All Saints Blackwell Pre-School

All Saints Blackwell Pre-School All Saints Millennium Centre, Ravensdale Road, DARLINGTON, County Durham, DL3 8DT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/07/2013 06/05/2009

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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 extremely happy and settled in the vibrant, welcoming and accessible pre- school. They are demonstrate high levels of confidence and are very well motivated and fully engaged in all activities.  The educational programme is excellent. Practitioners use excellent resources to provide exciting and stimulating first-hand experiences which results in children demonstrating an excellent approach to learning.  The quality of teaching is consistently very good. As a result, children make very good and sometimes outstanding, progress in their learning and development. They develop a very broad range of knowledge and skills which supports their readiness for the next stage in their learning.  There is an extremely strong partnership working with parents, professionals and external agencies. This ensures a consistent approach to children's care and learning, including effectively meeting any additional needs that children may have.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance the ongoing supervision and support provided for staff, in order to further maximise and strengthen their skills and ensure continued professional development.  Children's independence skills are not fully promoted as they are not consistently given opportunities to prepare their own fruit at snack time.

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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 main pre-school room and the outdoor play area.  The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussion.

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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. The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussion.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the managers of the setting, staff members and children during the inspection and involved the managers in a joint observation of an activity.

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Information about the setting

All Saints Blackwell Pre-school was registered in 2006 on the Early Years Register. It is a committee run group and is situated within All Saints and Salutation Church in Darlington. The provision serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from the main hall and garden room. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The provision employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold an early years qualification at level 6, one holds a foundation degree, two hold early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds a level 2 early years qualification. The provision is open Monday to Friday from 9.15am to 12.15pm during term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 30 children attending who are in the early years age group. The setting provides funded education for three- and four-year-old children. The provision supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and 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:

 enhance opportunities to promote children's independence, for example, by consistently encouraging them to help to prepare the fruit at snack time

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

 expand on the already good, informal systems used to supervise, coach and support staff to further maximise and strengthen their skills and further promote continued professional development.

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who attend

Staff have a very good understanding of the learning and development requirements and how children learn. Consequently, they plan an extensive range of rich and varied play opportunities which capture and engage the imaginations of all of the children. Planning is based on children's individual next steps and interests. For example, a trip to the museum leads to a role-play museum being set up where children pretend to be the curators and show other children around. Children's next steps in learning are informed from purposeful, ongoing observations of what children know and can do. Where children's starting points are below those of other children of their age, practitioners support them very well in order to close the achievement gap. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and English as an additional language are making very good, and sometimes outstanding, progress in relation to their starting

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who attend

points. This means that children are very well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

The small, well established and experienced staff team know their key children very well. This is combined with teaching which is consistently very good. Children's mathematical skills are enhanced well as staff encourage them to identify written numbers and to count beyond 10. Children show very good skills for their age as they identify the missing number in a game of hopscotch and line up numbers on the fence. Staff make very good use of descriptive words, such as 'more than' and 'the same' in everyday play situations. For example, as the children play with scales, staff ask them, 'what will happen if you take one off?' Children develop their problem solving skills as they talk about the scales going 'up and down' and 'staying the same'.

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who attend

The children show excellent communication skills. They are articulate and confident as they have a wide range of opportunities to talk to other children, staff and visitors about what they can see, hear, think and feel. Staff actively contribute towards children's language development as they engage fully with children in their play. For example, children ask staff to guess what items they have hidden in a tin. Staff respond thoughtfully, asking them questions, such as 'it is heavy?' and 'Is there more than one?' This enables children to begin to use the language of size and weight and encourages them to count objects which they cannot see.

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who attend

Children's imagination skills are promoted very well in the pre-school. For example, they dress up as mechanics and pretend to fix cars. They talk in great detail about what tools they will need and use pens and paper to 'make a list' of the cars which need fixing. This also supports their early handwriting skills as they give meaning to the marks they make. Children further develop their mark making skills, as they use large chalks in the outdoor areas and hold pencils correctly to draw pictures. Children learn that print carries meaning as the environment is rich in print, including words written in Spanish to support children who speak English as an additional language. Learning story books contain a wealth of colourful photographs with captions which the children can use to re-tell the excellent range of activities and events they have taken part in.

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who attend

Children's understanding of the world around them is fostered well. They grow a variety of vegetables in the outdoor area and talk confidently, about how they 'need water to make them grow'. The children have a wide range of opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, they build obstacle courses in the outdoor play area and ride around on bikes. A planned sports day provides great excitement for the children as they enthusiastically take part in races where they run, balance and throw.

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who attend

Staff have high expectations of all children and this is evident as they complete a range of good quality assessments. Each child has a learning journal which provides a lovely, colourful collection of what children can do and the progress they are making. Excellent systems to engage parents in all aspects of their child's learning are in place. Parents complete detailed records with staff on their child's admission to the setting, so that a robust assessment of each child's abilities can be made. This ensures staff can plan specifically for individual children. Parents are kept exceedingly well informed about their child's achievements and progress through regular parents meetings, an open door policy and verbal feedback. Parents actively contribute towards their child's development as they complete regular interest sheets so that staff can more effectively plan around children's interests. For example, staff set up a library following feedback from a parent regarding

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who attend

her child's interest in the local library.

