Boley Park Pre-School

Boley Park Pre-School Boley Park Community Hall, 7 Ryknild Street, LICHFIELD, Staffordshire, WS14 9XU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/06/2013 12/10/2009

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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

 Staff provide fun and exciting activities, which inspire children to explore and investigate both indoors and outside. As a result, children become active and inquisitive learners.  Children benefit from the exceptionally well-resourced outdoor learning environment. This prompts children to find out about the natural world in a fun and interesting way.  Children's growing confidence is fostered because of the positive relationships between the staff, children and parents. This enables children to settle and separate happily from their parents.  Robust safeguarding procedures are successfully implemented, which ensures children's safety and well-being at all times.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to extend opportunities for children to explore and express their own ideas further, during creative activities.  There is scope to enhance partnerships between the home, other agencies and the pre- school, to achieve enhanced learning outcomes for children.

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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 activities in the main hall of the pre-school and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings and discussions with the chairperson, the manager and the majority of the staff of the pre-school.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation of a planned activity with the manager of the pre-school.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of children, parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the pre-school's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Boley Park Pre-School was registered in 1993 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in Boley Park community hall in Lichfield, Staffordshire and is managed by a committee. The Pre-School serves the local and wider geographical areas and is accessible to all children. It operates from the main hall and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The Pre-School employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above, including two staff who hold Qualified Teacher Status. The Pre-School opens Monday to Friday, during term time. Sessions are from 9.30am until 12.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 53 children attending who are in the early years age group. The Pre-School provides funded early education for 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:

 extend the range of materials accessible during planned craft activities, so that children are able to imagine and develop their projects and ideas while they are still fresh in their minds and important to them

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

 strengthen partnerships with parents and other agencies, to enhance children's learning in the pre-school and at home.

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who attend

Staff provide a broad range of stimulating and fun activities that capture children's curiosity and interest, particularly outdoors. They listen carefully to what children say, and ask interesting questions that encourage children to think for themselves, and talk about their own experiences. As a result, children remain interested in what they are doing and become active and inquisitive learners. For example, children demonstrate their knowledge of how to use the binoculars, by showing how to look through both ends to make things look bigger or smaller, and how to adjust them by turning a dial. They share their imaginative thoughts and ideas, as they talk about how to find the buried treasure by using a treasure map. They willingly participate in adult-guided activities, which help them to consolidate their understanding of the moon and the stars in the universe. They explore texture, shape and smell, as they select from a variety of dried ingredients including rice,

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who attend

popcorn and cardamom seeds, to make a textured model of the moon. They develop their coordination and fine movements, as they pick up the tiny grains with their fingertips, and use scissors to cut out a half moon shape. Staff skilfully introduce new words as they talk about moon 'craters' and how these are formed, therefore, enhancing children's vocabulary and ability to communicate what they know and understand. However, there is scope to extend the level of challenge, so that children can select a wider range of creative materials for themselves, in order to explore and express their own ideas further.

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who attend

The outdoor learning environment is exceptionally well-resourced. This provides many exciting opportunities for children to have fun and learn. Consequently, children actively explore the natural world through planting and growing projects. They manoeuvre small wheeled toys around obstacles with good control, and enjoy lots of physical play games. Girls and boys concentrate on self-chosen tasks for long periods of time, as they investigate how things change when they pour sand from one container to another. Numerous sensory materials are attractively displayed and accessible to children, so that they can listen to a range of natural and other sounds such as, the 'tunes' made by the metal pots and pans hanging on a suspended line. Staff skilfully interact with the children, responding to their spontaneous interest with enthusiasm. This inspires children to think and answer questions, such as, 'Where does the sand go?' and 'How does it get there?', as

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who attend

they observe the sand inside the sensory bottles.

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who attend

Writing and drawing materials are readily accessible to support children's literacy development. As a result, children use pencils, crayons and other unusual materials to make marks and patterns. They draw recognisable shapes and letters as they learn how to write their name, and are beginning to explore the properties of flat and solid shapes. They show a great sense of pride in their own achievements, as they proudly demonstrate how they can draw a circle, all by themselves. Stories, rhymes and varied counting activities feature significantly in children's every day play and routines. This successfully promotes children's communication and language, and mathematical development.

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who attend

Staff know the children well and use their professional knowledge, skills and expertise to best effect. As a result, they carefully assess and monitor children's progress through close observation. They develop new and interesting ways of engaging parents in their child's learning through stay and play sessions, and by keeping a record of children's 'wow' moments at home. They offer appropriate support and guidance to enhance children's progress and development, so that all children move towards the early learning goals with increasing levels of confidence and ability. This prepares children well for their next stage of learning and school.

