Northgate Pre-School And Toddlers

Northgate Pre-School And Toddlers St. Marys C of E Primary & Nursery School, St. Marys Road, Tickhill, DONCASTER, South Yorkshire, DN11 9LZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/06/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the pre-school and the different ways in which staff support them and involve them in their children's learning.  Children are happy and settled and show enthusiasm as they confidently join in activities in small groups. They are equally happy to play independently with their favourite resources.  Staff plan activities and experiences that take account of children's interests and skills. They effectively promote children's learning through good communication and interactions and so they make good progress.  Leadership and management are strong and there is a clear motivation to develop the pre-school in order to maximise opportunities for children's learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The organisation of space within the pre-school area sometimes limits the opportunities for children to freely select what they want to play with.  The pre-school has not yet made the most of the self-evaluation process by monitoring the effects of any improvements made to ensure these have been successful.

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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 and staff engaged in adult-led and child-led activities in the main play areas and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager, staff and children during the inspection and took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a selection of policies, planning and assessment documents and children's individual files.  The inspector observed children at snack time.

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Information about the setting

Northgate Pre-School and Toddlers was registered in 2013 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated at St. Marys C of E Primary and Nursery School in the Tickhill area of Doncaster, and is managed by a voluntary committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a classroom within the school building and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. They all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, there is also one relief member of staff. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm and are also flexible to include morning or afternoon sessions only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 55 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-,

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Information about the setting

three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 review the organisation of space to allow children the opportunity to routinely select activities and resources they want to play with by making them more accessible so that children are able to imagine and develop their play and ideas while they are still fresh in their minds

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

 enhance the effectiveness of the self-evaluation process by monitoring and reviewing the effect of any improvements made, in order to ensure that they will have the maximum impact on raising children's achievements over time.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this knowledge to effectively support children in their learning and development. Children thoroughly enjoy attending this pre-school, which provides them with a welcoming and stimulating environment in which they learn through play. Staff plan and provide interesting experiences and activities that challenge children to make good progress. They identify priorities for future learning and build on children's interests and current capabilities. In preparation for the skills children will need for early writing, they are provided with opportunities which encourage them to make marks for a purpose. For example, during outdoor water and sand play children choose from a selection of both large and small brushes. This means that they have opportunities to strengthen hand muscles and develop their hand-eye coordination. A small group of children had fun

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who attend

mixing water and sand with their brushes, saying they were 'making cement'. They painted brick walls and giggled as they wet a large area, and called to their friends to join in. Staff provide additional resources to ensure that children can play collaboratively with each other. They are given sufficient time to pursue their learning without interruption and to complete activities to their satisfaction.

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who attend

The layout of the indoor environment is well resourced and children have access to all play areas in the room. However, these are not consistently well organised to enable children to routinely select toys and resources for themselves, sometimes reducing the opportunities for children to have free choice in their play. Staff organise a planned creative activity, and children excitedly add glue and sprinkle coloured sand onto their fish shapes. This leads to sustained shared thinking with staff, as they discuss the seaside and holidays. This helps children to explore ideas. Consequently, children are active and inquisitive learners who are acquiring the skills they need to be ready for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

Group activities include looking at photographic books of previous events, outings and activities which children have enjoyed. This provides children with ways to preserve their memories of special events and supports their understanding of the world, as they share their experiences from different parts of their lives with each other. Staff talk to children about their preparations for the local summer gala and how their artwork will be displayed on a float for everyone to see.

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who attend

Good emphasis is placed on working in partnership with parents. Information is gathered from parents about children's needs, on entry to the pre-school, which helps staff to identify their developmental starting points. Staff work hard to ensure that parents are involved in children's learning, for example by inviting them to organised events. They are encouraged to contribute to their children's learning and development folders by sharing children's learning at home. They attend open days to discuss children's ongoing progress and receive information through newsletters and ongoing verbal feedback. An 'achievement tree' has been imaginatively created with real branches. This is successfully used by parents; they are provided with leaf shaped paper to write messages about children's achievements at home. As a result, children have a sense of pride as staff recognise and enjoy their success with them and this helps them to feel confident. It also

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who attend

means that children are able to see that writing for a purpose can be understood by others and this supports their early literacy development.

