Kings Pre-School

Kings Pre-School All Saints C of E Primary School, Boughton Green Road, NORTHAMPTON, NN2 7AJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/04/2013 21/11/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 thoroughly enjoy outdoor play and being in the fresh air. They competently climb and balance on large equipment and skilfully ride wheeled toys. Consequently, children develop a positive attitude towards a healthy lifestyle and their physical development is promoted well.  Children form secure emotional attachments with their key person. This results in children feeling settled and confident in their surroundings.  Partnership with parents is strong. Staff and parents communicate very well, which helps children's continuity of learning and care.  Effective leadership means that staff are clear of their roles and responsibilities. They receive good support to guide their professional development so that their knowledge and skills are kept up to date.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are fewer opportunities for children to fully develop very good early writing skills in role play. Therefore, children cannot always explore writing for a purpose, such as writing a shopping list.  Resources are not consistently added to when an activity becomes popular. This means that children have to wait to take turns with equipment, such as magnifiers, which interrupts their play and enjoyment.

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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 held a meeting with the provider and the manager of the pre-school and spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector observed activities in all rooms and the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

Kings Pre-School Nursery is a committee run group that opened in 1994 and re-registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and the voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a five bay mobile classroom in the grounds of All Saints Primary School in Northampton. There are ramps leading to the entrance and the outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school is open each week day from 8.30am to 3pm from Monday to Thursday and from 8.30am to 12pm on a Friday during the school term only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 62 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded nursery education and is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs 13 staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The pre-school receives support from the local authority.

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

 improve the accessibility of equipment, such as magnifiers so that they are readily available for children to share and they are not waiting too long to take turns

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

 strengthen opportunities for children to fully develop their early writing skills during role play, by enhancing the range of resources available to them for making marks.

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who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how to effectively promote the learning and development of young children. Children's individual needs and interests are well known because staff talk to parents at the children's settling-in times and during home visits. This information forms children's starting points for learning and is used alongside staff's own initial and ongoing observations. Therefore teaching focuses on individual children's interests and the next steps in their learning. Staff successfully implement the progress check at age two so they are able to identify when early intervention is needed. Consequently, all children receive the appropriate support to meet their learning needs. Parents contribute to their child's assessment to share what they have observed their child can do at home. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development in readiness for school.

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who attend

Staff talk to children, commenting on what they are doing and ask questions to encourage their critical thinking and exploration. For example, a child looking for a 'golden leaf' in the garden is helped to understand the seasons. He remembers that leaves fall off the trees in autumn and turn golden, so he will not see one today. Staff encourage children to name insects by giving them clues, such as 'they make a web' and 'have eight legs'. This enables children to use their growing skills and become confident communicators. Children's interest in books is effectively promoted. They become completely engaged in a story because staff skilfully use props, such as puppets to capture their attention. Children laugh and shout out to warn the 'goat' that the 'troll' is coming. This increases children's interest in books and encourages them to access the book corner independently.

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who attend

Children learn to recognise their name as they self-register at the beginning of the session. In addition, they search for their name cards and display them in the dining area to indicate that they have had a snack. These opportunities help children to develop useful skills for their transition to school. Children have access to crayons, pencils and paper in the mark-making area. However, there are fewer opportunities for children to fully develop very good early writing skills in role play. Therefore, children cannot always explore writing for a purpose. For example, writing a shopping list, taking telephone messages or making an appointment.

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who attend

Children's physical development is very well supported. They giggle with delight as they take part in the 'activate' session, lying on the floor, vigorously kicking their legs in the air and making a great effort to touch their toes. Children have free access to outside play. Here they learn to use climbing equipment and balance on low beams. In addition, they skilfully manoeuvre sit-and-ride toys to avoid obstacles and they learn to catch and throw balls. Children have opportunities to dig, plant and grow things, therefore learning about nature. Insects fascinate children and they dig for worms and describe how they wiggle and move. However, their enjoyment is not fully enhanced because they have to wait to share magnifiers in order to examine the insects more closely. Therefore their play is interrupted while they wait their turn.

