Castor and Ailsworth Preschool

Castor and Ailsworth Pre-School The Village Hall, Peterborough Road, Castor, PETERBOROUGH, Cambridgeshire, PE5 7AX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/07/2013 14/07/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children are motivated by the enthusiasm and inventiveness of the staff team. Activities are exciting and engage and challenge children so that they make excellent progress in their learning taking into account their starting points.  Extremely effective partnership working with parents and other providers means that there is a united approach to meeting individual children's needs helping them to develop relevant skills for the future.  Children feel safe and secure in the warm, welcoming environment. The highly effective key person system enables them to form secure attachments.  Effective monitoring and tracking systems ensure that targets for future development are identified and continuous improvements are made. This ensures that the pre-school continues to provide high quality care and education for all children.  The outdoor area is exceptionally well-used because staff provide a wide variety of

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This provision is outstanding

activities which capture children's attention and support their different learning styles.

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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 was given a tour of the premises on arrival.  The inspector spoke with children, staff and parents throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions and carried out a joint observation with the manager at agreed times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children in planned and free-choice activities and discussed these with the manager and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning, tracking and monitoring documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at staff records and notification records and other documentation relating to the safe management of the pre-school.

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Information about the setting

Castor and Ailsworth Pre-school was registered in 1980 and is on the Early Years Register. It operates from the village hall in Castor, near Peterborough. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs four members of child care staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. There is also a similarly qualified person available at short notice to cover for illness etc. The pre-school is open during school term times only. Sessions are from 9am to 3pm on Monday, Tuesday and Friday and from 9am to 1pm on Wednesday and Thursday. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 25 children attending. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year- old children.

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

 consider further ways for children to experience the use of everyday technology to support their learning.

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who attend

Children meet their full potential, taking into account their starting points, and flourish at this pre-school. The manager and her experienced, committed staff team fully understand that children learn through play and build on previous experiences. The staff team implement the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage exceptionally well, recognising the uniqueness of each child. Children's development and learning is exceedingly well_supported. Observations are carried out on the children as they play so that staff are able to accurately identify their next steps in learning. They plan innovative and challenging activities taking into account children's interests. Excellent teaching techniques are used throughout the session enabling children to become active learners. For example, an activity to support children's understanding of texture using jelly becomes a science experiment when children ask if the jelly can be put back in the fridge to make it

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who attend

wobbly again, after the heat from the sun melts it.

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who attend

Children attend the pre-school from the age of two years and six months. Staff carry out the progress check at age two in consultation with parents if it has not already been completed elsewhere. In addition, regular assessments are carried out on children through to the transition when they move on to school. Children are highly motivated and fully engage in the balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities that enable them to instigate their own learning indoors and outside. Although on the day of inspection, children had no access to information technology. Parents and carers comment that they 'are very pleased' with how their children are gaining in confidence and learning new skills.

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who attend

All staff are highly skilled in extending children's play. They engage them in conversation while they play to encourage critical thinking and to develop language. For example, children use coloured bricks to build a swimming pool. There are two diving boards - one for babies and one for bigger children. A member of staff asks a child how the children will get to the diving board. After some thought, the child replies 'oops, I'll build some steps'. Another group of children play in the hair dressing salon. Staff become the customers and enjoy a range of treatments including 're-styles and comb-outs'. After a short discussion the children decide to become a 'mobile' salon and move the equipment to another area of the pre-school.

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who attend

Children benefit greatly from the accessibility of the outdoor area. For large periods of the session, children have free access to this area. They are excited by being outside and when the doors are opened there are very few children who prefer to stay inside. Staff fully understand the importance of outdoor play and create a rich learning environment that promotes all areas of learning. In addition to the outdoor play area attached to the village hall, the children also have a growing garden elsewhere in the village. Once a week, staff take the children down to the garden to sow and tend the fruit and vegetable plants.

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who attend

The busy yet calm atmosphere within the pre-school and the highly effective partnerships with parents and carers ensure that children settle quickly into pre-school life. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their children's learning and staff provide a variety of opportunities for them to extend their children's learning at home. In addition, parents complete a diary so that their child's key person can use information about what the children have been doing over the weekend or during a holiday to plan pertinent and relevant activities.

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

The key person system contributes exceptionally well to children's feelings of well-being and security as there is always a dedicated person to attend to their needs. Children are extremely well-settled and enjoy trusting relationships with staff. Each child's key person shares information with parents each day ensuring that changing needs are quickly met. There are also formal meetings between staff and parents where children's development and progress are discussed and decisions made about additional support, for example, their move to other settings or to school.

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

Children behave very well. They learn what is expected of them in this nurturing environment and on the rare occasions when their enthusiasm overcomes their sense of fair play, staff quietly remind them about sharing and being kind and may suggest use of the egg-timer to resolve any issues of taking turns. Children learn how to keep themselves safe with the support of staff. For example, staff suggest that it might be better for children crawling through the tunnels to take their shoes off so that no-one gets hurt.

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

Children are encouraged to develop skills which will support them when they start school. They learn to recognise their right and left shoe by staff explaining the different toe shapes to them. This enables them to put on their own shoes correctly. Children help to prepare snacks by spreading butter on the toast and cutting it into squares and triangles. At lunch time staff sit with the children to eat their own lunches. They advise them to eat the savoury food, such as, sandwiches first before opening crisps or yogurts. Children have drinks throughout the day. They help themselves from jugs of water and they know to ask staff to refill it if they leave one empty.

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

Children are supported as they learn to use the toilet independently and as they wash their hands staff chat to them about the importance of personal hygiene. There are washing bowls in the playroom and outside for them to wash their hands after messy play such as, making play dough or using glue to secure the string onto the guitar. The bowls of water and towels are changed regularly to ensure there is no cross-infection.

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provision

The pre-school meets all the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage exceptionally well. It provides a welcoming environment where children and parents are valued and respected. The highly effective staff team is very well supported by the charity-status committee. Everyone is united in wanting to provide the very best possible start for the children. The comprehensive monitoring of children's progress means that staff quickly identify if a child requires additional support or requires an activity presented in a slightly different way so that they 'get it'.

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provision

Ongoing self-evaluation and critical reflection, which takes account of the views of children, parents and staff, form part of the process of ensuring that everyone involved has a clear understanding of the strengths of the pre-school and are involved in the identification of areas for development. Actions and recommendations from previous inspection reports have been successfully addressed to improve and develop practice.

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provision

Staff work very well together and are very supportive of each other. There are regular supervision and appraisal meetings and staff attend training to reinforce and develop understanding of their roles. All required documentation and record keeping for the safe organisation and management of the pre-school, including copies of notifications to relevant organisations, are effective and in place.

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provision

Everyone working at the pre-school understands the importance of safeguarding and child protection. New members of the charitable committee are checked for suitability and there are robust recruitment and induction procedures to ensure the suitability of new staff. All staff understand their roles and responsibilities relating to child protection. Personal phones and cameras are stored away from the children's play areas during sessions and parents and visitors are reminded not to use theirs on the premises. Detailed risk assessments and routine safety checks of equipment contribute significantly to children's safety.

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provision

Parents and staff engage with each other extremely well. Those parents spoken to during the inspection commented on how much they value the pre-school. Other providers sharing the care of children also comment on the excellent partnerships established to secure continuity of care and learning for the children. For example, those children also being cared for by a childminder and on transfer to school.

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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 256756 Local authority Peterborough Inspection number 915233

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Caster & Ailsworth Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 14/07/2010 Telephone number 01733 380190

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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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