Bletchley Pre-School Including Cuddles Nursery

Bletchley Pre-School Including Cuddles Nursery Activities Centre, Porchester Close,Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK3 7DF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/06/2013 15/02/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Staff do not pay sufficient attention to children's health and safety. Children are not fully protected from the damaging effects of the sun and their allergies and parents' preferences are not fully attended to.  Staff deployment does not support or extend children's learning appropriately. As a result, children are not making sufficient progress in their learning and development.  Staff manage children's behaviour inconsistently. As a result, children do not understand the boundaries and expectations for appropriate behaviour.  Staff do not enable all children to bring their home languages into their play and links for parents with English as an additional language are weak. This limits the key role that parents and children's home languages have in children's learning.  Planning for younger children's learning is not fully appropriate for their current stages of development and does not consistently provide challenging experiences.

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This provision is inadequate

 Staff do not always complete records in a timely manner to fully promote children's welfare.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff work well with other professionals to help children get the help they need to make progress in their learning and development.

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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 voluntary and compulsory parts 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 the playrooms and the outside learning environment and talked with the staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's assessment records and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and information included in the self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Bletchley Pre-School Including Cuddles Nursery first registered in 1968, with the nursery area opening in 2001. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is located in Bletchley, close to the centre of Milton Keynes. A committee of volunteers manage the setting. The setting comprises of one large main hall and two adjacent rooms, as well as a kitchen, toilets and washing facilities. There is a fully enclosed play area available for children's outside play. Children attend from the local community and surrounding areas.

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Information about the setting

The setting is open Monday to Friday term time only. The nursery operates from 8.30am until 3.10pm, with the pre-school opening every day for sessions from 9.10am to 12.10pm and from 12.10pm to 3.10pm. There are currently 106 children attending who are in the early years age group. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The setting employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and six hold a level 3 qualification.

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must:

 take all necessary steps to keep children safe and promote good health, particularly in relation to protecting children from the effects of the sun, respecting the parents' wishes on the care of their children's skin and in regard to any allergies

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must:

 ensure the organisation of routines and adult-led activities meet each child's needs by; reviewing staff deployment so children are able to fully participate in first hand experiences and are not expected to wait with nothing to do

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must:

 develop positive strategies to help young children learn to behave well, understand appropriate boundaries and play cooperatively

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must:

 improve the two-way flow of information with parents with regard to children's learning at home

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must:

 enhance opportunities for children whose home language is other than English, to use their home language within their play and learning

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must:

 improve the use of ongoing observation and assessment of each child's progress; use this information to fully identify and plan appropriate steps matched to the children's needs.

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

 complete records in a timely manner to fully support children's welfare.

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who attend

Staff are not well deployed at certain times of the day to effectively guide the learning and development of children. When children are getting ready to go home, they sit at tables while staff organise the playroom and give out the day's art work. As staff are standing, they do not always make the most of this time, such as by having meaningful conversations with the children about their achievements. Lunch times are mainly supervised by lunch time staff who are not fully conversant with the planning or educational programmes. This results in learning experiences that are adult-directed and doing little to motivate children's learning. The older children's large group time in the afternoon repeats much of the information some children receive in the morning session. Some children are very eager to answer the staff's questions, all calling out at once. Other children are distracted and staff remind them to turn around and pay attention. This

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who attend

results in a lack of inspiration and concentration. Some of this time is taken giving children information about other continents. Children can recognise pictures and name countries on a map. However, the value of this exercise is limited without using appropriate props and artefacts. Staff do not make good use of parents' skills and knowledge in these areas to promote children's learning.

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who attend

Young children enjoy experimenting as they make dough. They relish adding more flour to the wet dough, covering their hands with a very sticky substance. They squeeze and spread the dough, strengthening the muscles in their hands that will help develop their skills to write in the future. However, it is such fun that more children want to be involved than the staff can manage. This means some children are left standing around watching, rather than participating. Children are very eager and enjoy playing and exploring in the garden. Staff support children's interest in early writing as they have a race to draw pictures with chalk on the play surface. Children choose what to draw and know how many legs to draw on the spider.

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who attend

Staff carry out observations of the children at play, which they record in individual children's learning journals. However, staff caring for the younger children do not always effectively use the information they gain from their observations to identify and plan children's next steps in their learning. Young children enjoy splashing in small trays of water and finding and naming various numerals inside. However, staff miss chances to extend this activity to linking the numeral with the right number of objects to help children develop a concept of number.

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who attend

Most children who are learning English as an additional language settle into the nursery. Staff in the older children's room use picture cards to help children understand the routine. However, this practice is not securely rooted in the whole nursery. Staff do not always provide a strong foundation in the home language to help the development of English. For example, staff do not promote and support the use of children's home languages in their play, particularly for bi-lingual children and those children learning English as an additional language. As a result, not all children are making appropriate progress in their communication and language development. This means they are not gaining the skills they need for the next stage in their early education.

