Brighton Hill Pre-School

Brighton Hill Pre-School Early Years Building, Gershwin Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 4HQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/06/2013 10/09/2008

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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 are happy, confident and secure. They access to a wide range of good quality resources, which support their interests and learning effectively.  Partnerships with parents are positive and they are well informed about their children's progress and the pre-school practices.  The manager supports staff well in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and encourages staff to access further training.  The manager and parent committee have well-defined roles. They work very well together to monitor and improve the pre-school and develop high standards.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some staff do not always use good questioning techniques to support and encourage children to think critically and share thought processes so they explore ideas and make links in learning.  The good recording systems for assessing children's progress are not always monitored to ensure staff consistently complete them.

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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 present during the inspection both inside and in the outdoor play area.  The inspector observed the staff practice and talked to them during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documents presented and briefly sampled policies and children's registration forms and planning, development records and observations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a meeting with committee representatives and the manager and completed a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector considered parents' views from comments through the feedback questionnaires and discussions on the day.

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Information about the setting

Brighton Hill Pre-School opened in 1974 and moved to its present premises in 2004. They are registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. The pre-school operates from the old early years building in Brighton Hill, Basingstoke, Hampshire. It is run by a voluntary parents committee. Children have access to a large playroom and an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday from 9:15am until 4:15pm during school term times. Children can attend for a variety of sessions or for the whole day. The pre-school serves families from the local community and surrounding villages. Currently there are 55 children on roll in the early years age group. They preschool is in receipt of funding for free early education for children aged three and four years. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They also support children who learn English as an

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Information about the setting

additional language The committee employ a manager and five members of staff to work with the children. The manager has a Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Studies. Most staff are qualified to level three in early years. The setting receives support from the Local Authority.

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

 develop staff questioning skills in the use of open-ended questions in order to better support children's talking, thinking and exploring ideas

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

 improve monitoring systems to make sure staff are consistently completing records in order to maximise children's learning potential.

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who attend

Children make good progress as they play in an attractive, child-friendly welcoming environment. Staff are well-qualified and have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. This enables them to provide a good balance of child- initiated and adult-led play in a stimulating and well-resourced learning environment. Children thoroughly enjoy exploring and playing outdoors. This area has been re- developed and provides an exciting play area that is conducive to children's learning. Resources inside and out provide very good opportunities for children's all round learning and development and include cosy areas for rest. Toys and resources are easily accessible and labelling enables all children to see what is available. The print and labelling all around develops children's understanding that print has meaning. The attractive playroom includes colourful displays of children's work linked to topics about zoo animals, such as a

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who attend

giraffe. The display includes examples of children's craft work using recycled materials and words linked to their developing knowledge about giraffes. They know that giraffes live in savannahs and have blue tongues. Children compare their size to that of a life size model of a baby giraffe developing mathematical skills. Staff also encourage mathematics through completing and displaying an interesting traffic survey.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy being creative as they explore many different materials as they make sticking pictures and make models as they manipulate modelling dough. They are developing their physical skills well as they competently use scissors to cut out ice lollies as part of an adult-led activity linked to the summer theme. Staff provide an environment rich in activities and print to support communication and language. However, staff do not always use good questioning techniques to fully develop and extend children's thinking. Children make good progress towards their early learning goals as staff observe, plan and assess children's learning. However, staff are not consistently completing development records, which means that some children may not be making the maximum progress.

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who attend

Parents are fully involved in children's learning as they have good opportunities to discuss children's progress with their key person. Staff provide weekly activities bags and toys to play with at home, providing ideas for parents to support children's learning. They take home reading books each week. Parents value the weekly feedback report to show what children have been learning. Children enjoy sharing the adventures of the pre-school bear who they take turns to care for at home. This enables children to learn about difference and other family backgrounds. Parents contribute well to their children's learning through daily discussions, written comments in summary records and in books and in the activity bags. They have good opportunities to review children's progress files that contain written observations samples of children's work and photographic evidence. Staff plan well for children's progress and support them well so they reach the expected level of

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who attend

development for their age. They provide more support for children who are learning English as a second language or have speech delays in order to narrow achievement gaps. Overall, children make good progress and they are busily occupied in a well organised, stimulating environment. They are becoming active learners, which develops good skills for moving onto school.

