Bitterne Manor Preschool

Bitterne Manor Pre-School Quayside Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO18 1DP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/06/2013 12/01/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children benefit from the well planned learning environments. They freely move from the bright, inviting classroom to the well resourced outdoor area.  Staff work closely with parents to develop a united approach to children's learning and development, so children receive consistent help and guidance.  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 chosen resources.

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It is not yet good because

 The newly devised procedure for arrival and departure of children has not had time to be fully embedded to make sure that children are safe at all times.  Systems to develop partnerships with childminders that care for children are not fully effective to support continuity of children's learning and development.  Children have lots of opportunities to mark make, however, on occasions staff do not support them to attempt to write their name on their work.

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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 taking part in activities indoors, outside and during snack time and care routines.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the chairperson and members of staff at appropriate times.  The inspector spoke to several parents to gain their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records and samples of other documentation and policies.

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Information about the setting

Bitterne Manor Pre-school opened in 1980 and moved to its current premises in 2003. A committee runs the group. It operates from a room in Bitterne Manor Primary School, in the Bitterne Manor area of Southampton and serves mainly the local area. There are currently 43 children on roll. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for nursery education for children aged three and four years. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre- school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who learn English as an additional language. The pre-school opens five days a week during school term times. Opening times are 8.50am until 3.30pm each day. There are five members of staff working with the children. All have appropriate early years qualifications. Bitterne Manor Pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register.

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must:

 make sure the revised procedures for keeping children safe when they arrive at and depart the pre-school are fully implemented at all times.

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

 develop systems for sharing information with all other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage in order to promote consistency in planning for the individual progress of all children who attend more than one setting

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

 support and scaffold individual children's writing as opportunities arise.

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who attend

Staff plan well for the children, as a result, they make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff gather information from parents about children's uniqueness and stage of development so that they can provide suitable planning from day one. There is a designated member of staff who oversees the completion of children's learning stories. She supports the team in their observations and makes sure that all areas of learning are being delivered. The introduction of small group times enables key workers to focus on individual children's next steps. The nursery have recently reduced the age of the children they care for and have systems in place to complete progress reports for children aged between two and three years. Good teaching methods are used to enable children to have opportunities to be challenged in their thinking and learning. For example, when a child is unsure where to position pieces of a puzzle a member of staff says, 'Where do you think it

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who attend

should go, lets look at the picture and see if we can match it up'. The member of staff does not rush in and take over, instead she patiently supports the child. As a result the child has the confidence to continue and succeed at the task.

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who attend

Children wait excitedly by the pre-school gates, waiting for the start of the session. They talk to their friends about what they are going to do. Children rush in and quickly settle at activities of their choice. They show good levels of imagination as they play in the home corner. They make cups of tea, stirring in imaginary sugar and giving them to friends. They dress dolls and rock them in their arms saying, 'Are you tired?'. Children talk about holidays they have been on with their families. This instigates the children 'going camping', they pack food and clothes into trolleys and excitedly talk about sleeping in tents and caravans.

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who attend

Children show good levels of investigation as they explore water play in the outdoor area. They work together positioning crates, guttering and the water tray to create a water course. Children excitedly pour water into the top of the course and watch with delight as it races down, splashes onto the crate and lands in the tray at the end. With support from staff, this activity enables children to explore speed, as well as floating and sinking as they place various objects into the water and watch what happens.

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who attend

Children have lots of opportunities to make marks. They ably manipulate paintbrushes and form orange and blue paint strokes. Children mix the colours together and note that the colour changes to brown. Some children write their name on their work, however, at other times staff automatically do this. Children explore media such as play dough. They use their hands, cutters, scissors and rolling pins to manipulate the dough. A child says they are going to build a tower and they stack pieces of dough on top of each other. They then study their work and say, 'Actually, I've made a volcano'. Their friend says that they have watched a programme about volcanoes and that they are very hot, the children talk enthusiastically about their latest interest. A member of staff picks up on this new interest and suggests that they plan to make clay models.

