Craven Arms Childcare and Preschool

Craven Arms Pre-School Craven Arms Community Centre, Shrewsbury Road, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9PN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/05/2013 21/10/2008

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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

 The colourful, interesting and child-orientated space supports children's good progress across all areas of learning. The environment and the routine fully support the needs of the children who attend.  Children's learning and development is supported well by staff as they encourage them to think things through, solve problems and make decisions.  Children are very independent and confident, and happily play with the wide range of resources and activities on offer. There is a robust key person approach in place, which supports individual children very well.  Leadership is strong and the staff team work well together. Ongoing reflection offers a constant review of how well the setting meets the needs of the children who attend.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to make even better use of observations by referencing the characteristics of effective learning and reflecting on how children learn.  There is scope to improve security of the outside area further by preventing the potential for unwanted access through the play area gates.

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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 observed children enjoying the play experiences and activities on offer in the main room and the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with staff, the manager, the chairperson and parents throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documentation including policies, procedures, staff files and children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and discussed the setting's self- evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Craven Arms Pre-School was registered in 2001 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the small town of Craven Arms, Shropshire, and is managed by a committee. The setting serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from two rooms within the community centre and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The setting employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold qualifications at level 3 and the manager has a foundation degree at level 5 and is working towards a degree. The nursery opens Monday, Wednesday and Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 11.30am and from 12.30pm until 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions and a lunch club is offered every day. There are currently eight children on roll who are within the early years age group. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It receives support from the local authority and is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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

 make even better use of observations by referencing the characteristics of effective learning and using this information about how children learn to inform planning

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

 consider reviewing the risk assessment in relation to the security of the premises, in order to further reduce the possibility of unwanted access through the play area gates.

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who attend

Children enjoy a relaxed, calm environment where they feel secure and confident. Their independence is evident as they make choices about what they wish to do. They engage with others in activities or play with the range of resources on offer. Interactions between staff and children are good, and methods, such as questioning techniques and modelling, are used well. Staff support children's learning and development as they encourage them to think things through, solve problems and make decisions.

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who attend

Children's creativity is supported as they transport resources from one area to another. They have ideas and choose ways to do things, as they take dolls from the home corner to the writing table so that they can draw around the shape. Staff notice that this is most likely an extension of experiences in adult-led activities, as the children have recently spent some time drawing around themselves. Children further extend their creative play as they take the doll back to the home corner and decide a picnic with friends is a great idea. They ask staff to get the picnic blanket and then confidently lead their own play. Communication and language skills are encouraged as children spend time looking at favourite story books with adults. They snuggle up together as they point to the pictures, retell familiar stories and join in with actions.

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who attend

The colourful, interesting and child-orientated space supports children's good progress across all areas of learning. The environment and the routine fully support the needs of the children who attend in preparation for future learning and transitions to other settings and school. The setting welcomes a number of children who receive two-year-old funding, and staff recognise that these younger children are best supported in child-initiated play, with focused and sensitive adult guidance. The three prime areas of learning are valued as being important for all children. For example, children have good opportunity for physical play, both indoors and outdoors. In addition, they enjoy close one-to-one time with staff while looking at favourite books, or develop their self-confidence when playing alongside others in the home corner.

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who attend

Observation, assessment and planning are robust and effective in meeting the learning needs of the children who attend. The quality of teaching is good, and staff competently reflect on where children are in their development in order to assess ongoing learning and progress. They use their knowledge of child development well to establish next steps for learning, and take this information forward into continuous and enhanced planning. There is scope to reflect more on the characteristics of effective learning in observations in order to offer a broader picture of how children learn. The progress check at age two is completed with the involvement of parents, and offers a secure judgement about where children are in their development. Regular summary assessments of children's progress are also shared with parents so that they are fully informed of their child's ongoing development. Parents talk to staff every day so that they are fully informed about what

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who attend

children have been doing while attending. Support is given for learning at home through informal discussions, strong key person relationships and ideas in newsletters.

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

Children are very independent, considering their age and stage of development. They are confident and they happily play with the wide range of resources and activities which are on offer to them. There is a robust key person approach in place, which supports the well- being of individual children very well, especially when they start. Staff are knowledgeable about the importance of the three prime areas of learning, particularly in relation to personal, social and emotional development. This is reflected in the routine, in the environment and in the empathy and care shown to children and their parents by all staff. Furthermore, the close partnership with parents encourages a relaxed, friendly and supportive environment for children and their families. An example of this is the settling-in period at the beginning of the session, which ensures that children can separate from their parents with ease and confidence.

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

Children have good opportunities for fresh air and exercise as they access the fully enclosed outdoor area, which offers them space and freedom to take their learning outside. In addition, they have good opportunities to enhance their physical skills indoors as they skilfully climb the small wooden climbing frame. Healthy eating is encouraged at snack time and children have a range of nutritional, healthy snacks. In addition, children's social skills are extended during snack time, and also at lunchtime, as they sit alongside their friends and staff and chat about a variety of topics. Drinks of water are readily available in individual water bottles, which encourage independence, throughout the session.

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

A safe and enabling indoor environment is maintained for all children. They are supervised well at all times, although there is potential to further support children's security by preventing unwanted access through the play area gates. Children become aware of their own safety outdoors as they take care to walk down the bank to the path, be aware of others when riding wheeled toys and take care not to accidently throw sand while playing. Children enjoy a wide range of interesting and stimulating toys and equipment which are well maintained and of good quality. Low-level storage and age-appropriate furniture enable them to play with their chosen resources as they wish. All areas of the setting are resourced well and appropriately furnished, and this ensures that children are comfortable.

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provision

Leadership is strong and the staff team work very well together. Each team member is aware of their individual role and responsibility in meeting the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. Self-evaluation successfully highlights any areas of improvement, with particular attention paid to the needs of groups of children who attend. For example, when taking on younger children, staff quickly recognise the need to adapt the routine and environment in order to support their care and learning needs. This means that the routine reflects a much more child-initiated, free-play approach. Any changes are successfully implemented and take into account the views of staff, parents and children.

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provision

Supervision and appraisals for all staff are completed at least annually, with a recent move to more regular reflection on a six-weekly basis. There is a strong commitment to continuous professional development, and training is accessed very regularly. Consequently, all staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the learning, development and welfare requirements, and recognise the importance of good quality play experiences. Ongoing, reflective monitoring of the educational programme means that all children make good progress in their development.

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provision

All staff have a secure understanding of their responsibilities to promote children's safety and welfare. Safeguarding issues are reflected on during weekly meetings and in supervision and appraisals. The manager is confident that her staff know what to do if there is a concern. They are supported by detailed policies, procedures and systems which ensure the day-to-day provision supports children safety, well-being and development. For example, safeguarding, induction and staff and committee recruitment procedures are robust, detailed and extensive. This helps to ensure that those working with children or managing the provision are suitable to do so. Risk assessments are good, however, there is scope to refine them, particularly in relation to the security of the garden.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and others are strong, and this ensures that children's needs are supported well and individual learning needs are met. There is a real sense of community, with friendly, informal and relaxed relationships which provide a sound basis for a happy and secure environment for all children. Parents have regular opportunities to comment on their children's development in an informal way, or through summary reports. There is an option for parents to stay and play with their children every Friday afternoon in a dedicated parent and child session, or as they wish throughout the week. Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection were happy with the care provided for their children. Partnerships and links with local schools currently tend to be through parents, due to the rural nature of the setting and current age of children attending.

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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 224082 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 911610

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 8 Name of provider Craven Arms Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 21/10/2008 Telephone number 07891 106339

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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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