St Paulinus Pre-school

St Paulinus Pre-school St Paulinus Church Hall, Manor Road, Crayford, Kent, DA1 4EP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/09/2013 12/09/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 enjoy their time at the pre-school and develop key social skills, such as sharing and turn taking with support from the friendly, supportive staff team.  The manager and the staff team create a warm, welcoming environment where children settle and engage themselves in a wide range of activities.  A well established key person system enables children to form close attachments and promotes their well-being.  Staff gather extensive information from parents and use this effectively to identify children's starting points. Parents are kept well informed about their child's progress and as a result are actively involved in their child's learning.  Safeguarding is a high priority and the staff team's secure understanding of how to maintain children's safety supports children's well-being effectively.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although some strong relationships are established with a few other settings, this is not always the case to provide a smooth move onto school for all children.Generally, staff promote all areas of learning well, indoors and outside. However, there are fewer opportunities for children to experience the natural world regularly.  Generally, staff promote all areas of learning well, indoors and outside. However, there are fewer opportunities for children to experience the natural world regularly.

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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 sampled a range of documentation including child and staff records, accident and medication forms and evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed issues regarding the provision throughout the inspection with the manager and senior members of the staff team.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a tour of the premises and carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with a number of parents to gain their views on the quality of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the children during activities, and their interactions with staff.

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Information about the setting

St. Paulinus Pre-school has been established since 1965. It is managed by a parent committee and has recently changed the management structure within the running of the pre-school. It operates from a church hall in Crayford, Kent. Children play in a spacious hall with adjoining toilet, changing area and wash facilities. Children have direct access to an enclosed outside play area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 43 children on roll. Children attend a variety of sessions. The pre- school offers two daily sessions from 9am until 12pm and from 1pm until 4pm, or children can attend for the whole day. The pre-school operates during term time only. The pre- school supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who have English as an additional language. There are eleven staff who work with the children, including lunch time staff. Of these, 8 are qualified to National

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Information about the setting

Vocational Qualification at level 3 and four hold the level 4 qualification. The manager is currently working to level 5. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. It receives support from the local borough.

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

 continue to strengthen systems to develop links with all other providers to provide continuity in children's learning and development.

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who attend

The pre-school staff demonstrate a good understanding of how children learn and develop and how they can support this through their interactions and the activities. They promote children's child initiated play extremely well and believe that using their interests really supports children's progress and development. For example, one child's interest in superheroes is used to extend mathematical skills and introduce simple addition and subtraction. Each child has a key person, who is responsible for closely monitoring the individual progress of a small group of children. There is a lovely, busy atmosphere in the pre-school. Staff interact well with the children and engage them in play activities, supporting and enhancing their learning.

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who attend

Children are encouraged to choose what they would like to play with from the wide variety of resources and activities available. These are stored at low level which encourages self- choice and decision making skills from an early age. Staff support young children extensively in the three prime areas of learning, which provides them with a firm foundation for further learning in the four specific areas. Children make good progress because of the effective way the staff team use observation and assessments to plan for children's individual development, in line with the early learning goals. Staff are on hand to encourage and support children during activities and this enhances their learning as they introduce different concepts to them. For example, one child enjoys playing with the large animals and a member of staff sits on the floor with the child. They talk about the colours of the animal, the noise the animal makes and staff point out some characteristics

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who attend

of the animal, such as its different coloured stripes. Another child enjoys a shape puzzle and is able to identify some of the shape names. A member of staff supports a child in identifying some different shapes during an adult-led art activity. The child paints a picture and excitedly points out that he can see a triangle. Staff praise the child's observation and discuss other shapes the child is making with his brush, as well as the different colours he is making. These activities extend the children's vocabulary and communication skills, as new language is introduced and open-ended discussion is encouraged and supported by the staff.