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who attend

The pre-school liaises effectively with external agencies to ensure children receive any additional support they may need. Visual guides and an effective use of non-verbal communication support children in their language development. This enables all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language, to make good progress. Staff regularly observe children; they know them well and plan activities around their interests and individual needs. Staff discuss how they plan next steps in children's learning and work closely with parents in order to support learning at home. Regular observations and assessments take place and children are skilfully questioned during activities.

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

Children's personal, social and emotional development is well supported, and they feel safe and secure as they begin to attend the pre-school. This is because of the close and effective partnership working between the staff and parents. Staff find out about children's likes, dislikes and care routines, which helps children to settle. Children settle quickly to play when they arrive because the staff are skilled in engaging them in activities. They actively support the children to choose what they would like to do and they know when to become involved in their play and when to stand back. This means that children are able to lead their own play and satisfy their curiosity.

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

Children are independent in their self-care. They can access the toilet area themselves and they wash their hands after messy activities. They choose when they have their snack and pour their own drinks. Those who stay for lunch are able to sit together in small groups supervised by the staff. These are social occasions and children chat to each other and discuss what they have in their lunch boxes. Children enjoy access to the outdoors area and this provides them with opportunities to develop their physical skills, through a range of activities. They develop coordination and social play through group activities, such as chasing large hoops which staff roll across the grass. As they take turns on scooters and their favourite sit and ride toys, children take a sand timer to staff and ask when they can have a go. This means children are beginning to have a sense of time. Children are beginning to gain an awareness of their own and others' safety; for example, they take

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

part in regular fire drills so that they know what to do in the event of an emergency.

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

Overall, children behave well because well-established routines are in place to help children to predict and make connections in their learning. This helps them to understand what is expected of them. Children are developing high levels of self-esteem and demonstrate good levels of confidence because the pre-school celebrates their efforts and achievements.

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

The pre-school has good links with the primary schools and teachers visit the children prior to them beginning nursery and school. Children also visit the classrooms to prepare them for change. As a result, children are well prepared for starting school. Parents are very happy with the pre-school and speak highly of the staff in helping their children's learning and development. They are kept well informed about the Early Years Foundation Stage and what their children are learning, through daily discussions with staff and regular newsletters.

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provision

The pre-school is managed by a committee, which includes parents. They meet regularly to discuss the running of the pre-school and are very open to the views of parents and others. Children are also consulted as staff talk to children about what they enjoy doing and things they would like to do in the future. These views feed into the evaluation of the setting, as the manager and staff reflect on the provision and consider ongoing improvements. Overall, the pre-school's process of self-evaluation is developing well. They seek the views of parents and children and have a clear picture of what they want to do to maintain improvements to the provision. However, there is room to enhance the evaluation process by monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of any improvements made, so they know how successful they have been in raising children's achievements and so they can make further adjustments when necessary. The planning for children's

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provision

learning and development incorporates their individual interests. There is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities, which ensure children encounter a broad range of experiences across all areas of learning. The 'possible lines of development' sheets are used to consider both individual and group activities, and the staff have regular meetings to discuss the educational programmes. There are effective systems in place for monitoring children's progress, and the manager also tracks the whole group's progress so that any emerging gaps or differences, for example between boys' and girls' level of achievement, can be identified.

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provision

Parent partnerships are strong and they contribute to evaluations through the use of questionnaires and verbal exchanges. Their views and opinions are valued and acted upon and they are made very welcome by all staff. Partnerships with external agencies are securely established and the pre-school seeks support from the local authority and relevant health professionals. This results in children's needs being effectively met through a range of professionals, who all work closely together to benefit children's learning and development.

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provision

All staff have a good understanding of how to protect children in their care. They know the procedures they must follow should a concern arise. There is a clear safeguarding policy in place, and the pre-school takes their responsibilities to safeguard children seriously. All staff have a secure knowledge of the procedures to follow if there are concerns about a child in their care. Children's safety is further protected because risk assessments are in place and the outdoor area is checked daily before children go out to play. The organisation and deployment of staff is effective, this means that activities are well managed and children receive good levels of attention.

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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 EY458942 Local authority Doncaster Inspection number 902184 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 55 Name of provider Northgate Pre-School And Toddlers Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07501843037

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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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