Sadberge Pre-School

Sadberge Pre-School Sadberge Village Hall, Darlington Road, SADBERGE, County Durham, DL2 1SW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/07/2013 01/12/2009

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Children are effectively supported and continue to make good progress in their learning. This is because staff use their secure knowledge of how children learn and the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, to ensure that activities meet children's individual needs and interests.  The environment and staff are very friendly and welcoming and provide children with a wide range of stimulating activities and resources. As a result, children are happy, motivated and keen to join in with the activities.  Partnerships with parents are excellent because the staff skilfully involve them with all aspects of their child's learning and care. This ensures that a shared approach to children's learning is fully in place.  The manager and staff demonstrate a positive and genuine commitment to developing their practice. This helps to support improvements in the pre-school and enhances

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to further enhance children's good understanding and awareness of the similarities, differences and diversity of the world and the people around them.  There is room to extend the use of the outdoor area to provide further opportunities for children to investigate the natural world.

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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 taking place in the pre-school room and the outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's learning journals, policies and procedures and children and staff records and involved the manager in a joint observation of an activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussion and completed questionnaires.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager of the pre-school, staff members and children during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Sadberge Pre-School was registered in 2004 on the Early Years Register. It is situated within the Sadberge Village Hall and is a committee run group. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from the large playroom and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The provision employs five members of childcare staff, all of whom hold an early years qualification at level 3. The provision is open Monday to Friday, 9.15am to 12.15pm, during term time. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 29 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school supports 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:

 expand on opportunities for children to learn about similarities and differences that connect and distinguish them from others, for example, by providing further resources and positive images of all people, including those with diverse physical characteristics, including disabilities

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

 enhance the use of the outdoor area to provide further opportunities for children to explore the natural world, for example, by providing resources, such as chimes, streamers, windmills and bubbles, to investigate the effects of the wind.

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who attend

Children are supported by a well-established staff team, who have a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This means that they can build a strong base on which children can learn. The small and friendly staff team work very closely together, they know the children well and this is supported by an effective key person system. Therefore, interventions are timely and any gaps in children's learning are quickly and effectively addressed. This means that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities have their individual needs met well.

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who attend

Staff's engagement with parents is excellent from the start. They gather a wide range of personal information about the children and this is used extremely well to help children to settle in the pre-school and to identify their starting points. For example, staff find out what children's favourite toys are so that they can have these ready for children's first sessions. Ongoing observations are used with good effect to plan a range of interesting and challenging experiences which are based on children's interests and next steps in learning. Assessments are up-to-date and highlight the good progress all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make in relation to their starting points. This helps to prepare children for starting nursery or school. The pre- school implements very good procedures to keep parents informed about their child's learning. For example, parents receive regular written summaries of their child's progress

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who attend

and newsletters provide useful information about how parents can further support their children's learning at home. This ensures consistency in learning for all children.

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who attend

Staff help the children become independent learners by enabling them to choose what they would like to do or play with. They support children's communication and language skills well right from the start of the session. For example, during registration staff ask the children, 'shall we start at the top, middle or bottom?' This is reinforced as they encourage children to show, using their hands, where the top, middle and bottom are. Staff also develop children's understanding of numbers as they encourage them to clap out how many children are present. These consistent daily routines help to cement children's learning. Children enjoy books, for example, they sit independently in the cosy corner 'reading' favourite stories alongside their friends. Staff sensitively join in when requested by children and reinforce children's learning. For example, staff encourage children to talk about the story and introduce new words as they read aloud to the children. Staff support

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who attend

older children well in developing their early phonic skills. For example, children enthusiastically join in as they make 'silly soup' out of rhyming words, and staff effectively encourage them to begin to identify the letters words start with.

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who attend

Children display high levels of enthusiasm as staff build on their interests and encourage them to express their ideas, for example, encouraging children to use chalks to draw roads to drive around with their ride-on toys. Staff encourage them to think about what they might need on the road and children enthusiastically add roundabouts, traffic lights and parking. Staff further extend children's learning as they encourage them to think about where the road leads to. The children develop their imaginative skills as they decide it leads to the zoo. They demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning as they select crates and animals to make cages for their zoo and talk about the animals they can see. Staff support children's physical skills well, for example, they show them how to hold pencils correctly and provide a wide range of containers for children to pour and fill with water and sand.

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who attend

Children have good opportunities to learn about the natural world through planned activities. For example, they learn to look after animals through visits from miniature horses and police dogs. This is combined with activities, such as planting seeds and following the lifecycle of a tadpole. However, children have fewer opportunities to use resources to explore the effects of the weather, such as using chimes, windmills and streamers in the wind. Planned activities, such as celebrating the Chinese New Year, help to raise children's awareness of differences and the wider world.

