Harwich Centre Pre-School

Harwich Centre Pre-School Adult Community College, Main Road, Harwich, Essex, CO12 4AH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/07/2013 09/05/2011

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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 with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are very well supported, especially in their communication and language skills. As a result, they are making very good progress.  Children are motivated and eager to learn; they show high levels of confidence and settle well.  Staff know the children and families very well and build close attachments. This supports the children's emotional well-being and they develop well.  Close partnership working with other settings, schools and professionals ensure a consistent approach to enable every child to reach their full potential.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance the arrangements for planning by involving all staff to ensure that it is always sharply focused and based upon a comprehensive knowledge of the children.

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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 both the playrooms and the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision, carried out a joint observation with her, spoke to staff and interacted with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

Harwich Centre Pre-school opened in 1975 and is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from two rooms within the Tendring Adult Community College in Harwich, Essex. The children have access to an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday from 9am until 3.30pm, term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 12pm and 12.30pm until 3.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions and have the option of staying for lunch. There are currently 89 children attending who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded 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 educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, two, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4. Nine members of staff are qualified at level 3 and two at level 2. Two members of staff, including the manager, are currently studying for higher qualifications.

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

 involve all staff in the planning to ensure it is consistently more sharply focused on individual children's needs.

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who attend

Children enthusiastically take part in a wide variety of interesting and stimulating activities across all areas of learning and as a result, they make good progress. They learn the skills needed to enable them to move on to their next stage in learning and their eventual move into school. They independently select resources and activities as they move freely from the indoor to the outdoor learning environment.

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who attend

Staff work very closely with parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and with those who speak English as an additional language. Individual educational plans are shared and reviewed regularly and staff prioritise supporting communication and language skills in all children. Pictures, gestures and signs are used to accompany language to help children to communicate and understand the routine. Staff work closely with other professionals involved with the children and share ideas. For example, they make special resource boxes to extend their language further as they explore the items and encourage children to follow simple instructions as they put items in and take them out. Children have many opportunities to develop early writing skills as they make patterns in the sand, on the sheds with wet paint brushes, with chalks on the ground, as well as on paper. Some older children recognise their names as they use name

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who attend

cards to self-register and attempt to copy letters in their names onto their pictures and paintings.

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who attend

Children delight in water play and are able to use it in a variety of ways. They have three water trays at different levels and with different resources. For example, children use their imaginations as they catch the play fish with the lobster and hide smaller fish from the shark. They enjoy pouring cups of water down the guttering watching it flow back and forth as it makes its way down and they fill the sink in the role-play kitchen as they wash up play plates and cups. There are plans to extend this interest further with two days devoted to water play where parents are informed to bring changes of clothes.

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who attend

Children learn about the world around them as they visit places in the community, such as the local nature reserve where they look for insects and identify them on a picture fact sheet. They explore natural resources, such as bark, stones and shells and use a magnifying glass to observe items more closely. Children are becoming skilled climbers and balance on the large pirate ship as they help their friends to climb up. They negotiate their way around the equipment and other children, as they scoot around on ride-on toys. They cooperate with each other as staff support them to build a den and they confidently move the resources from one area to another to enrich their play. For example, they use the dry rice and pasta from the exploration tray to mix with water and to make play food for their friends as they set up home in the den.

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who attend

Children enjoy singing and share traditional rhymes in their home language and favourite songs from home with adapted words to encourage them to be part of the group. They enjoy making their own music and rhythms as they beat a range of drums and tambourines and make their own tunes on a xylophone.

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who attend

Staff have high expectations of children and make regular observations of their play. Assessment is recorded termly. However, the manager and deputy carry out the planning with input from some staff only. Consequently, not all staff are fully involved in contributing their knowledge of children's achievements to the planning process, to ensure it rigorously and consistently meets the needs of individual children.

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who attend

Staff fully understand the benefits of working closely with parents and therefore encourage them to be involved with their child's learning in the pre-school. Children's records are shared with parents every term and meetings take place to discuss the child's progress and their next steps in their development. Parents are also invited to messy play and sports sessions to provide further opportunities for them to get involved and to see what their child enjoys at pre-school.

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

The welcoming and friendly environment supports the children's emotional well-being. They are happy, confident and settle well. Staff take time to get to know the children and their families and some parents bring photographs from home of their child with family members and special toys, to share with their key person. This helps ensure transitions from home to the pre-school are as seamless as possible. Recently introduced paperwork supports parental involvement as well as helping staff to find out more about the children's interests and abilities before they start. This enables them to plan for children right from the first day. The younger children have their own room where they feel safe and secure and often cuddle up with staff as they share stories and quiet times. They are supported well when they move up to the older room. For example, they have opportunities to play in the pre-school room when they come through daily to share the

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

outdoor area. They have organised visits with their key person just before they start to ensure they are confident with the change.

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

Children are making friendships with their peers and learn to negotiate and cooperate as they take turns with the equipment and learn to share. For example, they take turns and monitor their time on the computer as they independently set the sand timer and switch the computer off when their turn has ended and the timer has finished. Children are encouraged to treat each other with respect and to be kind. Staff use age-appropriate explanations to support the children to manage their own behaviour and they learn to keep themselves safe as they learn about road safety. The staff take advantage of the relatively quiet area outside the building and use the zebra crossings to help children to use it safely. Police officers come to talk about the importance of car seats and appropriate seat belts and children learn about fire safety as they talk to fire safety officers, look at and climb in the fire engine and take part in fire drills.

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

Children learn to keep themselves healthy through everyday routines as they wash their hands before snack. They are involved in the decisions about which fruit to have for snack as they are all asked to bring in a piece of fruit to share. Staff are aware of the children's allergies and food intolerances and ensure that parents' preferences are respected and children's individual dietary needs are met.

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provision

The manager and staff are dedicated, motivated and work hard to ensure they meet all the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have a good understanding of how children learn and as a result, support them to make good progress in their learning and development. The staff provide a stimulating, inviting learning environment both indoors and out where children can freely explore and access the toys and equipment independently.

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provision

All staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from abuse and neglect. They receive up-to-date training in safeguarding and robust policies and procedures support their practice and are shared with parents. The premises are safe and secure. The building has other users, therefore, clear procedures are in place and adhered to by all to ensure unauthorised persons cannot gain access and children cannot leave unattended. Full risk assessments take place regularly and daily checks ensure that the premises and equipment are safe and hazards are minimised. The staff work with high adult to child ratios to ensure that children can play indoors or out and are supervised at all times.

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provision

The manager effectively monitors the provision and staff and parents are involved in the self-evaluation process. Previous recommendations have been addressed. Staff are encouraged to evaluate the activities, to reflect on their practice and there are clear targets for improvement. Staff are keen to develop their knowledge and skills further and are supported to access a range of training to benefit the children. Parents are involved in the recent review of the session times. The majority of parents are pleased with the new times which enable them to have all day provision if needed.

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provision

Parents are very happy with the care and education that the pre-school provides for their children. They speak highly of the staff and find them friendly, approachable and are pleased with the progress their children are making. Staff work closely with other agencies that are involved with the children, for example, speech and language professionals and other early years settings they attend. This close partnership provides a consistent approach for children to ensure that they make the best progress possible. Close links are built with local schools. For example, pre-school staff attend visits with the children, share books about their new school and have items of school uniform for the children to look at or try on. These links effectively support children to make smooth transitions.

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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 EY272636 Local authority Essex Inspection number 903375

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 37 Number of children on roll 89 Name of provider Tendring Adult Community College Date of previous inspection 09/05/2011 Telephone number 01255 556208

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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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