Tinky's Pre-School

Tinky's Pre-School Gatehouse Cp School, Secmaton Lane, DAWLISH, Devon, EX7 0LW

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/08/2013 11/06/2013

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 Staff provide a welcoming and stimulating environment where children learn through play and exploration.  Thoughtful organisation of the wide range of resources, both inside and out, means that children can follow their own interests.  Overall, clear assessment systems enable staff to monitor and plan well for children's good progress in their learning and development.  Effective partnerships with parents and other professionals result in staff meeting children's individual needs well.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff sometimes miss opportunities for promoting children's independence in practical skills at snack time.  The system for sharing information between staff about children's family backgrounds is not always consistent to fully promote children's understanding about people and communities.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's activities inside and outside.  The inspector spoke to staff and children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, which included children's progress records and checks for staff suitability.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took into account parents' views, obtained in person.

p.2

Information about the setting

Tinky's Pre-School registered in 2004 and is privately owned. It moved to new premises in 2010. The pre-school occupy a self-contained building on the school site with their own outside play area. It has sole use of the premises. The pre-school is open during term time only, from 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Children can attend for a session or the full day.

p.3

Information about the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 58 children on roll. The pre-school provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years. They support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. A team of seven staff are employed to work with the children, all of whom hold early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The manager holds a degree in Early Childhood Studies.

p.3

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

 review systems for sharing information between staff, to enable them to plan activities that acknowledge children's family backgrounds in order to help children to learn further about people and communities

p.3

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

 extend children's skills for the future by involving them more frequently in preparing their own food at snack time.

p.3

who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements and how children learn through play and exploration. They provide a welcoming and stimulating environment with a good range of play equipment and resources. Children can easily select activities according to their interests to extend their own play and learning. The free-flow system means that children can choose to play inside or out, which means they learn according to their individual preferences.

p.3

who attend

Overall, staff implement a clear assessment system to monitor and promote children's good progress in their overall development. Staff clearly link observations of children's play and achievements to stages of development, which includes parents' contributions about children's achievements at home. Staff use the information effectively to plan children's next steps. Staff use their observation of children's development needs to plan a range of adult-led activities in order to provide suitable challenges to encourage children's good progress. However, occasionally, the system does not always provide detailed information. For example, when a member of staff leaves and a new key person takes over, the information about family backgrounds is not always clearly available. Therefore, staff miss opportunities to plan activities that would promote children's understanding about people's differences and communities. Management and staff have a clear

p.3

who attend

understanding of their responsibilities in completing progress checks for children aged between two and three years.

p.4

who attend

Staff promote children's language well. They talk purposefully with the children during their activities to encourage them to think, recall and solve problems. For example, as children wait for their snack to be prepared, the member of staff engages them in conversation about fruit and vegetables. She asks them to work out how many cups are needed for the number of children at the table. Staff have implemented aspects of the local 'Talk Together' project, which has improved the physical environment to encourage children's listening and speaking skills. For example, they have provided quiet and inviting cosy corners for sharing books and stories. Staff use props and changes in voice tone to enhance story times, which helps gain and maintain children's interest and focus. Staff encourage parents to use the book borrowing facility to promote reading at home. This all helps children develop a keen interest in books and stories.

p.4

who attend

Children use their senses to explore a wide range of materials and media. For example, children like to investigate sand and water. Transferring water to and from various containers helps them to start to understand mathematical concepts, such as capacity. Staff make a wide range of materials readily available for children to express their creative ideas. Children use their imaginations well as they pretend to be in real life or imaginary situations. Staff provide a good range of resources in the role-play area for young children to act out what they know about their home lives. Themes, such as super heroes or pirates, provide a good base to encourage children's learning according to their interests. For example, older children have enjoyed making models and drawing maps linked to their imaginary scenario. Staff encourage children's curiosity in nature through activities such as growing fruit and vegetables. Children learn about changes in nature as they plant,

p.4

who attend

nurture and harvest the produce. Spontaneous events such as finding a caterpillar in the garden spark children's curiosity about living things. Staff extend children's thinking by asking open-ended questions, such as 'what do you think caterpillars eat?' They provide resources to encourage further investigation, which include pots and magnifiers.

p.4

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

Overall, staff get to know children well as individuals due to an effective key person system. They seek information from parents when children start at the pre-school, which enables them to meet children's needs well. When children are new to the setting, staff offer reassurance and cuddles to help children feel secure. They identify activities that spark children's interest to help them settle. Once children are established, they are keen to attend and develop confidence in making choices. Staff use puppets, dolls and stories to help children learn to manage their feelings and develop confidence. This helps children to make good relationships. Staff provide a soft toy (Tinky Bear) for children to take home and care for. They are keen to tell their friends about what they did, which helps develop their confidence in talking in small groups. Children behave well. They learn what staff expect of them through familiar routines and clear explanations. Staff regularly praise

p.4

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

children's efforts and achievements, which helps boost their self-esteem. Children learn about how to stay safe as staff teach them safe ways to move around and how to use equipment. They practise safe routines when they are out walking near roads and develop their understanding further through role play.

p.5

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

Children practise good routines for personal hygiene and they start to use toilet and hand washing facilities independently. Children choose from healthy options at snack times, such as fresh fruit and vegetables. However, staff sometimes miss opportunities for children to extend their practical skills in preparing their own food and pouring drinks. This means they are not consistently increasing independence skills that will be useful as they move on to school. Children have daily fresh air and exercise. Staff provide a good range of resources that promote their physical development, such as climbing frames, wheeled vehicles and large construction materials.

p.5

provision

Management and staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Clear recruitment procedures mean that staff are checked for their suitability to work with children, and any person who has not been vetted is constantly supervised. Staff have a good understanding of how to protect children from harm. This includes recognising signs and symptoms that would cause concern, and knowing the procedures to follow. Staff record children's existing injuries as routine. They keep their knowledge about child protection issues up to date through training and regular discussions. The provider reviews and updates policies regularly so that reference material is current. The provider completes detailed risk assessments so that they provide a safe environment for children to play.

p.5

provision

Staff establish positive partnerships with parents. They provide good information for parents about the setting through displays, newsletters, emails and a social internet page. This means that policies and procedures are easily accessible to parents, including how complaints are managed. Staff seek information from parents about their child's interests to use in their assessment of children's progress. Staff make themselves available to exchange information verbally with parents on a daily basis. They provide daily written information via a whiteboard, about children's activities, with ideas for extending these at home. Parents say that the communication is good between parents, staff and outside agencies to provide good support to meet individual needs. They say that their children are happy at the pre-school and that the staff are friendly and approachable. Effective partnerships with other early years professionals and outside agencies contribute to all

p.5

provision

children being fully included and making good progress from their starting points. There are clear systems for monitoring staff effectiveness. Regular appraisals and management observations help ensure staff's ongoing suitability and identify any training needs. Overall, management has a clear overview of the assessment of children's progress, which helps to identify gaps in children's learning. The pre-school has successfully addressed the actions and recommendations set at the last inspection, which has improved aspects of children's learning and enjoyment. Self-evaluation includes the views of staff, children, parents and early years advisors, which helps identify clear areas for development and continues to enhance children's learning experiences.

p.5

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number EY412281 Local authority Devon Inspection number 931386

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 58 Name of provider Patricia Ham Date of previous inspection 11/06/2013 Telephone number 01626 865381 or 07752438796

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10