Lostock Tiny Tots Pre School

Lostock Tiny Tots The Vicarage, Station Road, Lostock Gralam, NORTHWICH, Cheshire, CW9 7PS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/06/2013 16/01/2013

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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 extremely well motivated and readily engage in new learning experiences. Transitions to new rooms or learning situations are exceptionally well managed to support children's feelings of self-confidence.  Children explore the environment with confidence and enthusiasm. They are highly motivated and use resources extremely effectively to support their learning and play.  Excellent relationships are fostered between parents, carers and other professionals. This captures the skills and abilities of all those involved in each child's care, and makes a good contribution to children's well-being and future life skills.  The manager, committee and practitioners have a strong, shared ethos and work together extremely well to meet the individual needs of the children, helping them to thrive. Children benefit greatly in their learning and the quality of their play from the highly qualified and exceptionally skilled practitioners.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to develop self evaluation further to ensure children remain challenged and interested in their activities at all times.

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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 compulsory part 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 activities in all rooms and the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the management team, committee members, staff and children throughout the inspection.  The inspector conducted joint observations with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Lostock Tiny Tots is managed by a voluntary management committee. It opened in 2007, moving to new premises within the vicarage in the village of Lostock Gralam, Northwich, Cheshire in 2012. The two-storey premises offers four activity rooms and has an enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 3.30pm during term times. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

Eight members of staff work directly with the children, seven of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two members of staff have Early Years Professional Status and one has an early years degree. There are currently 44 children on roll. The setting receives support from 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:

 strengthen self-evaluation further to ensure children remain challenged and interested at all times.

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who attend

Practitioners have an outstanding knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this extremely well to support children in their learning and development. The indoor and outdoor environment is highly appealing and contains rich, varied and imaginative resources, which dynamically promote children's learning through a wide range of learning experiences. The setting consists of four rooms where practitioners care for toddlers and pre-school children. The rich resources and activities are age-appropriate and children thrive as they independently access them. Each room has designated areas of learning, which inspires children to become highly motivated learners. For example, pre-school learn about the world around them because they watch small chicks grow and talk about what they need to grow. They observe stick insects and explore the changing seasons through topics which are displayed on the walls. Enthusiastic children run with glee to

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who attend

fetch twigs for an imaginary fire on which they pretend to toast marshmallows, seated in a small group talking to each other. They laugh with excitement and anticipation and staff skilfully introduce mathematical language by asking 'Is this longer or shorter or taller or next to?' They talk about what they have previously done in the garden. This teaching promotes children's language and recall skills and has a positive impact on their capacity to learn. Practitioners ensure children are active and explorative learners, encouraging them to think critically for themselves and their enthusiasm and knowledge makes children willing to have a go and find things out for themselves.

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who attend

The stimulating environment is bright and imaginative and significantly enhances children's learning as they access resources and engage in independent play. Children are extremely confident and self-assured and explore their surroundings with a very high level of enthusiasm. The area is rich in print and children are encouraged to notice that text carries meaning. They attempt to write their names on their work, making marks that closely resemble letters. Practitioners encourage children to develop and extend their vocabulary through both planned and child-led activities and some resources reflect the languages spoken by children at home. The outside area is very well resourced and imaginative, and children make full use of the many opportunities to extend their imagination and skills. For example, children role play as builders and carry saws and hammers to carry out their work; they carry real paint pots and look for areas to paint.

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who attend

When they are building they are busy, energetic and absorbed in what they do and carry out their work with real conviction.

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who attend

All areas of learning are exceptionally well promoted in the outdoors, which children enjoy accessing freely on a daily basis. Children delight in using a digging area as they 'grow themselves' in soil, saying they are 'growing, and need water and light'. Practitioners introduce and discuss key words and concepts, skilfully extending children's language by modelling and posing questions such as 'what do we need to grow?' The needs and interests of individual children are incorporated into planning activities that inspire and challenge children. Consequently, each individual child makes rapid progress. Practitioners make regular observations clearly linked to assessments and speak with children to identify the next steps in their development. For example, practitioners know and understand children well and monitor their progress closely to recognise if their development is secure. They skilfully identify the next steps which will help children move

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who attend

on in their learning. As a result of this focus on acquiring communication and language skills, and the support for children's physical, personal, social and emotional development, children make rapid progress in their learning from their starting points. For example, children with English as an additional language are quickly closing the gap in this early learning goal.