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who attend

Parents are offered appointments to view and discuss their child's progress, where they can see their child's learning folder. Staff encourage parents to bring a translator if required, to ensure a valuable exchange of views. Most parents are encouraged to share what they know about their child's learning at home. However, some children take a longer time to settle than expected, as staff do not make special efforts to overcome difficulties communicating with all parents. This leads to gaps in staff's understanding of children's interests at home and limits plans for children's next steps. Staff used to give parents of older children practical ideas of activities they can do at home. However, this has recently lapsed. As a result, some parents are not given full support to develop their children's learning at home.

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

Although staff offer children support to promote their well-being, there are weaknesses in some care practices. In addition, the weaknesses identified in the care and safety of the children mean their well-being cannot be fully assured. Children are beginning to form close relationships as staff generally know them well. There is a warm and comforting interaction between children and staff. Children are individually greeted as they come in. Each child has a key person and most parents report they find it easy to talk to this member of staff. Generally, staff encourage children to behave well and praise them for their achievements. For example, staff congratulate children as they master a new skill of peddling a bicycle. However, staff in the toddler room have a designated 'unhappy chair' to use as a time out strategy. This approach to behaviour management does not reflect the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, or of the Childcare

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

Register. This is because it does not fully help young children to understand and control their feelings or fully protect their self-esteem.

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

Children receive adequate support to move onto the next room, as they have 'settling in' visits to get used to the new routines. They get to know all the staff and children as all play together in the garden. Children are helped to move to school, as the staff invite teachers to visit the nursery in the summer term ready to start in September. Children enjoy looking for bugs on a bug hunt. They learn to care for living creatures as they are careful to place the woodlice in a container with leaves and twigs, without harming them.

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

Children are developing their independence. Older children make their own decisions about when to eat their snacks. Younger children eagerly wash their own hands at the portable wash hand basins in the playrooms. Children are learning to take manageable risks as they use the challenging play equipment in the garden. For example, children enjoy using the swings and climbing frame. They move expertly on bikes and peddle cars around the bricks and pathways drawn on the playground. Staff support children to understand healthy eating by attractively presenting the packed lunches and snacks prepared by the parents. Children are beginning to grow vegetables and older children have cookery sessions where staff discuss healthy eating.

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provision

The inspection followed a concern being raised about the care and safety of the children and the security of the premises. The inspection found that staff do not meet legal requirements to keep children safe and promote their good health. Children are not kept safe from sunburn. Staff rely on parents putting suncream on their children before children arrive for their session. Staff cannot be sure how effective this is and children are spending considerable time outside on sunny days. Staff do apply cream to children attending for a full day, if parents have provided the cream. Staff allow children without suncream to go outside for a short while, but then they have to be inside. This restricts children's ability to have the same valuable learning experiences of other children outdoors. Staff are aware of children's allergies and parental preferences, although occasionally these are not fully attended to. This limits the health and safety care of the

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provision

The inspection found there are suitable arrangements for securing the premises. Staff take suitable precautions to ensure that the front door is secure. They open and close the door to let parents and authorised visitors in and out. The pre-school is waiting for a door bell to be fitted and this will help alert staff to waiting parents. The pre-school management has instigated a closer relationship with the hall management committee to maintain the safety and security of the premises. They keep a record of all the discussions with the landlord and management committee to check that any maintenance issues are logged and followed up. As a result of the inspection findings, the provider is required to take further action. This is because requirements relating to keeping children safe and promoting their good health, as set out in the requirements for the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register requirements, are not

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provision

Staff implement appropriate child protection procedures. They use sound systems for identifying children at risk, liaising with the appropriate agencies and helping to protect the children who attend. Adequate recruitment and supervision procedures are in use to make suitable assessments of adults working with children. Staff undertake suitable risk assessments and ensure that buggies and high chairs are out of the reach of the children. Staff are aware of the need to obtain parental permission to give medication and accident records are suitably completed. However, not all records are completed in a timely manner to fully promote children's welfare.

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provision

Staff have regular team meetings and appraisals and are eager to improve their practice. They have addressed the previous actions and recommendations. They have changed the organisation of the hall so children only use one set of doors that remain open. This minimises the risks of children trapping their fingers. The setting's management is making plans to change the organisation of the setting. For example, management will no longer accept children aged under two and the current toddler room will become an art and craft room.

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provision

Staff are available to support parents and take time to listen and respond appropriately to any complaints that arise. Senior staff attend meetings and help parents to grow in confidence when dealing with various authorities. Staff have strong contacts with other health and education professionals. Any advice given to support children's individual needs are added to the routine and planning for the 'next steps'. For example, staff use special equipment to support children's mobility and posture. This is beginning to help close gaps in children's learning. Children attending the setting are currently not attending other settings, but the staff can demonstrate how they can develop suitable relationships to support consistent care and learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that children receiving childcare are kept safe from harm (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure that children receiving childcare are kept safe from harm. (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 141792 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 923851

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 72 Number of children on roll 106 Name of provider Bletchley Pre-school Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 15/02/2011 Telephone number 01908 375351

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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