Serendipity Pre School

Serendipity Pre School Willow Road Community Centre, Willow Road, DARLINGTON, Co Durham, DL3 6PZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/06/2013 15/11/2012

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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

 Children are actively motivated to learn by enthusiastic staff. They show high levels of curiosity and independence and are very happy and settled in the warm and welcoming pre-school.  The quality of teaching is consistently good. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development and develop a broad range of knowledge and skills which supports their readiness for the next stage in their learning.  Partnerships with parents and other professionals are very effective in providing for children's individual needs. Transitions to and from the setting are well supported to promote continuity of care and learning.  The management team and staff members strive to continually improve the setting through effective evaluation and a genuine commitment to training. This benefits the experiences children have in the setting.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to further enhance children's already strong sense of belonging in the setting by displaying photographs of the children's family, pets or other special people.  There are fewer opportunities for children to tackle a variety of large climbing equipment in the outdoor play area to further develop their physical skills and enhance their understanding of how to manage risks safely.

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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 and involved the deputy manager in a joint observation of an activity.

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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.

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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 setting, staff members and the children during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Serendipity Pre School was registered in 2012 and is on the Early Years Register. The setting operates from a single storey building adjacent to Willow Road Community Centre in Darlington. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school is open Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 52 children attending who are within the early years age range. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The pre-school employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, one staff member has early years qualifications at level 6, three at level 5 and five at level 3. The setting receives support from the local authority. The setting supports children with English as an additional language and special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 display photographs of children's families, their pets and other special people to further enhance children's sense of belonging in the pre-school

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

 develop further the outdoor area to provide further opportunities for children to climb and learn about how to manage risks in a safe environment.

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who attend

Management and staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is combined with good quality teaching and a well-resourced, effectively organised and stimulating learning environment. The enthusiastic staff know the children well and the key person considers the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child in their care. This information is used effectively to plan challenging and enjoyable experiences for all children. Children who may need any additional help are well supported. For example, staff work very closely with parents and external agencies where necessary. This ensures that support is clearly targeted to meet the needs of the children. As a result, children show high levels of independence, curiosity and confidence in the setting. They make good progress in their learning and demonstrate the key skills they need in preparation for starting school.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is consistently good. Children's mathematical skills are enhanced as staff support them to count and recognise numbers beyond 10. Staff introduce descriptive words, such as 'big' and 'little' into children's play, and support them to understand concepts, such as 'more than'. For example, as children make towers with stacking blocks staff ask them 'which is the biggest?' and 'which tower has more'. This enables children to begin to use the language of size and to understand early mathematical concepts. Children have good opportunities to problem solve as staff follow their lead in play. For example, children remain actively engaged for extended periods of time as they play with drain pipes, pouring water and exploring which objects will travel down them. This also supports their physical skills as they spend time pouring and filling a variety of different size beakers. Children demonstrate effective characteristics of learning

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who attend

as they think critically and develop new ways of doing things. For example, as children fill a large plastic tube with sand, staff encourage them to think about how they might reach the top. The children look around the outdoor area, clearly thinking about what they could use and enthusiastically exclaim, 'we can use the crates to stand on' as they run off to get them.

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who attend

Children develop effective communication skills as they play together in the outdoor area. For example, they run around wearing helmets with hosepipes, exclaiming, 'there is a fire'. The children play well together and enthusiastically shout for their friends to 'come and put the fire out'. Staff support children's language skills well as they encourage them to talk about what is happening and what they can do. This enhances children's thinking skills and enables them to use language as a mean of expressing their thoughts and feelings. Children's literacy skills are further developed as staff sit with them and they read books together. The staff encourage them to talk about what they can see in the pictures and children are animated as they retell the story, linking it to events in their own lives. Children who speak English as an additional language are able to make good progress because the staff support them well. For example, staff demonstrate a genuine

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who attend

commitment to attending workshops on different languages and to displaying and using words in children's home languages.