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who attend

Resources are easily accessible to all children and allows them to make independent choices in their play and helps them when tidying up. Excellent support is given to help children develop the necessary skills to support their readiness for school. Close and effective partnership with the reception teacher at the local school means practitioners are able to work selectively on agreed areas of learning, such as rhyming topics, or children's pincer grip, to prepare them fully for school and support their continuous learning. Observations clearly identify next steps in children's development as practitioners are using a development tracker and identify children's skills and assess if they are emerging, developing or embedded. Parents contribute to children's learning with observations from home and commenting in the daily 'chat books'. Practitioners have exemplary partnerships with parents, which are developed through excellent settling-in procedures and completing

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who attend

'all about me' books. Parents are kept very well informed of their child's progress through parent evenings, newsletters and daily verbal feedback.

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

Children's behaviour is good and they show their sense of belonging and safety by their familiarity in routines and their confidence in the adults in the setting. The key person system is effective and sensitive to the needs of children and practitioners know all children well. Secure attachments are formed, which promotes a good level of well-being. Strong partnership with parents helps to enhance good emotional development for all children and contributes to continuity of care. Parents spoken to during the inspection praised the staff highly for their professionalism and for their skills in helping children develop. Children need little encouragement to explore their environment individually or independently although practitioners are close at hand to offer sensitive interventions or to enhance and extend activities if necessary. This helps children's early investigative and curiosity skills because they find out and explore for themselves. Practitioners are ready to

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

help children stay involved in their learning and make links in their thinking. Children access a wide range of resources to help them take risks and try new experiences, often learning by trial and error.

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

Children demonstrate high levels of confidence and self-esteem as they move freely around the setting, cooperate with peers and are keen to share their activities with practitioners and other adults. They are learning to negotiate and to share and take turns in their play. For example, in the highly successful activity to build a bird feeder they recognise and accept that the peanut butter and the seeds all have to be sequenced in a certain way, and they patiently wait their turn, exchanging ideas and thoughts about what they are doing, and safely using materials, tools and techniques. When the activity is over they hang their work from the branches of the trees. In this way, children develop a good understanding of how to be kind, thoughtful and considerate. Practitioners offer children reassuring support if they hurt themselves or upset others and this helps children to feel comforted and supported. Praise and encouragement from practitioners reinforces

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

children's developing levels of high self-esteem.

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

Children begin to develop good self-help skills, such as helping themselves to water if they are thirsty, and they are becoming more independent in their toileting routines. They have a healthy snack at mid-morning by independently selecting for themselves what they would like from a choice of fruit, toast, water or milk. Practitioners support energetic physical exercise for children when they go outdoors and there is a good variety of toys and resources for them to access. These activities provide children with a foundation for developing a healthy lifestyle. The well-resourced environment and knowledgeable practitioners support children's development and promote their growing independence. This is especially important as children become older and prepare to move into school. Good partnerships have been established with the local school and other providers. This means that children have a very positive transition.

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provision

Management set high standards and act as good role models to practitioners. Thorough monitoring of practitioners' performance means that they can offer them consistent support in developing their practice. For example, the annual appraisal system highlights the training needs of each practitioner and is used to inform personal development plans for each person. Frequent supervision also means that the individual learning journeys and next steps for each child can be reviewed.

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provision

The setting has appropriate policies and systems in place to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Practitioners have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and a clear knowledge of how to report any concerns appropriately. Risk assessments are completed for the premises and for all outings, to help monitor and ensure children's safety. Practitioners have a secure knowledge of the how children learn, which enables them to support children in making good progress. They maintain clear records of observations undertaken on each child, which are linked to the areas of learning and include details of the next steps planned for them. Children's achievements are consistently tracked towards the early learning goals, to monitor their progress.

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provision

All practitioners work positively with parents, so that they are effective in meeting the learning and developmental needs of their children. Partnerships with external agencies further support this. The manager is clear about her role and responsibility in the safeguarding and welfare of children in her care. Practitioners have a good knowledge of the correct procedures to follow should a concern arise about a child or adult behaviour in the setting. Correct procedures are followed in the event of accidents or injury and the setting ensures correct ratios are maintained at all times. Practitioners are vigilant and supervise all children well. Robust recruitment for practitioners, students and supply staff ensures their suitability to work with children and there is effective induction in place for students.

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provision

The setting is committed to offering a quality service to the children and families, who attend. The manager and her team demonstrate a positive attitude towards developing the service and practice. The self-evaluation is generally effective in identifying strengths and areas for improvement, but there is scope to develop the system to ensure that children remain challenged and interested at all times. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning and development as the setting supports them in making the transition to school a very positive one. Information is shared with other providers on a regular basis which enables all people involved with the child to note their interests, needs and development, and effectively promote continuity of care and learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY449333 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 920375

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider Lostock Tiny Tots Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 16/01/2013 Telephone number 07833307615

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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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