Nether Heyford Pre-School

Nether Heyford Pre-School Church Rooms, Church Lane, Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, NN7 3LQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/09/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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's experiences and play opportunities have been increased since the pre-school moved to its new premises. Their artwork is valued, it is displayed in the hall and focussed planning has extended their outdoor play.  There is a very strong partnership with the local school. They get together for a range of events throughout the year. This ensures that children become familiar with the school, which helps them to have a successful move when the time comes.  Children benefit from the positive involvement in their play from the dedicated staff team, who are very well supported by the committee and administrative staff.  Children enjoy the wide range of outside activities the staff plan for them everyday. They use local facilities, such as the park and the school's outdoor classroom. The pre- school has its own allotment where the children go to dig and grow vegetables.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is mostly good partnership working with children's parents. However, the information gathered from them does not always include sufficient detail about children's learning and development and is not used consistently to inform the planning of activities.  The opportunities for children to learn about the world, particularly in technology, have not been fully maximised to ensure there are always sufficient resources available for each child to participate in these activities.

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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 the playroom and joined the pre-school children and the staff on a walk.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and with one member of staff.  The inspector spoke with the children throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability of staff working with the children and looked at the provider's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of a number of parents, who were spoken to on the day of inspection.

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Information about the setting

Nether Heyford Pre-School is an established provision that moved to new premises in 2013. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the Church Rooms in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire and is managed by a committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 3, 4 and 5. The pre-school opens on Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am to 3pm. It offers a breakfast club and after school club Monday to Friday during term time from 7.30am to 8.45am and from 3.15pm to 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 18 children attending, who are in the early years age group. 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:

 extend the partnership working with all parents particularly in relation to children's learning and development, for example, by seeking further information from home about children's interests and consistently using this to inform the planning for individual children

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

 expand the opportunities for children to explore technology, for example, by always providing sufficient resources, such as, torches, tools and programmable toys to extend their interest in and awareness of the world.

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who attend

Children are provided with a good range of activities that cover the seven areas of learning. They are confident to choose what they want to do and they are keen to try out everything that is on offer. Staff sit with the children during their activities. The interaction they provide actively supports children's learning because they talk to them, showing a genuine interest in what they are doing. They join in with the activity in a sensitive way, supporting children to lead. For example, children, who choose to explore the pasta shapes with large tweezers are encouraged to try to pick up the pieces following a demonstration by the member of staff. She reassures the child about how they are holding the tweezers and gives lots of praise when the child is successful in picking up the pasta shape. Children become excited to use the laptop computer, they crowd around, all eager to have their turn. This activity is well managed by a member of staff. He talks to the

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who attend

children about how to play the games that involve familiar characters and they show pleasure when they successfully complete the game. However, there is scope to extend the opportunities to explore technology through always providing sufficient resources because there are a significant number of children, who are very keen to be involved in this type of activity.

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who attend

Children are well prepared for an autumn walk. Staff talk to them as they get ready about what they think happens in the autumn and what they might find during the walk. Children look at a book about autumn and this is taken with them when they go out. Staff are enthusiastic about going outside and the children enjoy this shared attention because they speak excitedly when they arrive on the memorial green and begin to look for leaves and acorns on the grass. When the children return, they put the things they found to one side ready to look at as a group after lunch. Staff ensure they plan different outdoor activities each day for the children and they make good use of the local facilities in the village for promoting the benefits of fresh air and exercise for the children. Staff plan the activities on a daily basis. They are led by the children's interests and suggestions and they include activities to promote their individual next steps in learning. Each child's

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who attend

progress is monitored through observations and photographs. When children start attending, the staff make observations from the outset and along with basic information from parents, they are able to identify each child's starting points. Although, parents are involved through the key person seeking information on the registration forms about their routines and care needs, there is currently less information shared about their interests and progress at home. This information is not always consistently used to inform the planning of activities for each child. Children's progress books demonstrate how they are learning and the key person monitors this every three months and uses the information to identify relevant next steps.