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

Children are mostly happy and secure and they confidently explore the range of toys within the pre-school. They develop good relationships with staff and other children and play well together as there is an effective key person system in place. Staff are kind and caring and manage transitions into the pre-school well when children find it difficult to separate from their parents. The pre-school is well organised so children enjoy the wide range of resources and can choose to play indoors and outdoors. Children busily play showing good imaginations as they play and explore. They are secure in the familiar routines and sit cooperatively at group times. Staff have picture cards to help younger children or those who do not speak English to understand what is going to happen during the morning. This helps to build up their self-confidence. Children have access to many cosy corners when they want to be quiet or enjoy play with their friends. They confidently

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

approach staff to read a story or for help when they cannot make tools, such as toy drill, work as the batteries need changing. Children behave well within the positive learning environment as they have lots of interesting toys and activities available.

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

Children develop well in independence in self-care skills as they have easy access to the toilet and hand washing facilities. They use the water fountain when they want drinks during the morning. Children develop a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. They enjoy healthy snacks of fruit and vegetables, which parents supply daily, to share with their friends. Children take turns to help to cut up and prepare the fruit. They freely choose when to come for their snacks. The manager is considering ways they can further improve this system so children can be more independent. Children have excellent opportunities to play in the fresh air as they have free access to the attractive welcoming outdoor play area. There is a good range of larger equipment to develop children's physical skills and ample space for them to run around and play with balls. The provision of wellingtons and wet weather suits, covered areas and artificial grass surfaces enable

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

Staff effectively complete daily checks so children can play safely. They help children learn about safe behaviour as they talk about holding scissors safely and not running indoors. Staff support children well as they prepare them for moving on to school. New class teachers come into the pre-school and children visit their new schools so they begin to understand what will happen. Staff talk to the children about their schools and children bringing lunch boxes help in the preparation. These positive measures help to promote a sense of security and excitement as children move onto school.

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provision

The leadership and management systems are effective overall. The manager and parents' committee have trusting relationships. They have clearly defined roles and work well together for the benefit of the children. The manager has completed a degree since the last inspection. She works hard to review and update the record keeping systems and the structure of the pre-school. The policies including safeguarding and complaints have recently been revised and updated. All staff complete safeguarding and first aid training. They are confident in the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about the children or about the behaviour of staff. These measures help safeguard children. There are effective procedures in place for the recruitment, induction and supervision of staff. The regular appraisals assess the ongoing suitability of staff. The majority of staff hold recognised early years qualifications. New unqualified staff are keen to obtain

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provision

qualifications due to the positive encouragement of the manager. All staff and committee have an enhanced disclosure issued by the Criminal Records Bureau. Effective risk assessments and daily checking procedures enable children to play in safe secure premises. Staff supervise children well throughout sessions. They have a rota system so there is at least one member of staff outside as children can freely choose where to play.

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provision

Staff ably support children's learning as they have a good understanding of learning and development requirements. They plan and provide a wide variety of interesting activities based on topics and around children's interests. Staff organise the premises well both inside and out and children have access to a wide range of good quality toys and resources. This enables children to be independent active learners as they freely choose where to play. The key person system is effective and each member of staff complete development files for their key children. These contain details of observations, photographic evidence and a termly summery of children's progress. They actively support children, who learn English as an additional language to make sure they address any gaps in learning.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are positive. Parents are fully involved in the life of the pre- school as they form a committee to support the staff. The effective introductory systems benefit the children as staff quickly get to know about their unique needs. Staff talk to parents daily. They use these discussions and planned feedback meetings so they are well informed about children's needs and interests to aid planning. Parents speak positively about the pre-school and say staff are friendly and approachable. They feel well informed about children's achievements. They become fully involved in developing the preschool. For example, they help with the re-development of the outdoor area including with the provision of a digging and growing area.

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provision

The manager has a positive attitude towards continual development and develops good actions plans to improve outcomes for all children. She seeks feedback on the pre-school's practice from parents and staff. They work closely with local authority early years teams. They seek advice when they have concerns about children's speech and language development and to support children who learn English as an additional language.

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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 EY294432 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 847350 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 55 Name of provider Brighton Hill Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 10/09/2008 Telephone number 0788 408 2037

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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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