Hook Pre-School

HOOK PRE-SCHOOL St. Pauls Parish Hall, Hook Road, Chessington, Surrey, KT9 1PL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/07/2013 17/11/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision is satisfactory

 Staff support children's language and communication skills, which helps children to feel confident and develops their social skills in participating in conversations.  Staff work in close partnership with parents, carers and other professionals involved with the children. This good practice supports continuity in children's learning and well- being.  The pre-school has a welcoming atmosphere and the friendly staff team encourage children to become independent in their personal care, in preparation for school.

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It is not yet good because

 Assessment and planning are not precise enough to provide a clear overview of children's progress or plan to inform planning for the next stages in their learning.  The provider failed to notify Ofsted of a serious illness to children, as required.  Children do not have enough opportunities to extend their information and communication technology (ICT) skills due to the lack of available resources.

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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 main hall and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the deputy of the provision and the registered provider.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a variety of records including children's records, and a sample of health and safety records.  The inspector held discussions with several parents.

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Information about the setting

Hook Pre-School is a privately owned group that opened in 1971. It has been under the current ownership since 1995. It registered with Ofsted in 2001. It operates from the main hall in Hook Parish Hall in Chessington, Surrey. There is an area available for outdoor play. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 74 children on roll aged from two to four years. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 12noon and Mondays and Thursdays from 12.30pm to 3.30pm for 38 weeks of the year during school term times. There are currently 75 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The provider employs eight members of staff; seven staff hold relevant early years qualifications. The qualifications

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Information about the setting

include, one holding a foundation degree, one qualified at level 4, three qualified at level 3 and two qualified at level 2. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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must:

 improve the implementation of the educational programmes across all areas of learning by clearly identifying the next stages for children's progress and then planning challenging experiences for each child, so that they make the good progress.

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must:

 provide a wider range of readily available resources to support children's growing interest in ICT, as part of the programme for understanding the world.

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who attend

Staff seek information from parents about children's backgrounds and development when children first start attending the pre-school. They write up observations and take photographs to record children's learning. However they do not have robust systems in place to assess children's progress, or identify the next stages in their learning. Therefore staff do not always have a clear picture of where children are in their development, so they do not plan challenging learning experiences to take them forward. Consequently, some children make no better than adequate progress. Nevertheless, staff provide a range of activities that children enjoy and join in with enthusiastically.

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who attend

Staff ask children questions, such as 'Hows' and 'Whys' to encourage them to share their ideas and thoughts. For example, whilst decorating biscuits, staff ask children to think about how they will represent the fish shape they are aiming to create. This questioning, results in children thinking through their ideas and succeeding in what they set out to do.

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who attend

Staff support children's understanding of the world during discussions at register time and children listen with enthusiasm; some call out the days of the week and months of the year. Children enjoy imaginative activities in the outdoor area such as pretending to sail to imaginary lands on a large boat. Staff display many signs throughout the provision, which helps children to learn that words carry meaning. Children enjoy using the large writing boards to make marks. Some pretend to be teachers as they 'take the register' writing each other's names during role play. Children complete puzzles and develop suitable mathematical skills as they talk about shapes and quantities. These positive learning experiences help children to develop skills to prepare them for starting school. There are not enough resources to help children to practise the necessary skills for using ICT, however, in preparation for their future learning.

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who attend

Staff support children's communication and language appropriately. They seek support for children when needed and offer one-to-one activities to help them progress. They learn key words in children's home language, so that those who are learning English as an additional language catch up.

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

Staff have a sound understanding of how to support children's personal, social and emotional development. There is a clear 'key person 'system in place, which helps children to feel settled and secure. Staff work in partnership with parents, so that they are consistent in meeting children's care needs with what happens at home, which helps children settle in. Staff arrange visits from local primary school teachers, to support children when they move on to school. They plan discussions, stories and activities to help children feel confident about the changes they will soon experience as they prepare to start school. These positive partnerships support continuity in children's care and well- being.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of keeping children safe. They carry out daily health and safety checks and maintain a safe learning environment throughout the day. There are appropriate hygiene procedures in place for nappy changing and personal care. They check that children wash their hands prior to eating and after toileting, to prevent the spread of cross-infection. They teach children about good hygiene through discussions. Children make suitable progress in their physical development, as they use a variety of equipment in the outdoor area. They enjoy arranging large wooden, portable equipment, which they move safely and cooperatively together to create their own structures. Children enjoy eating healthy snacks, such as fresh fruit, and choose drinks of milk or water. Staff are positive role models as they communicate with each other respectfully and work well as a team. They give children support when needed, but balance this by encouraging

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

them to try things out for themselves. They offer praise and encouragement, which helps children to feel confident and reassured. Children are very generally well behaved and play well together. For example, they share ideas during role play, agree roles and take turns when sharing toys. Staff help children to understand and communicate their needs, which result in those who need extra support, gradually developing an understanding about other people's feelings and how to communicate positively.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward due to a complaint regarding procedures for avoiding and managing illnesses at the pre-school. At the inspection the provider demonstrated the suitable processes that were in place to avoid the spread of infection and appropriate arrangements for nappy changing. Furthermore, the provider demonstrated how all parents were informed of the illness and reminded of arrangements for children to be kept away from the setting until 48 hours after the final symptoms have passed. The provider carried out suitable risk assessments and arranged for intense cleaning of equipment and resources as a precautionary measure. Nevertheless, the provider accepts that this serious illness was not reported to Ofsted, as required. This is a breach of a legal requirement.

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provision

Management has suitable policies and procedures in place to maintain a safe and secure environment. They access regular training and keep up to date with changes in the welfare requirements. Management ensures that child protection issues are discussed at staff meetings so that everyone is aware of current procedures. Management implements clear recruitment and induction procedures, which ensure that the policies and procedures are known by all who work with the children. The provider and deputy supervise the staff team and carry out meetings and appraisals. They arrange training to support staff in their professional development.

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provision

The management team generally has a fair understanding of the learning and development requirements. They have developed positive partnerships with outside agencies to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those in need of early intervention receive support. However, management does not review staff planning and assessment records sufficiently. Consequently, they have overlooked inconsistencies in how different staff plan for children's progress.

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provision

The management team reflects on the provision offered to children and evaluates this to identify aspects they could improve. They have made some improvements, such as providing a wider range of resources for mathematics. These changes promote more positive outcomes for children's learning and progress. However, not all recommendations set at the previous inspection have been addressed in full, including that to provide more ICT equipment, which is set as an action at this inspection. They have recently ordered new resources for the book area, to further promote children's interest in books, which was also a recommendation from the previous inspection. The pre-school staff have developed positive partnerships with parents, who comment on how much their children enjoy attending the pre-school.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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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 131787 Local authority Kingston upon Thames Inspection number 924151 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 75 Name of provider Susan McNamara Date of previous inspection 17/11/2011 Telephone number 020 8397 5226

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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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