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who attend

Children are very well prepared for their eventual move on to school. The pre-school staff have built very effective working partnerships with the local school that involves them getting together for seasonal events, such as, harvest festival, Christmas celebrations and the summer sports day. Staff from school are invited to visit the children at pre-school and the children are taken on visits to the school. Children regularly pass the school during their walks and they have use of the outdoor classroom. This close proximity supports a successful move for the children. When they start attending and ongoing, the children are well supported in their personal, social and emotional development. Staff allow them to settle in at their own rate and they are encouraged in a very positive way to share and to take turns. For example, a sand-timer is used to check each child has their turn using the laptop computer. Children, who are settled in are able to be independent in the pre-

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who attend

school. They use the bathroom themselves, pour their own drinks and serve themselves to fruit and yoghurts at snack time. Children quickly become familiar with the daily routines and they work very well together in their play. Parents whose children have recently started school, comment on how smoothly the move went because of how effectively their preparation was handled by the pre-school staff.

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

When children start attending, their settling-in is managed on an individual basis. Their parents stay with them at the beginning and gradually leave them for longer periods until they are completely settled. Staff work hard to support parents in this and they are skilled in distracting children with the fun activities. However, they will contact parents if children become distressed and cannot settle. Children, who are settled clearly demonstrate that they feel safe and secure at the pre-school. They are confident to choose their own activities and to move freely between them. Children thoroughly enjoy the activities that are supervised by the staff and regularly choose these rather than play on their own. They are confident to talk to the staff and to ask for items they want. Children are developing an awareness of how to manage their own safety because they have taken part in activities linked to risk assessment. The staff team are very sensitive to each child, they

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

know them all well and provide a good range of interesting things for them to do.

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

Parents are actively encouraged to come into the pre-school to see what their children have been doing and the staff make themselves available each day to provide feedback about how their child has been. Children behave very well. They are provided with resources and activities that are fun and offer suitable challenges for them and the staff are very keen to become involved with their play. This interest and involvement promotes strong relationships. Children respond to the staff when they talk about the expectations for behaviour. For example, when children go for walks, they know the importance of holding onto the rope and to listen to the staff when they are preparing to cross the road. Children are provided with a healthy and varied range of snacks. They sit together for snack time and are encouraged to talk to each other and the staff, which contributes to meal and snack times being social occasions. Children are learning to manage their own

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

personal hygiene. They wash their hands before eating, when they return from their walk and after using the toilet. Children, who require nappy changes are managed with dignity and privacy by the staff. The daily outside activities that are planned include walking and physical activities in the park or the adjacent meadow, which contributes to children's developing awareness of a healthy lifestyle. The pre-school's new premises are welcoming to the children, their artwork is displayed around the room and they are able to make independent choices about their activities because they can help themselves to play materials and art and craft items from low-level units.

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provision

The manager and staff team demonstrate a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. They are successful in meeting each child's needs and of promoting their individual progress through well-targeted next steps in learning. The planning is efficiently led by the children's interests and carefully monitored by the manager to ensure all aspects of the seven areas of learning are covered. The manager and staff team are well supported by the active committee and the administrator and this working together promotes a consistent approach for the children attending. The recent move to new premises has been successful and has enabled the pre-school to expand its services to the local community. The manager and staff team have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Effective procedures are in place for the recruitment of and to ensure the ongoing suitability of members of staff. Induction

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provision

procedures, ongoing one-to-one meetings and annual appraisals support the staff to keep their knowledge up to date because they attend training courses and they are encouraged to work towards professional qualifications. Children's safety is given high priority. Staff follow effective practices to ensure safety when on the walks and outings. For example, the children and staff wear high visibility waistcoats, the children all hold a rope when they are walking together as a large group, the staff take the pre-school telephone, a first aid kit and the register. Access to the premises is managed well. All parents, children and visitors are greeted on arrival and the main door is kept locked during the sessions.

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provision

The pre-school staff team have all been involved in the self-evaluation of their provision. They evaluate all their activities regularly to identify any areas that require adaptations, in order to continue to meet the needs of the children. This reflective approach has been enhanced since the change of premises and the team are willing to adapt and change their activity as required, in order to continue to provide a good service to the children attending. Well-targeted plans have been devised to continue to develop their practice. This reflective outlook and commitment to staff training demonstrates a good capacity for continuous improvement. Children's views about their pre-school are sought through discussion and the staff incorporate their ideas and interests into the planning, therefore, valuing their input. Parents report complimentary and positive comments about their child's experience at the pre-school and about how well the staff helped them to settle in

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provision

and their commitment to meeting their child's individual needs.

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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 EY450747 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 905138

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 18 Name of provider Nether Heyford Pre School Committee Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07984055828

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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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