Digswell Pre-School

Digswell Pre-School St. Johns C of E Primary School, Hertford Road, WELWYN, Hertfordshire, AL6 0BX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/06/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 The planned layout of the classroom and outside area create an enabling environment for children to engage in purposeful play. Children benefit from a wide range of resources to support their learning and development.  The setting has strong links with other early years settings. As a result, children are supported to move onto nursery. They are introduced sensitively to the transition and develop the necessary skills to help them embrace new experiences with self- confidence.  Children feel safe and secure in their relationships with staff. Parents share detailed information with the key person that is used to help them settle quickly.

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It is not yet good because

 The staff's ability to assess children's learning is not consistently used to inform the planning of activities. This results in learning experiences that do not always provide sufficient challenge and are not fully matched to children's needs.  Opportunities for children to be independent at snack time, such as serving themselves and pouring drinks, are not fully established.  The organisation of group activities, such as story time, do not always take account of individual needs or learning styles. Therefore, some children are not engaged and their experiences are not maximised.

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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 in the outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and spoke to her and other staff throughout the inspection.  The inspector talked with children present.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working within the setting and a range of other documentation.  The inspector spoke to parents to gain their views on the provision.

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Information about the setting

Digswell Pre-school was re-registered in 2012 and is on the Early Years Register. It operates from the nursery classroom in St Johns C of E Primary School in Welwyn, Hertfordshire. The pre-school is committee run and serves the local area. The pre-school is accessible to all children and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, during school term times. Sessions are from 1pm until 4pm, with a lunch club offered to pre-school and nursery children from 12pm until 1pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 38 children attending. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. Five of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level three. The pre-school receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 use the information about children's individual needs, interests and stage of development to plan more challenging experiences for each child in all areas of learning and development.

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

 encourage children's independence further by allowing them opportunities to pour their own drinks and prepare their own snack

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

 develop the organisation of group times, such as story time, to ensure that all children are engaged and involved in the activity.

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who attend

Children are, generally, happy and interested in the well-resourced environment. Children are encouraged to develop and extend their play because of the additional resources that are available. For example, in the play house outside, a range of dressing up clothes are provided, as well as other role-play equipment. There is a good range of information gathered from parents initially and this enables staff to ensure there are activities and experiences that meet their interests during their self-chosen play. However, adult led activities are not always planned or organised effectively. For example, at story time, staff did not ensure all children were engaged or focused. As a result, some children lost interest and found other toys to play with. Therefore, their learning experiences are not fully maximised.

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who attend

Staff have a suitable knowledge of the seven areas of learning in the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They make written observations of children and identify some next steps in learning. These observations are used to assess which development band children are working towards in order to monitor their progress. However, this information is not consistently used to inform the planning of activities and experiences for children. Therefore, children's learning experiences do not always have sufficient challenge and are not fully matched to their needs. Consequently, children do not make the best progress possible.

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who attend

Children are, generally, confident to ask for support to help put an apron on or to clip up their paper on the easel. They are beginning to cooperate with their peers as they take turns on the slide and give each other rides on the trikes with trailers. A good range of accessible writing materials, such as, chalks and markers, enables children to practise making marks. They are keen to describe what they are drawing. Older children begin to recognise their name and begin to form some letters. Staff encourage this recognition of colour, number and letters through small group activities. Consequently, children are starting to develop the skills that they need to prepare them for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

Staff use open-ended questioning to develop children's thinking as they ask the children to guess what animal they might find hiding in the tent. Children explore the sand and water using their physical skills to pour and scoop the materials. They pretend to have found treasure, when they find some wood hidden underneath. They sing a weather song as they discuss what the weather is like today. Children gain skills for future learning as they use information communication technology, such as, the computer and phone. They develop their knowledge and understanding of the world as they use the magnifying glass to look at frog spawn and laugh as they notice items are bigger. Staff teach children practical applications of mathematics by exploring numbers and shapes in everyday situations. For example, children notice the arrows on the track outside and excitedly find the numbered trike to match the corresponding parking bay.

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who attend

Parents are kept updated about their children's progress through verbal exchanges and a termly summary report that they are given. They are encouraged to add observations from home in the form of 'wow' sheets. Staff have used their assessment of children to complete a progress check at two for the appropriate children in their care. This details the developmental band there are working at and if any intervention is needed.

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

Children move around the room confidently and are clearly happy and settled. They show warm and friendly relationships with staff and enjoy their company. Staff work closely with parents to settle children into the pre-school, including completing a detailed settling-in questionnaire. This helps children develop close links with their key person, talking about their home life and interests. Children are, generally, well behaved and demonstrate their ability to share and take turns with others.

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

Children are encouraged to put on their own coats and manage their hand washing routine well with pictorial instructions to guide them. Hygiene habits are emphasised through consistent routines and discussion to promote children's understanding of good hygiene procedures. Staff sit with children at lunch and snack time as they discuss how food helps them grow. However, staff prepare the chopped fruit and vegetables beforehand and pour the children's drinks. Therefore opportunities for children's independence to be promoted are missed.

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

The pre-school works closely with the nursery class who share the premises. Children are familiar with the environment and resources available and know the nursery staff well. For example, one child was overheard saying 'you're going to be my teacher'. Regular visits from the nursery teacher and the opportunity to dress up in a school uniform help children to make confident transitions to future settings.

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

Children have free-flow access to the outside area each day, where they can practise pedalling the trikes and use the large equipment to climb and balance. These promote children's physical development and sense of well-being. Children show an understanding of keeping themselves safe as they carefully climb the steps to the slide. Visits to the pre- school from the police and a 'lollipop lady' have prompted discussions about road safety and stranger danger to build children's awareness.

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provision

Children's welfare is promoted well because arrangements for safeguarding are practical and thorough. Staff have attended relevant training and have a good understanding of the procedure to follow, should they have any concerns about a child in their care. There are effective recruitment and induction procedures in place to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Comprehensive risk assessments and daily safety checks ensure that any hazards are minimised and children can play in a safe and secure environment.

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provision

The provider has a suitable understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff keep clear records of each child's progress in each area of learning and share their key person responsibilities so that learning needs are shared. However, the information from these assessments is not consistently used to inform planning. Consequently, the programme of activities, experiences and opportunities helps all children make progress towards the early learning goals but lacks challenge.

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provision

Professional development is supported well through regular appraisals and meetings. The staff team has been consistent for some years, although additional staff have been recruited. Unqualified members of staff are keen to start their childcare training and are supported by a mentor at the pre-school. Staff have a general understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision which they discuss regularly at meetings. They have received an audit through the local authority, which has helped them to identify areas to develop and they have put action plans in place. Recently the views of parents have been sought to contribute to this process.

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provision

Parents indicate they are very pleased with the quality of the provision. They describe staff as warm and friendly and are kept informed about their children's activities. Policies and procedures are available to be seen at any time but staff also attach a policy to the noticeboard for parents so as not to overwhelm them. Parents can also access information about the pre-school through their website. The pre-school has good links with other providers involved in the children's care and shares information with previous settings the child has attended. There is a strong partnership with the nursery who share the premises and information is shared with them about the children moving onto them. This effectively supports children's transitions to other settings and promotes consistency of care and learning.

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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 EY458475 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 899199 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Digswell Pre-School and Toddler Club Committee Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07748 851240

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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

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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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