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who attend

Staff provide valuable support for children's communication and language. 'Chat and mat' sessions during the pre-school daily routine enable children to exchange ideas and talk about things that they have enjoyed at home over the summer or at the pre-school. The new arrival system involves children going to their team table, where their key person and other staff members from their team are ready to greet them. Staff engage children in activities, introducing new children to a range of different resources set out on the table. They introduce new vocabulary as they support children to complete puzzles, to thread beads or enjoy construction activities. Staff use the 'every child a talker' programme to develop children's language and communication skills. A variety of specific resources are used, together with the general toys and activities, to enhance children's listening, speaking and understanding.

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who attend

A broad range of activities in both the indoor and outdoor environments, such as drawing, painting and chalking, effectively support children's early writing development. Staff actively support children's attempts at early writing through praise and encouragement. They encourage simple counting skills during play activities using children's individual interests to extend these aspects. For example, in the outdoor area children enjoy seeing how many 'scoots' it will take them to travel across the outdoor area. A member of staff discusses how it may take the children more scoots than she does because she is taller and her legs are longer. Children enjoy free flow play between the indoor and outdoor areas and planning for the outdoor area is generally very good, with most areas of learning supported well. However, regular opportunities and activities to develop children's understanding of the natural world are not always available.

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who attend

Children's progress and development is closely monitored through the observation and assessment systems. As a result, all children are making good progress. This includes those children with English as an additional language or behavioural concerns, as staff identify any gaps and take steps to address these. The key person system helps to ensure staff use their knowledge of their key children effectively to enhance each child's learning at a level appropriate to their stage of development and their interests. The pre-school has revised their observation and assessment systems recently to help ensure they can track children's progress thoroughly. Information gained from the key person, through planned narrative and incidental observations, is used to identify the next steps in children's learning and further enhance their learning and development. Parents are actively involved in their child's learning, sharing information about their current interests and their

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who attend

learning. The staff team has successfully implementedthe progress check for children between two and three years and shares these with their parents. This supports parents to be actively involved in their child's learning and further targets are agreed to plan for each child's ongoing progress and development.

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

Children are extremely happy and secure within the setting, separating from their parents well and forming close bonds with the staff team. The well established key person system supports children to develop secure emotional attachments. Each key person is based in a team and has two buddy members of staff who they work alongside, which further enhances children's confidence and self-esteem. Parents comment that their children settled so well at the pre-school due to the highly effective settling-in procedures. One parent comments 'generations of my family have attended this pre-schoolbecause their settling in systems are excellent'. The initial settling in period is flexible and totally dependent on children's individual needs. Staff are extremely kind and nurturing in their approach and this promotes children's feelings of security and belonging. Staff work closely with parents at the start of their child's placement to find out all about the child's

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

care needs, daily routines, interests and current stage of development. 'All about me' forms are completed with parents and staff use this information to form the initial plans for children's learning and development.

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

Children learn about good hygiene as they wash their hands routinely. Nappy changing procedures are hygienic and made enjoyable by staff. All children are checked regularly to ensure that they remain clean and dry at all times. A new toileting and potty change sheet has been introduced. As a result, accurate information is exchanged with parents regarding their child's personal care needs. Older children are supported to be independent as they manage their own care needs. Step-up stools are in place to encourage them to use the toilet independently and to wash their own hands thoroughly after toileting and prior to eating. Healthy eating is promoted well within the setting. Children learn from an early age to be independent as they serve their own food and choose and pour their own drinks. Staff enable even the youngest children to participate in pouring their own drinks by using small jugs with a small amount of milk or water and

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

are on hand to support their independence.

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

Children are well behaved in the pre-school. They learn about boundaries within the pre- school, as staff have good systems and strategies in place for managing unwanted behaviour. Staff support the children to follow consistent rules to ensure their ongoing safety and to develop their social skills. For example, children are reminded to walk within the indoor environment, to keep themselves and others safe. Staff use praise and encouragement well to promote children's self-esteem and to encourage positive behaviour. The pre-school supports children to build positive relationships with their peers and develop a positive self-esteem, which staff foster by promoting respect and kindness towards each other. For example, an adult-led activity is planned to encourage children to enhance relationships with their peers, especially to build relationships with new children attending the setting. The pre-school places a high emphasis on the children's personal,

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

social and emotional development. A joint observation with the manager of a painting activity clearly supports the related learning intention and promotes children's social skills.

