy experiences at the pre-school. Snack time is organised so that children help themselves when they are hungry or thirsty. There are nutritious options to choose from and children help to wash up afterwards. This helps them understand about the importance of healthy eating and keeping their environment clean. Each morning most children join in with physical exercises and staff talk about the importance of physical exercise. Twice a week a group of older children take part in forest school activities. This involves spending time at the local primary school and participating in activities in the woods. Staff describe clear routines for keeping children safe while offering challenging activities, such as making hot chocolate and wood crafts. Children confidently explain what they have been doing and the road safety rules they need to follow when walking back to pre-school.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward as a result of concerns raised about children's safety and recording of accidents. An unannounced inspection was carried out and it found that the pre-school is not implementing the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Practice is inadequate. Staff do not identify potential hazards or take prompt action to minimise the risk. This is a recurring issue and therefore Ofsted intend to take enforcement action. Staff do not adequately assess risks associated with the introduction of a new slide outside or the use of bikes at the same time as a number of other activities. Consequently, children's safety is compromised. Staff take appropriate action when children have an accident, whether this is minor or more serious. They administer first aid, seek additional medical advice when necessary, record what has happened and ensure parents are fully informed. Management knows what to do if more

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provision

serious accidents occur and inform the appropriate authorities. However, management does not implement effective procedures to ensure staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities which is a breach of the requirements. The induction arrangements are not sufficiently robust and there is no system to ensure new or bank staff have completed it. Consequently, some staff are unclear about the procedures for evacuating the premises in an emergency, safeguarding procedures and the action to take if pre-school procedures are not implemented. Staff do not always follow required procedures for the administering and recording medication which puts children at risk. Senior staff understand their responsibilities regarding child protection issues and the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child in their care.

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provision

Management recognises that some areas of practice are not effective and are working towards make some improvements. For example, new supervisors have recently been appointed and administration processes are being reviewed. Management completes annual appraisals and encourage staff training. In addition, staff observe one another's practice and activities to help them identify areas for improvement. Some self-evaluation has previously taken place. However, this did not involve the whole management and staff team and did not identify some weaknesses in staff practice and all areas for improvement. Management and staff seek advice from the local authority to help them identify areas for improvement and take action to safeguard children. Resources and the premises are well used but clean and appropriate for their purpose. Management has addressed some of the recommendations raised at the last inspection. The information

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provision

gathered from parents when children first attend is increased. This helps staff identify their capabilities and starting points for learning. However, little progress has been made with encouraging the use of children's home language or reflecting this within the resources children use.

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provision

Staff regularly monitor children's learning and the progress they are making. They share this information with parents and encourage them to contribute what they know. Staff liaise with other professionals and the local authority to support children with additional needs. For example, they work with speech therapists and implement strategies suggested. However, support for children learning English is not consistently provided to help them prepare for the move to school.

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provision

Staff develop positive relationships with parents. Parents receive a range of information about the pre-school when their children first attend. This is followed up with daily discussions and meetings with their child's key person in order to keep them up to date with their child's daily care and activities. Parents appreciate the caring support from staff. They comment on reassuring settling-in arrangements, effective behaviour management strategies and how much their children like attending. Parents are encouraged to join the voluntary management committee and to be involved in helping to run the pre-school.

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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 511673 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 917593

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 40 Name of provider Stepping Stones Pre School Committee Date of previous inspection 14/05/2009 Telephone number 01425653517

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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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