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

Children form strong bonds and attachments because staff help them to feel welcome and safe. Each child's key person fosters strong relationships with parents and carers, to ensure that relevant information is obtained about their child's care and well-being. This enables staff to provide a secure and supportive environment for all children. Consequently, children look forward to going to the pre-school and settle quickly, following their first introductory sessions. Their growing confidence is fostered through positive relationships with staff and other children. This helps them to form strong bonds and friendships, as they move from their home to pre-school. Children learn about the diverse world through interesting activities and projects. This encourages them to value and respect other people's traditions, beliefs and feelings. Children with identified needs receive good levels of support, so that they can take an active part in all aspects of the

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

pre-school. Key persons foster strong partnerships with parents and other support networks, to establish secure outcomes for all children. However, there is scope to extend the range of support provided between the home, other agencies and the pre-school, to enhance this aspect of practice.

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

Children adopt safe and caring behaviour, because staff treat them with kindness and respect. For example, children are carefully guided away from overly robust play, so that they learn how to be careful of their own safety and that of others nearby. Children explore their surroundings freely and understand rules of expected behaviour, such as how to climb up the steps of the slide to avoid slips and falls. Staff conduct prompt and regular reviews of safety procedures, such as, the fire evacuation drill to strengthen this aspect of their practice. This maintains children's safety in the event of a fire emergency.

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

Children benefit from nutritious snacks and drinks and regular fresh air outdoors. This promotes their healthy growth and development. They follow good hygiene routines and learn how to manage their personal needs, independently. For example, they know where to find a tissue if they need to wipe their nose. They competently wash and dry their hands and seek adult support if they need help. They practice dressing and undressing themselves when they get ready to play outside. This helps them to develop the skills they need in preparation for school. Toys and equipment are readily accessible and attractively displayed, which ensures that all children can make considered choices about what they want to do. This contributes to children's emotional well-being and stability.

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provision

Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of how children learn and develop. Consequently, they plan vibrant and exciting opportunities to enhance children's learning overall. Leaders and managers foster a culture of support and self-review. This results in high levels of commitment from the staff towards continuous professional development. As a result, they use their skills and expertise effectively, to observe and assess children's individual progress. Consequently, children's individual needs are closely monitored. Staff quickly identify any gaps in children's learning and development, and take appropriate steps to obtain the necessary support and guidance from outside agencies. They actively engage parents in their child's learning, and are developing resourceful opportunities to promote this aspect of their practice further.

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provision

Children's safety and well-being is assured through robust safeguarding procedures. The committee leads a strong recruitment and vetting system, which ensures that all staff working with children are suitable to do so. Staff follow rigorous safeguarding procedures, which include the referral of any incidents of significant concern to the appropriate authorities. This protects children from potential incidents of harm or abuse.

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provision

Self-evaluation is thorough and effective, leading to a process of continual review of all policies and procedures. This strengthens practice across all aspects of the provision. For example, staff attend regular team meetings and training events to ensure that they follow current regulations and guidelines. The inspection was brought forward as a result of a notification from the provider. A child was left inside the pre-school during a routine fire drill. Subsequently, fire drills are re-visited frequently to establish prompt, thorough and effective procedures. Staff have recently attended sign language training, to support children's communication and language development. Recommendations from the previous inspection have been successfully addressed. As a result, children now experiment with writing for a purpose such as, making a shopping list. This enhances their literacy development and understanding. Parents are more actively engaged in the

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provision

observation, assessment and planning process. For example, they are encouraged to participate and share their own occupations and interests, through planned visits and projects in the pre-school. This helps them to understand the meaning of the educational programmes.

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provision

Managers seek the views of staff, children and parents to inform their action plan for further development. This has resulted in a highly innovative outdoor learning area, that makes effective use of an enclosed environment. Further developments are planned to enhance communications with parents, following a review of the monthly 'Stars and Wishes' comment forms. Parents speak very highly of the pre-school and the staff team. They state that they are more than happy with the care and safety arrangements, and feel that these are effectively managed. They value the contribution of the staff to their child's learning and progress, and feel well informed about all aspects of the pre-school and their child's learning.

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provision

Partnerships are strong and supportive and in most cases, secure rapid improvements in children's learning and development. Established arrangements for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, ensure that children receive the support they need in order to progress.

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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 218099 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 922737

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 53 Name of provider Boley Park Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 12/10/2009 Telephone number 07939189715

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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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