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

Children settle very well at the friendly and welcoming pre-school because the staff are warm and affectionate with them. They have developed close relationships with the children and this enables children to feel safe and secure and gives them confidence to explore the environment, make choices and develop their independence. Positive behaviour is encouraged by all of the staff as they use a range of sensitive techniques to ensure that children play cooperatively together and clearly understand what acceptable behaviour is. Daily and weekly awards, such as 'happy helper' and 'star of the week', further support children's positive behaviour and help to develop their self-esteem. Children's sense of belonging is promoted at the pre-school as children are encouraged to display photographs of their families and pets. Consequently, children's personal, social and emotional development is supported well.

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

Staff work extremely closely with parents to ensure that children have their individual needs met well. For example, they gather important in formation at the start about children's interests and medical needs. This is combined with settling-in sessions to help children to get to know the staff and the pre-school. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have their individual needs met well, for example, staff provide boxes of their favourite toys which can be used whenever they may feel unsettled. This effectively helps children to make a smooth transition from home into the setting. High emphasis is placed on supporting children as they move to nursery and school. Staff invite teachers to visit the children at the pre-school and encourage children to talk about short visits they have had to their 'new school'. Encouraging children to develop their self-care skills, such as putting on their coats and using books about 'starting school', further

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

supports children in making the transition from pre-school to nursery and school.

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

Staff provide an interesting and stimulating environment where children play safely. They provide children with a wide range of resources and activities both indoors and outdoors, which children can access independently. Colourful displays of the children's work help promote children's sense of belonging at the pre-school. However, there is scope to further enhance children's awareness of similarities and differences in the world around them, through resources and visual images, which present a positive outlook of differences and diversity.

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

Children's good health is promoted well in the pre-school. Older children confidently use the bathroom and they know that they must wash their hands before snack. Snack time provides a friendly, social experience for all children. They sit with a staff member who supports them to peel and help to prepare the snack. This helps children to develop their physical skills in a safe way, for example, using a small knife to cut strawberries. Children have regular opportunities for fresh air which promotes their good health. They have free access to the outdoor play area where they enjoy running around, playing on ride on toys and using crates to construct an obstacle course. This helps to develop their large physical skills. Children learn about keeping safe through planned activities, such as visits from the local road safety officer. They talk confidently about 'stopping when the light is on red' and ensuring there are 'no toes on the road' as part of their role play, this shows their

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provision

The manager and staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities with regard to meeting all requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The educational programme is effectively monitored through completion of progress reports to ensure that all children are making good progress, in relation to their starting points. Effective systems are in place to carry out progress checks for children aged two years. This means that any gaps in children's learning are easily identified and taken into account in planning. As a result, children are ready for their next stages in learning and are well prepared for their move on to school.

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provision

All staff have attended relevant safeguarding children training and, as a result, are secure in their knowledge for protecting children, including the procedure to follow should they have any concerns about a child in their care. Accidents and incidents are consistently recorded and shared with parents. Detailed risk assessments along with daily checks, and regular reviews of accidents ensure that measures can be taken to prevent accidents from reoccurring. As a result, children play in a safe environment where hazards have been effectively identified and minimised. Policies and procedures are up-to-date and are consistently and effectively implemented by all staff. The pre-school benefits from having well established staff members. However, there are effective recruitment procedures in place to ensure that all staff are skilled and suitable for their role.

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provision

Self-evaluation is fully embedded in the pre-school because the manager and staff have clearly identified the strengths and areas to improve. Parents are regularly consulted through the use of questionnaires. This ensures that parents' views of the pre-school are valued. The whole team work well together. They continually reflect on their practice, and team meetings and appraisals provide staff with opportunities to identify areas for further professional development. The recommendations raised at the previous inspection have all been positively addressed. This includes improving the systems for observing children and the planning of activities. This demonstrates that they are committed to drive the pre- school forwards in order to improve the quality of care and learning for children.

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provision

Excellent partnerships exist with parents and other professionals, who have an input into children's care. Staff are fully committed to engaging all parents, ensuring that children's needs are fully discussed and providing further support where needed, for example, doing home visits. Where special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified, the manager and staff discuss future plans with parents, including working with outside professionals, such as speech and language therapists and Portage workers, so that children's individual needs can be fully met. Parents speak extremely highly of the staff, praising their excellent commitment to the setting and stating how much their 'children love the setting and the staff'. This results, in a happy and welcoming pre-school where children make good progress and are ready for their next stage in learning.

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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 EY292021 Local authority Darlington Inspection number 877784

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 21 Number of children on roll 29 Name of provider Sadberge Pre School Group Committee Date of previous inspection 01/12/2009 Telephone number 07913387033

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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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