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who attend

Children develop suitable skills for their future learning and school readiness. For example, staff support children's growing independence such as dressing themselves, toileting and hand washing. During story sessions they develop skills that will be required at school such as listening to each other and waiting their turn to talk. Children spend time in the reception class at the adjoining primary school where they become familiar with the teacher. They also have use of the school hall and playground which helps them to become familiar with the school environment. There are suitable systems in place to support the continuity of children's learning and development with local nurseries. However, these are not fully implemented when children are also cared for by childminders.

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

Children are settled, secure and develop close bonds with their key person and the friendly and caring staff team. Secure settling-in arrangements mean children are able to separate from parents or carers confidently. Staff support new children in feeling confident and building friendships. For example, staff notice when a new child plays alone. They offer the child a play phone which quickly attracts the other children to join them and they engage in conversations using the play resource. This helps to build their interaction with other children and start to build friendships.

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

Children benefit from the stimulating learning environments both indoors and outside areas. All areas provide a good range of resources that support all areas of children's learning and development. These have been arranged well in low-level, open ended units to enable them to be accessible to children. The use of labelling in both the written word and pictures supports children's independence and choice. In addition staff provide resources to help children who learn English as a second language. Dual language books, key words in Polish, Hungarian, Latvian and Pashto and visual aids such as photographs of resources support inclusion.

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

Children's physical development and well-being is well supported. They spend considerable time playing outdoors in the fresh air. They lift and position crates and stepping stones and create obstacle course. The children carefully walk across the course, some place their arms out to the side to aid balance. Children have constant access to water, which they frequently drink to stop them becoming thirsty. Staff work closely with parents to make sure that they provide their children with healthy snacks and lunches. Staff are good role models and sit with the children and eat their fresh fruit, discussing the benefits of nutritious foods.

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

Children are generally well behaved. Staff are quick to intervene and diffuse minor disputes such as when children struggle to share resources. Children show care and consideration for each other and say 'please' and 'thank you'. When a child helps their friends a member of staff says, 'That's very nice to help each other'. The child smiles and says, 'It's team work'. Children learn about keeping safe through the daily routines and reminders from staff. For example, they know to walk indoors and are prompted to hold scissors correctly to avoid accidents.

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provision

There are effective systems in place to monitor the learning and development requirements to make sure that children are making good progress in all areas of their learning. There are good systems to involve parents in their children's ongoing learning to keep them fully informed. For example, they share 'wow' moments from home, letting staff know when their child has mastered a new skill such as dressing themselves. This promotes a consistent approach to the children's learning. Staff demonstrate sound knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They are confident to describe the settings policies and procedures in the event of a concern with regard to a child's welfare. There are clear recruitment procedures in place to enable the committee to make sure that staff are suitable for their role and responsibility. New staff are very clear on their limitations whilst waiting for all checks to

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provision

be cleared and are always in sight of experienced staff. Induction procedures, appraisals and regular staff meetings mean that staff are supported and any training needs are identified. This enables staff to feel confident in their role. Regular risk assessments and safety checks help staff to maintain a safe environment overall. The inspection was brought forward due to a concern raised to Ofsted. The provider notified Ofsted of an incident where a child went out of the pre-school gate with another parent. The nursery followed the correct procedures in notifying Ofsted of this incident and quickly developed new procedures for the arrival and departure of children to improve security. Parents are now required to share a password with staff who closely monitor the gate and entrance door. Staff are trialling these new procedures and will monitor to make sure that children continue to be safe as the transfer of care between parents and staff takes place.

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provision

Staff have established effective relationships with parents. They provide them a range of information, such as the prospectus and policies from the onset so they are familiar with how the pre-school operate. Staff support parents in completing the required documentation and interpreters are available for translation. Parents report that their children are happy and settled and that staff are friendly and approachable.

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provision

There are effective systems to monitor and evaluate the provision overall. These include inviting parents to make comments and implementing any suggestions. For example, a parent asked if the guttering in the outdoor play area was 'clutter'. Staff explained it was a useful resource to support children's learning. As a result of the parents comment, staff are compiling a collage of photographs of children using the guttering so that parents can understand its value. Management completes a written self evaluation of the provision which they share with the staff and committee.

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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 EY265650 Local authority Southampton Inspection number 920310

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 43 Name of provider Bitterne Manor Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 12/01/2009 Telephone number 07787 822260

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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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