Groombridge Pre-School

Groombridge Pre-School King Edward VII Memorial Hall, Station Road, Groombridge, East Sussex, TN3 9QY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/07/2013 13/09/2010

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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's developing self-confidence and feelings of belonging are given high priority. The staff are skilled in helping all children to become familiar with the daily routines and to feel safe within the setting.  Staff clearly understand how to promote children's development. They provide a wide variety of stimulating activities that capture children's individual interests and extend their learning.  Children's language and communication skills are effectively supported because the staff talk to them consistently through activities and routines.  Children's safety and welfare is promoted well as staff work closely with parents, know children well and value them highly as unique individuals.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some creative activities do not allow children sufficient scope to express their own ideas freely.  Systems for staff to evaluate their own practice and set targets for ongoing professional development have not yet been fully embraced.

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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 indoor and outdoor learning environments.  The inspector held a meeting with the pre-school supervisor.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documentation including children's assessment records, accident records and some policies.  The inspector took account of views of parents spoken to during the inspection.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of practice with the supervisor.

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Information about the setting

Groombridge Pre-school is run by a committee and is a registered charity. It registered in 1967 and currently operates from a hall in a large new community centre in the rural village of Groombridge. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. It is open during term-time from 9am until 12 noon, from Monday to Friday. In the spring and summer terms the group also runs on a Wednesday and Friday from 12 noon until 3pm, and on a Thursday 12 noon until 1pm. Children can attend for a maximum of five sessions per week. There are currently 45 children on roll from two and a half years to five years. The group receives nursery education funding and supports children with special educational needs and/ or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. There are six staff, five of whom have relevant childcare qualifications and one is currently training.

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

 enhance further the good teaching practice by increasing focus on playful learning when planning adult-led activities, in order to extend opportunities that children have to explore their own creative ideas

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

 enhance further the good teaching practice by increasing focus on playful learning when planning adult-led activities, in order to extend opportunities that children have to explore their own creative ideas

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who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children. They provide fun and stimulating activities and experiences that give depth and breadth across the seven areas of learning. For example, children enjoy discussing the sea creatures in the water tray, and creating their own map of their journey to pre-school. Staff are skilful in extending children's language and communication skills through asking open ended questions. They value what the children have to say and give them plenty of time to think and express their views and opinions.

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who attend

Children enjoy sitting in the book area, reading and telling stories to their friends, and staff frequently read to children on request. An environment rich in text and the availability of a range of interesting books promotes children's literacy development well. Staff encourage children to engage in a variety of early writing activities, indoors and out. Children practice their physical skills when using the climbing equipment and when joining in with singing and action rhymes. They learn to recognise their own names through looking for their own personalised placemats at snack and lunch times. These skills help children to be prepared for the next stage of learning at school.

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who attend

Staff provide the children with many opportunities to learn about the natural world. For example, staff help children to grow plants and measure, comparing them to their height. Children watch with great interest as the caterpillars in their butterfly farm change into butterflies and fly away. They talk confidently about the life cycle of the butterfly and staff extend their vocabulary with words such as 'chrysalis'. Children learn to count during regular pre-school routines and staff skilfully ask questions such as 'How many aprons will we need?' and 'Do we have enough chairs?' to encourage children to solve problems. Children recognise two-dimensional shapes and manipulate them during art activities and when playing with puzzles and construction kits. Children enjoy adult-led painting activities; however, they do not have sufficient opportunity to explore mixing colours or investigating the properties of mixed media.

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who attend

Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals because staff have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and plan activities for children based on their individual needs. Staff make regular and frequent observations and assessments of children's development, and ensure that any gaps in learning are identified and addressed. They recognise that some children may have additional needs and an effective system is in place to support children with educational needs and/or disabilities. The supervisor liaises with relevant agencies to effectively support children and their families.

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

An effective key person system is in place and this means that children quickly form strong bonds and attachments with staff at the pre-school. Key staff form close relationships with parents and get to know them well, so that they develop a secure knowledge of children's individual care needs. Parents are extremely pleased that the caring staff provide a nurturing environment where their children feel happy, safe and secure. Children are confident and move freely around the pre-school following their own interests. They approach staff readily if they need support or reassurance, which further demonstrates their feelings of well-being and security.

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

The pre-school is equipped with a wide range of equipment and resources, which are accessible to children to make their own choices in play. The organisation of the learning environment creates areas where children have plenty of space to develop their play. Behaviour is the pre-school is very good because children benefit from a calm atmosphere and staff who are consistent in positive behaviour management. Staff praise children and thank them for kind and considerate behaviour, and consequently they share toys and resources happily. Children have frequent opportunities to choose between indoor and outdoor play, which means that they benefit from fresh air and exercise throughout the session. The thoughtful planning of the outdoor area ensures that all areas of development are covered in a stimulating environment that supports children who learn best outdoors. Children learn to take risks and keep themselves safe through using the climbing apparatus and

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

ensuring that they wear sunhats when they go outside to play on a hot day. Staff chat to children at meal times about healthy foods, which encourages them to make healthy lifestyle choices.

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provision

Management and the small staff team work well together. They have a very good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the welfare and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff members follow through induction procedures and receive ongoing supervision to ensure they understand their individual roles and responsibilities well. However, there are fewer opportunities for staff to evaluate their own practice in order to identify areas for professional development.

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provision

Recruitment and vetting procedures are robust and confirm the suitability of staff working with the children. Safeguarding policies and procedures are clear and well known to all staff and parents. All staff have attended training on child protection issues and they understand the procedures to follow if they have concerns about children's welfare. Staff conduct thorough and frequent risk assessments to ensure any hazards are quickly identified and appropriate action is taken to reduce the risk of accidents.

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provision

The supervisor monitors the educational programme and ensures that staff provide children with a broad range of activities that effectively promotes their learning and development. She evaluates children's learning regularly and identifies where children are making good progress and where they might need additional help. She effectively plans for children's learning as she uses the thorough assessments from staff alongside the children's interests to plan exciting and stimulating activities.

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provision

The supervisor and the staff team regularly review the provision and adapt the ongoing development plan to incorporate future targets. Parents voice their very positive opinions about the pre-school and offer suggestions for future improvements. Parent state that the provision is 'fantastic', 'staff are wonderful and my child loves it here' and 'I wouldn't send my children anywhere else'. Parents receive weekly newsletters, which keep them well- informed about activities and experiences in the pre-school. Staff suggest activities that parents can do with their children at home to support learning, and parents say that they really appreciate this as they feel very much involved in their children's development.

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provision

Strong links with children's future schools are a real strength of this pre-school. Photographs of their reception teachers and of areas of their future schools help children to cope with the upcoming move. Pre-school staff take children on trips to their future schools so that they become familiar with their new environment.

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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 109431 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 813359 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Groombridge Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 13/09/2010 Telephone number 01892 864809

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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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