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

The management and staff team provide an environment which is warm and very welcoming for all children. A well-established key person system is in place and staff are very experienced and sensitive in helping children to form secure attachments. As a result, children part from their carers with extreme confidence and are very happy and settled in the pre-school. A wide range of information is shared when children begin attending the pre-school. Parents complete an 'I am special' documentation which enables staff to provide continuity in children's personal, emotional and physical well-being. This includes staff attending specialist training to support children's individual medical requirements. Parents speak extremely highly of the procedures put in place, and the care shown by staff to help children to settle and to effectively manage the transition from home to the pre-school. Children are equally well supported when they transfer to local schools. Staff

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

encourage them to develop their independence skills, such as dressing themselves. They also use books about 'starting school' to help children to become familiar with the concept of moving to school. Visits to local schools are followed up effectively as staff encourage children to talk about their visit and draw pictures of their new school. As a result, children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning.

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

Staff provide an excellent range of resources and activities which appropriately challenge children across all areas of learning. Resources inside and outside, are of very good quality and are organised invitingly to encourage children to make their own choices about their play. This promotes their confidence and self-assurance. Daily risk assessments ensure the areas used by children are free from hazards and staff consistently give high priority to the safety of children. This is combined with signs to encourage children's understanding of safe behaviour, for example, walking down the steps. Children are very sociable with adults and their peers. They seek out their friends to 'come and play' and confidently seek support from staff when needed. Children behave very well at the pre-school as a result of staff being good role models and celebrating their achievements.

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

Staff give clear messages to children to ensure they are developing a good understanding of why it is important to have a nutritious and balanced diet. For example, staff talk to the children about the importance of eating their fruit to give them energy for the races later that day. A range of fresh, healthy fruit is offered to children at snack time along with a drink of milk or water. Children develop their independence as the competently use a spoon to select their own fruit. However, opportunities to further develop this, for example, by encouraging children to help to prepare the fruit are not consistently in place. Children's good health and well-being are supported as they have free flow access to the well-resourced outdoor play area, where they can use their senses, be physically active and exuberant.

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provision

Both managers of the pre-school, demonstrate a genuine commitment and dedication to meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements and the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is reflected in the overall very effective provision and monitoring of the excellent educational programmes. The managers analyse children's learning and development through tracking sheets which helps the pre-school to maintain high levels of achievement for all children.

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provision

Staff are well qualified, experienced and motivated, demonstrating an enthusiasm for their work and a commitment to improving achievement for all children. Although, the staff team are well established, effective procedures are in place to recruit new staff if required, including, ensuring that all appropriate checks are in place and an induction programme. Yearly appraisals are carried out to help staff to identify their strengths and areas for future development. However, supervision and peer observations are done on an informal basis. This means that opportunities to more effectively share staff expertise and evaluate staff practice may be missed. The managers and the staff team fully understand their responsibility in safeguarding children and demonstrate 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

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provision

member of staff. Staff have good knowledge of procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child in there care and know who to contact for additional support and advice. Staff keep accurate records of accidents and first aid treatments administered to children. The setting ensures that all policies are regularly updated and take into account changes to the legislation, including the use of cameras and mobile phones.

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provision

Self-evaluation is thorough and takes into account the views of staff, children and parents. Views of staff are obtained through weekly team meetings and parents have regular opportunities to talk openly to staff or complete sheets with their own views and those of their children. The managers and staff have a strong drive to improve the pre-school and a clear action plan that supports continuous improvement is in place. All recommendations from the previous inspection and been fully addressed, this further supports their genuine commitment to improving the pre-school. The managers and staff reflect well on their practice, for example, reviewing procedures for taking children to the bathroom to ensure children are safeguarded. Managers and staff demonstrate a very positive attitude towards developing their understanding of high quality child care through further developing their qualifications, including, completing a foundation degree and National Vocational

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provision

Qualifications at Level 6. As a result, morale is high in the pre-school and staff are committed to improving and understanding their practice.

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provision

The setting recognises and values the role of parents, families, carers and others working with children. As a result, there is an excellent partnership with parents. Visitors and parents are welcomed into the nursery to share things from their own lives. For example, reading stories in Spanish and doing dance with the children. As a result, parents are very keen to share their extremely positive views about the pre-school. For example, they describe the pre-school as, 'fantastic' and explain that the 'care and attention they have for the children is amazing'. Where children are identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities, there are effective procedures for ensuring equality of opportunity so all children are supported in making good progress. For example, the special educational needs coordinator has a very good understanding of her role and works closely with other professionals to devise targeted learning plans for children. This

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provision

includes attending 'team around the child' meetings, for example, to ensure that professionals working with the children are fully aware of their individual needs. This ensures an inclusive environment and a consistent approach for children so they feel secure.

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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 EY319495 Local authority Darlington Inspection number 915477

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider All Saints and Salutation Church Committee Date of previous inspection 06/05/2009 Telephone number 01325 469 891

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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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