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who attend

Children effectively develop simple mathematical skills. They measure how much icing sugar they use to make sweets and count how many drops of food flavouring they need to add to the mixture. Children count in everyday routines and displays further help them to recognise numbers in their environment. All children are developing information technology skills for the future. They enjoy using the computer and use the mouse with ease. The programmes available are adapted to meet individual needs and abilities. Younger children learn to use electronic resources that give a response when they press the buttons and lift the flaps.

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

Children form secure emotional attachments with staff and quickly settle. This is because staff conduct a home visit to meet the families before children start. Children then visit the nursery with their parent and are able to join in with activities and meet their key person. This enables them to build close relationships and as a result, children show a strong sense of belonging and display good levels of confidence. Children are learning about sharing and turn taking as they are gently reminded of expected behaviour throughout the session. They are responsive to praise and encouragement, which means they have high levels of self-esteem.

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

Space and resources are mainly well-organised, which creates a warm and welcoming environment. Children are becoming increasingly independent. For example, they manage their personal care and serve themselves at snack times, carefully buttering pancakes and pouring milk. The learning environment is organised so that children can move freely between indoor and outdoor areas. Consequently, they get plenty of fresh air and develop their physical skills competently. Staff encourage children to think about their safety as they play. For example, they explain that the rain makes the balancing beams slippery. Therefore, children take calculated risks as they carefully negotiate walking across them. Children are well nourished because at snack time they have a good choice of food which includes fruit and salad. They choose when they have their snack and this allows them to continue their activities and enhances the flow of the session. Children socialise well,

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

sitting and chatting to their friends about their day.

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

Children with English as an additional language are appropriately integrated into the nursery. Staff find out about key words in the child's home language and also use dual language books. This effectively aids children's communication and language skills. Staff are confident to contact other professionals, with parents' consent to fully support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps to ensure that all children make best progress in their learning and development. The nursery is based on the school site so provides good opportunities for children to become familiar with the school environment. This eases the transition process for children when they start school. Teachers are invited into the nursery and staff attend many events at the school with the children.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children in the nursery are good. All staff have a clear knowledge and understanding about local safeguarding procedures and how to report any concerns they may have. This ensures that children's welfare is protected. Safeguarding discussions are given high priority at staff meetings and all staff have refreshed their knowledge through training. Robust recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitable to work with children and they undergo a thorough induction of all policies and procedures. Staff endeavour to provide a safe and secure environment for children through regular risk assessments and daily checks.

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provision

The committee and management team has a secure understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. Performance management of staff, which includes regular supervision meetings and appraisals, are used to identify their future training needs. This leads to a motivated staff team who continue to develop their skills. Therefore, children benefit from good standards of care and learning.

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provision

The manager monitors the educational programmes to help ensure that every child is making good progress in their development in readiness for school. Self-evaluation includes staff's ideas and ensures areas for improvement are quickly identified. For example, group times are now more meaningful because younger children have a separate session, hence all children are fully engaged. Parents are encouraged to share their views through questionnaires. Following their comments, staff reinforced road safety to support parents in getting a clear message across to their children about the importance of keeping safe.

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provision

Information is continually shared and exchanged with parents, which keeps them informed of their children's daily care. Regular progress review meetings provide parents with information on their children's development, as well as providing opportunities for them to contribute to their children's ongoing learning. Parents speak highly of the nursery and the staff team. Their comments include that they are 'very well informed', their children are 'happy' and 'well supported'. The management team has strong partnerships with other early years providers to share information in order to complement children's learning, development and welfare. Partnership working with other professionals and agencies is well established and used to identify children's needs to help them make good progress.

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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 EY381038 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 911913

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 62 Name of provider Kings Pre-School Learning Group Committee Date of previous inspection 21/11/2008 Telephone number 01604792121

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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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