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who attend

Children are provided with a broad range of experiences to develop their physical skills. In the indoor environment, a small climbing frame provides opportunities for young children to negotiate steps and ramps. In the outdoor environment, children ride bikes and other vehicles and use crates and planks of wood to create their own obstacle courses. However, there is scope to enhance the outdoor environment to provide further opportunities for older children to climb and learn about managing risks in a safe environment. Children have good opportunities to learn about the world around them. For example, they use spades and hoes to dig in the garden in search of mini-beasts. This is supported well by staff as they encourage children to identify the different insects they have seen and to describe them. The use of resources that positively reflect differences helps children to learn to respect and value people's differences and to consider the needs

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who attend

Staff work well in partnership with parents. They gather information from parents about children's interests and what they can do at home and this is combined with initial observations to identify children's starting points. Individual learning journals are completed for all children; these include a range of good quality observations and photographs. Observations are linked to the areas of learning and show which age bands children are working in, as detailed in the guidance document, Development matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This allows the setting to track children's progress over time and identify any areas for development. Parents are kept well informed about their child's learning through regular parents' evenings and summary sheets highlighting their child's progress. The ongoing sharing of information about children's learning at home and interests enables parents to actively contribute towards their child's progress and ensures

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

The manager and her staff team provide an environment which is warm and welcoming. A well-established key person system is in place and staff are skilled and sensitive in helping children form secure emotional attachments. Children settle very quickly upon arrival and parents speak highly of the care and learning their children receive, stating, 'they do not want to go home' and 'the staff are excellent'. The staff work closely with parents to gather important information about children at the start, such as likes and dietary requirements. This is combined with effective settling-in sessions which helps children to make the smooth transition from home to the setting. Children are equally well supported in making the transition to local schools. Staff encourage children to develop their self- care skills, such as putting on their own shoes in preparation for going to school and use books about starting school to generate discussion and raise children's awareness. Walks

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

to see the 'big school' along with planned visits to local schools, when possible, further supports children in making the transition from pre-school to school.

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

Behaviour is very good at the setting and children enjoy social time together at mealtimes and during their activities. Staff quickly intervene if there are any slight disagreements between children and talk to them about the importance of sharing resources during their activities and being kind to each other. The pre-school room is welcoming, stimulating and very well resourced. Toys and equipment are well organised and easily accessible to children. This means that children's independence is promoted very well as they self-select the things they want to use, decide on where they want to play and how they want to use the resources. The staff display colourful examples of children's work along with photographs of the children and staff. However, there is scope to further enhance children's already strong sense of belonging at the setting by displaying photographs of children's families, their pets or people who are important to them.

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

Children learn about good health and hygiene because staff implement effective daily routines. For example, older children confidently state when they need to use the bathroom and know to wash their hands. This is combined with planned outings, such as to a local restaurant to take part in 'chef school'. This helps children to learn about healthy foods in a fun way. At snack time children enjoy the responsibility of carrying out small tasks, such as handing out the snack, this further promotes their independence. Open access to the outdoor area ensures that children have regular opportunities for fresh air and to be physical. Staff give children gentle reminders about managing their own safety, for example, they ask children what might happen if they run indoors. Regular fire evacuation practises also promote children's understanding of the procedures to follow in the event of an emergency.

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provision

The pre-school is well run by a friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic management and staff team. Children's safety and welfare are promoted well. The premises are secure and there are robust procedures in place for staff recruitment. Staff's ongoing suitability is monitored through supervisions, appraisals and peer observations. This means that staff are able to reflect on their practice and develop their skills. The management team have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They fully understand their responsibility in safeguarding children and demonstrate a good awareness of their duty to inform Ofsted of any significant events. An effective safeguarding policy is in place, this includes the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made about a member of staff. Staff have good knowledge of procedures to follow should they be concerned about a child and know who to contact for additional support and advice.

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provision

Staff keep accurate records of accidents and first aid treatments administered to children, and this further safeguards children.

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provision

The manager and her team have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They ensure that the educational programme covers all areas of learning through the effective monitoring of planning and continuous provision of resources. The management team carry out an ongoing analysis of children's learning journals and the tracking sheets which staff complete for their key children, and this helps the pre-school to maintain good levels of achievement for all children. Self-evaluation is thorough and takes into account the views of staff, parents and children to help identify key areas for development. The management and staff team demonstrate a genuine commitment to working with other professionals and to attending regular training to improve their understanding of good quality care and learning which supports children's achievements over time. All recommendations raised at the previous

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provision

inspection have been addressed and a clear action plan for future development is in place. This demonstrates a positive attitude towards continuous improvement.

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provision

Parents receive good information about the setting prior their children starting. This includes a detailed information pack with key policies and procedures. Open days for parents along with planned sessions, such as cookery courses, provide very good opportunities for parents to meet the staff and be fully involved in the pre-school. The pre-school has established positive links with other professionals, including speech and language therapists and the inclusion team. This ensures that any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Effective sharing of information about children's progress with other providers supports continuity of learning and care for children who attend more than one setting.

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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 EY447362 Local authority Darlington Inspection number 923059

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 52 Name of provider Serendipity Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 15/11/2012 Telephone number 07432129909

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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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