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

Physical activities are fully promoted in the indoor and outdoor areas. For example, a range of outdoor equipment, such as climbing apparatus, scooters and tricycles enhance the development of children's larger muscles. Planned music and movement activities encourage children to use different parts of their body during action songs.

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provision

The staff team demonstrate a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they have concerns about a child. Since the last inspection, all of the staff team have completed safeguarding training and regular discussions during staff meetings consolidate their understanding further. An extensive safeguarding policy, including procedures regarding allegations against staff and restricting the use of mobile phones, is in place to help ensure children are protected. There are rigorous recruitment and induction procedures in place and all staff have undergone the necessary suitability background checks. Students on work experience are thoroughly supervised and demonstrate a clear understanding of the boundaries within the pre-school with regard to their role.

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provision

Staff deployment is excellent and this, together with the high staff to child ratios, helps to ensure that children are well supervised at all times, both indoors and outside. All accidents are comprehensively recorded and are closely monitored by the manager to ensure that any necessary further action is taken to minimise any ongoing hazards. The majority of the staff team hold a valid paediatric first aid qualification, enabling them to treat children's minor injuries and illnesses, should the need arise.

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provision

The manager has a clear understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early years Foundation Stage. She demonstrates a highly committed approach to meet all the requirements and a strong drive towards ongoing improvement of the pre-school. Evaluation is an integral part of the pre-schools' capacity to improve and involves staff, parents' and children's opinions. The manager is able to clearly identify the settings' strengths and areas for targeted improvement. The manager clearly values the commitment and input of the staff team, resulting in a happy, highly motivated pre-school team. Staff performance is managed in a number of ways to ensure the ongoing professional development and confidence of staff. For example, practice issues and regular evaluation of the setting are discussed at staff meetings. In addition, staff appraisals and supervision identify training needs and support staff's ongoing knowledge and

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provision

understanding. All staff complete frequent training in order to continue to develop their skills and knowledge. Recently staff have completed e-learning modules on the computer, enhancing their knowledge of health and hygiene.

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provision

The manager and staff team demonstrate a strong drive for improvement and continually assess the pre-school, looking for ways to enhance the quality of the provision. Self- evaluation is comprehensive. All of the actions and recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed and the staff team have introduced numerous new initiatives to further improve the pre-school. All of the necessary documentation for the safe and efficient management of the pre-school is in place and available for inspection. The manager has thoroughly assessed the educational programme to ensure that children's learning needs are effectively promoted through the daily routine and activities offered. Adult-led activities are planned to help ensure that any aspects that are identified as not being part of the daily routine are included in the curriculum. For example, the manager identified that children do not have the opportunity to use stairs as part of the

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provision

daily routine so regular activities, such as using the slide and climbing frame, are planned to encourage this skill. Staff have also liaised with parents and have asked them about their child's skills at using stairs. This partnership with parents supports children's developing skills and enables staff to encourage any emerging skills through activities within the pre-school.

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provision

Staff conduct extensive risk assessments on the premises to ensure that the indoor and outdoor environments, the equipment and resources are safe and suitable to be used. Risk assessments are reviewed comprehensively each September to ensure that any hazards are identified and action is taken to minimise these. Staff take into consideration the changing needs of the children attending and make changes to the planned activities and resources to ensure that they meet the ages and abilities of the children attending. As a result of the stringent risk assessments, arrival procedures have been changed to welcome families and help settle children. This changed procedure also ensures that no unauthorised people enter the setting and no child is able to leave the premises unsupervised. In addition, all visitors are required to show their identification upon arrival and are asked to sign in and out of the visitors' book. These procedures help to thoroughly

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provision

safeguard the welfare of the children attending.

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provision

The pre-school supports children's move onto school by completing a record of transfer, which is shared with their school with parental agreement. Since the last inspection, strong links have been formed with some of the local schools, although currently not all of the schools children will be attending, to help smooth the move on to their next stage of learning.

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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 115374 Local authority Bexley Inspection number 886994 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 43 Name of provider St Paulinus Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 12/09/2012 Telephone number 01322 522628

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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

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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