Tinky's Pre-School

Tinky's Pre-School Gatehouse Cp School, Secmaton Lane, DAWLISH, Devon, EX7 0LW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/06/2013 15/03/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 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 ensure that any unchecked staff are adequately unsupervised, so they are not left alone with children. This is breach of a welfare requirement.  Daily routines are not always effectively organised, which means that at times, children are often kept waiting. As a result, some children lose interest and become restless.  Staff do not make the most of the role-play opportunities to enrich children's learning.

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It has the following strengths

 Effective systems are in place to observe, monitor and plan for children's individual learning and development.  Children enjoy a wide range of stimulating play experiences. They are able to free-flow between the indoor and outdoor play environments, which allows them to follow their interests.

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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 children's play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the pre-school.  The inspector spoke to staff and the pre-school manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including a sample of children's records, planning and records to check staff suitability.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection and of the provider's self-evaluation systems.

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Information about the setting

Tinky's Pre-School registered in 2004, following a change in ownership, and is privately owned and run by the owner and her assistant. They moved to new premises in 2010. They occupy a self contained building on the school premises with their own outside play area. They have sole use of the whole premises. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register to care for children from two years to under five years at any one time. There are currently 69 children on roll. The pre-school provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years. It supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school is open during term time only, from 7.45am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Children can attend for a session or the full day. A team of seven staff are employed to work with the children, all of whom hold early years qualifications. The manager holds a degree in Early Childhood Studies.

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must:

 ensure that people whose suitability has not been checked are not left alone or have unsupervised contact with children.

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

 review organisation of the daily routines so that children are kept interested and occupied, and not kept waiting for long periods

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

 develop the role-play opportunities and experiences to support children's imagination and stimulate their interest.

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who attend

Staff have a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements and use this knowledge well to provide children with a good range of stimulating play experiences. Staff link with parents to gain information about children's starting points so they can tailor activities around children's interests. This contributes towards helping children settle. Staff regularly observe children's play, recording children's achievements alongside photographs in their individual progress files. Staff use the information effectively to identify the next steps in children's learning. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development in relation to their starting points.

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who attend

Children are learning good skills for the future. They move around the pre-school with confidence, playing and exploring through their chosen activity. Children develop positive relationships with staff who know them well and offer sensitive support to aid their learning experiences. Children have fun as they play in the water and investigate which size funnels will fit into the container to enable them to pour the water. Staff introduce language, such as 'small', 'big' and 'bigger' to build on children's vocabulary and extend their learning. Good use is made of books to foster children's communication and language. Children enjoy sitting quietly to look at a book with a friend, or listening to the group story. Staff skilfully use props and characters to develop children's listening skills. Children take turns to have the pre-school bear 'Tinky' home for the weekend. Staff encourage children to share their weekend diary about 'Tinky' bear with others during

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who attend

group discussion. This helps promote children's communication skills. Children learn about their community as they make a postcard, visit the post office to post it, and then wait to receive it at home. A post-box is set up to provide a post office role-play experience in the pre-school. However, resources are limited, and staff do not make the most of the role- play scenario to stimulate children's interest and enrich their learning experience. Children use their senses to explore and investigate a range of mediums and materials, such as sand, paint, glue and dough. They have regular access to various programmable toys and are confident in what they need to do to operate them. For example, children explain to others how they need to press the button to make the remote control car work, giggling as they make it move in different ways. Children are well prepared for the move on to the next stage in their learning due to the good range of experiences offered to them.

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who attend

Staff work in partnership with parents and carers. They share information about children's care and well-being on a daily basis at handover times. In addition, open meetings are organised for parents on a termly basis to discuss children's progress and achievements in more detail. Parents comment that they feel 'well informed' and how children's 'social skills have improved' since attending the group. Staff offer some ideas on ways that parents can support their children's development, such as how to promote children's early writing skills through activities at home. This helps to provide continuity for children's care, learning and development. Parents are encouraged to share children's achievements at home through completing forms detailing the children's 'Wow' moments, which staff display.

