Acornwood Pre-School

Acornwood Pre-School 8 Southwood Village Centre, Links Way, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 0NA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/09/2013 28/02/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children enjoy a range of activities in both the indoor and outside learning environments.  Staff closely supervise children and support their care and learning needs appropriately.  Staff work in partnership with external agencies to support children's specific needs.

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It is not yet good because

 The arrangements for monitoring staff performance are not fully effective in helping drive improvement in the quality of the pre-school provision.  The pre-school does not provide good support for children who are learning to speak English as an additional language, to fully promote their inclusion.  Although staff assess children's learning and development, they do not closely monitor the progress children are making to identify any gaps in the learning provision.

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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 children's play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and manager undertook a joint observation of a teaching activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, planning documentation, the self-evaluation form and a selection of policies, children's records and staff suitability records.  The inspector took account of the views of a parent spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Acornwood Pre-School registered in 1987. It operates from the local Southwood Community Centre, in Farnborough, Hampshire. The pre-school has the use of the main hall, with two smaller rooms and an enclosed outdoor patio area. The pre-school serves children from the local community. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school is open on Monday to Thursday from 9am to 12 noon during term time.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 18 children on roll in the early years age range. Children do not normally attend before the age of two years and nine months. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. The pre-school supports children who learn English as an additional language, and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school employs five members of staff. Of these, three hold National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 3, one is undertaking NVQ training at level 3 and the other is unqualified.

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must:

 improve systems for performance management of all staff, including managers, to support, coach and train them and foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement

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must:

 improve the support given to children whose home language is not English to ensure they have sufficient opportunities to use their home language in play and learning.

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

 strengthen the systems used to assess children's learning and development, to more clearly monitor the progress they make across the areas of learning.

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who attend

There is a calm and relaxed atmosphere at the pre-school and children are mostly happy and busy. Any new children or those who find it difficult to settle at the beginning of a new term are supported by staff who are kind and caring. Children are provided with a range of familiar activities and resources, some of which are available every day. Most children confidently make choices and quickly get involved in their play. They enjoy painting the outside wall with water, laughing with staff as they talk about how much mess their parent has made painting at home. The children develop their physical skills as they carefully paint around the windowsill or edge of the door. Most children develop their language skills well as they chat with their friends about what they are doing or talk with staff about the shapes and sizes of the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle. Staff provide some support for children learning English as an additional language and have asked parents for

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who attend

some words in children's home languages. However, they have not learnt how to pronounce the words themselves so are unable to communicate with the children in their main language, to encourage children to use their home language in their play and learning. As a consequence, if these particular children are upset and taking time to settle, although the staff are kind and supportive, they are unable to communicate, reassure and fully support them.

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who attend

Educational programmes are satisfactory and cover all areas of learning. A new planning system is currently being implemented and staff provide a continuous curriculum of activities in various areas of the pre-school. Children are able to move freely between inside and outdoors and also enjoy using the large hall for more active play. Staff deploy themselves well and move around the environment to provide support wherever it is needed. They often sit and read stories or complete games and puzzles with the children if requested to. Staff know most of the children well and are able to interact and stimulate learning by asking questions and encouraging children's thinking. During activities, staff make observations and assessments of each child's stage of development and set clear next steps to enable progress to be made. Although children do not start at the setting until they are at least two years and nine months of age, staff are aware that they may

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who attend

need to complete a progress check for some children as required in the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. They do not, however, track the progress children make to identify any gaps in their development to ensure that each child is developing well in all areas of learning.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are secure and parents are encouraged to be involved in their children's learning. Their opinions are respected and they are encouraged to join in activities and fundraising events or to sit on the committee. Notice boards provide a wide range of information and regular newsletters keeps parents up to date with all aspects of the pre-school. The pre-school operates an open door policy and parents can come in to the setting at any time and talk to staff about their children or look at the learning journals. Staff work with parents to support children who have particular needs and liaise with other agencies, such as speech therapists, if required.

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

All children move around the different areas within the pre-school with confidence. Most settle well and those who find this more difficult are looked after by attentive and caring staff. A clear key person system ensures that these staff know the children and are able to give sound attention to their individual needs. A range of age-appropriate resources are provided within each area of the pre-school and children confidently help themselves to anything which interests them. Equipment and play materials are within easy reach of the children and they are able to initiate their own play and learning.

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

Many children are confident and developing their independence. They are learning to tidy up after using certain toys and know where resources belong. Older children are developing independence skills which will smooth their move to school such as tending to their own personal care needs or sitting and eating their packed lunch with the other children. Many are confident to talk to adults and their friends. Children talk with staff about healthy eating or how they must clean their teeth before bedtime. They learn to keep themselves safe as they carefully ride the scooters or bicycles in the hall. Some children even bring their own helmets and talk about making sure they do not get hurt. Staff remind children about moving carefully around the environment so as not to bump into other children.

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

Children behave well and staff calmly remind children about what is acceptable and what is not so they understand boundaries. Strategies for individual children are developed and shared with parents if required. Staff organise themselves well so that someone is always available to provide support for children's care needs, such as taking them to the toilet or supervising lunch times. Older children are already learning that they must take turns and some are able to negotiate between themselves. Most children make choices during free play time and confidently ask staff if there are resources or materials they wish to use. Staff accommodate these requests and allow the children to manage their own play and learning. Children bring their own meals and snacks and staff work with parents to ensure that the food is healthy. All children enjoy this social occasion as they talk with staff and their friends. New children are supported by staff until they are confident with the

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding and protecting children are sound. Staff understand their responsibilities to meet the requirements and to safeguard children. The pre-school has clear policies and procedures in place, which are all available for parents to see and these include procedures for child protection. This keeps them informed about how staff are protecting children or managing other safeguarding issues within the pre-school. The manager takes the lead responsibility for safeguarding children and is well qualified to do so. She ensures that staff are appropriately vetted and suitably qualified to work with children. Most staff have completed safeguarding training and understand their responsibilities. In addition, they have completed first aid training and keep records of any accidents, injuries or risks to children, as part of their ongoing safeguarding measures to protect children's welfare. The manager, supervisor and staff at the pre-school have a

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provision

secure understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. They provide children with a range of interesting activities.

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provision

Self-evaluation is sound and identifies some areas for improvement. Staff have planned for improvements to certain aspects of the pre-school and some changes have been made since the last inspection. The manager carries out appraisals for staff and encourages them to take up further training opportunities. However, the pre-school does not use performance management effectively to identify clear targets for all staff to drive continuous improvement in their skills, knowledge and practice. They also do not assess the impact any changes have on the children's outcomes to make sure they are improving.

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provision

Staff work reasonably well with parents, other agencies and their local authority to support all children. Parents receive a range of information about the pre-school's practice and their children's learning and development. They have access to a wide range of information on notice boards and via newsletters and are able to talk to staff at any time. Links are made with other settings children attend and information shared to support their learning and development.

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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 109949 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 926471 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 18 Name of provider Acornwood Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 28/02/2011 Telephone number 01252 512430

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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

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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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