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

Children are happy and generally settled in the pre-school. Caring and friendly staff are attentive to children's individual needs, which contribute towards children building secure relationships. Staff recognise when younger and less confident children need some additional support, offering guidance and reassurance. The effective care practices followed by staff promote children's physical and emotional health well. Staff encourage children to learn to do things for themselves, such as pouring their own drinks at snack time. This helps children to become more independent. Children develop an understanding of what is acceptable behaviour through the clear boundaries provided by staff. For example, staff make effective use of a sand timer to help children learn to take turns with the popular remote control cars. Staff introduce particular games to encourage younger children to understand about turn-taking and the importance of sharing. The Special

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

Needs Co-ordinator works closely with the staff to monitor and support any children with specific behaviour issues. She liaises with parents and staff putting additional strategies in place when needed, such as a behaviour plan. This helps to provide consistency for children's care.

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

Staff carry out appropriate risk assessments, both written and visual, to help them identify and minimise any potential risks in the areas used by children. For example, they raise the position of the door handle so that children are unable to leave the premises unsupervised. Children may feel safe and secure, but they do not understand the safety concerns when unchecked staff supervise them. The weaknesses in safeguarding systems mean that overall, children's safety cannot be assured. Staff promote children's good health. They provide nutritious snacks of fresh fruit and talk to children to raise their awareness of which foods are healthy. Children understand the importance of wearing their coats when going outside to play as this will keep them warm. This develops their understanding about keeping themselves healthy.

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

Good use is made of the outdoor play environment. This makes sure that children get plenty of fresh air and exercise and adds to their enjoyment and overall development. Children are able to free-flow between the inside and outdoor areas, which allows them to follow their interests. They learn new skills as they climb and balance on the climbing frame and move the push-a-long vehicles with care and control. Staff offer sensitive support to the less confident children as they explore the large play equipment. The wide range of resources and play equipment are thoughtfully positioned at child-height, successfully promoting children's independence.

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provision

Staff have an understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements and recruitment and employment procedures are in place. However, procedures for maintaining supervision of unchecked staff are insufficient. Although the management has ensured that any staff who have not been checked do not undertake duties such as nappy changing, children's welfare is compromised because at certain times in the day they are left alone with staff who have not been checked. This is breach of a legal requirement. The manager completes an induction with all new staff, which covers health and safety, safeguarding issues and their responsibilities. The manager supports staff in continuing to develop their knowledge and skills. Regular staff meetings are used to focus on specific aspects, such as behaviour management. All required documentation is in place, and kept secure and confidential.

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provision

The qualified staff work together as a team to share information about individual children's needs, so they are supported appropriately. However, staff do not make sure that the daily routines are always organised effectively. For example, children are kept waiting for a considerable time when going outside or lining up to go into the hall for their lunch. As a result, some children become a little restless and start to push others. The pre-school has addressed recommendations from the last inspection. Assessment arrangements are effective and used to plan for children's next stages of development. These are used by staff to complete children's progress check at age two, which staff share with parents. The manager reviews children's progress files to support staff and identify any gaps in children's learning. Staff have developed the outdoor play environment further offering children rich and stimulating play experiences. The manager and staff use a variety of self-

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provision

evaluation systems to help them review the provision, and focus on areas for improvement. Parent questionnaires are sent out to gain feedback from parents, which are used to shape the service, such as extending the opening hours.

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provision

Staff work in partnership with others. They liaise with external agencies to help provide children with any specific support needed. Information is also shared with other early years providers, where children attend, to promote continuity of care. Parents receive clear information about the nursery provision through the notice boards and ongoing communication. Staff liaise closely with the school staff on site to prepare children as they move up to school. Children have their lunch in the school hall and those going onto school attend special play sessions. Staff make special books, with photos and information about the school to help support children through the changes.

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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 EY412281 Local authority Devon Inspection number 920323

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 69 Name of provider Patricia Ham Date of previous inspection 15/03/2011 Telephone number 01626 865381 or 07752438796

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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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