Buttons And Bows Pre-School

Buttons And Bows Pre-School Sawtry Infant School, Middlefield Road, SAWTRY, PE28 5SH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/09/2013 21/05/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Staff plan exciting experiences and activities that successfully promotes children's learning and development. Consequently, all children make excellent progress considering their starting points.  Partnerships with other professionals and the school are exceptional. This means that there is a coordinated approach to meeting individual learning and care needs.  The management of the pre-school is inspirational. A passion and enthusiasm is disseminated to all staff and as a result, everyone strives to continually improve their skills and knowledge to benefit every child in their care.  The key person system is outstanding. Strong partnerships are built even before children start at the pre-school, ensuring that staff and parents are fully informed about routines and individual needs of children. Consequently, children quickly settle and demonstrate exceptional confidence and sense of security in their surroundings.

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This provision is outstanding

 Children delight in chatting to school friends and siblings over the garden fence. This promotes excellent personal, social and emotional development for all 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 all areas of the pre-school and the outside spaces.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and spoke with children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and manager took part in a joint observation.  The inspector took the views of parents and carers into account.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journals, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

Buttons and Bows Pre-School is run by a voluntary management committee of parents and was registered again in 2011 when it re-located to its current premises. It operates from a purpose-built building in the grounds of Sawtry Infant School, Sawtry, Cambridgeshire. The pre-school serves the local area and has strong links with the school on which it is sited. It is accessible to all children and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm, with the option within this of full or half day sessions. There are currently 26 children on roll who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

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Information about the setting

The setting employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, the manager holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 6 and seven members of staff hold childcare qualifications at level 3 or above. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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

 extend children's learning even further in the outdoor space. For example, by reviewing the already excellent plans and developing staff's expertise to enable them to further develop this area.

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who attend

Staff are highly motivated, have an excellent understanding of how children learn through play and show a genuine interest in each and every child in their care. They provide stimulating experiences and as a result, children arrive at the pre-school eager and ready to play and learn. Children demonstrate great concentration skills as they pretend to play shops. They gather toy cars in their shopping baskets and delight as their friends call 'next please' and scan their purchases through a small till. Staff skilfully intervene at appropriate moments and encourage children to both count, and sort their chosen articles according to colour. This extends children's mathematical development exceptionally well and their enjoyment is evident as they happily repeat the activity independently. Staff play alongside children and promote their communication development well. Staff skills and additional training is used purposefully as they listen carefully to children's

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who attend

discussions, repeat unfamiliar words and encourage children's own attempts at pronunciation. Children beam with delight as staff exclaim, 'good talking' and praise their efforts. In this way, children are developing excellent skills in relation to their starting points and are becoming confident talkers who can express their ideas, wants and needs exceptionally well. Staff plan for a good balance of child initiated and adult-led learning opportunities. Small group activities are used effectively to introduce young children to letters and sounds. Led skilfully by staff, children quickly learn alphabet songs and actions. This forms the basis of their literacy development and together with frequent opportunities to practise early writing and plenty of examples of meaningful text in the environment, means that they are developing skills needed for future learning, including school. Staff select interesting stories to read to children, encouraging them to contribute and express

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who attend

their excitement as the tale unfolds. This helps to develop children's interest in reading as a pastime and their understanding that the written words carries meaning.

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who attend

Outstanding observation and assessment procedures are fully embedded in practice. Staff frequently note what children are doing or saying and map how they are exploring their environment. Their assessments of children's development are accurate and plans for next steps in learning ensure excellent progress towards children's learning goals. Staff value their partnerships with parents highly and this is indeed, one of the exceptional qualities seen at the pre-school. Parents contribute to initial assessments and are continually informed about their children's progress during daily discussions, meetings and written reports. Innovative activities such as Saturday play sessions and training opportunities for parents, ensure they are confident to support their children's learning at home. Equally, staff are responsive to parents ideas of how to help promote development in the pre- school.

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

Sited within the grounds of the school, the pre-school offers a highly stimulating environment that enhances children's sense of wellbeing and successfully promotes learning and development. However, staff aspire to even greater improvements to their outside spaces and together with specialised training for forest type activities, hope to improve children's knowledge and achievement even further. Children benefit from being able to watch and chat with friends and siblings as they play in adjoining playgrounds. This familiarity helps immensely when children eventually move on to school and complements the organised visits and activities that are planned by staff. Children demonstrate an excellent sense of security and confidence as they move freely around, select their own playthings and happily approach staff if they need reassurance or support. These high levels of self-esteem are promoted by the outstanding key person

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

system and strong partnerships that are quickly formed with parents. Key staff are well- informed about children's care needs and take great pride in building trusting relationships with each child. Staff act as excellent role models for children and offer consistent and timely support to encourage children's positive behaviour. They remain extremely vigilant to children's safety at all times and help children to learn about keeping themselves and others safe as they play. Children's independence is promoted fully and this is evident as children put on their own painting aprons, shoes and wash their hands. Staff understand that children are naturally curious and active learners and take full advantage of free flow opportunities to their own outside space and also frequently extend children's experiences into the school playground and local park. Here they ride bikes, push buggy's, run, play with balls and generally have great fun. In this way, children are learning the importance

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

of physical exercise as a way to keep healthy while also taking risks in their play. Staff further children's learning in regard to healthy diets by providing fresh fruits and savoury snacks which children independently help themselves to. Staff also offer help to parents to ensure that children's lunch boxes only contain nutritious foods and this again helps children make excellent, healthy preferences.

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provision

The manager demonstrates an outstanding understanding of her responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and is a true inspiration to staff, committee and parents alike. Excellent self-evaluation procedures are fully embedded in practice, resulting in, action plans targeted to enhance children's experiences and learning even further. Monitoring of both educational programmes and children's progress is robust and this means that children requiring support are identified quickly. The outstanding partnerships with other professionals, outside agencies and especially the school, are utilised fully to ensure children receive the support they need. Consequently, children make excellent progress considering their starting points.

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provision

Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding procedures. They are all fully trained to identify and report concerns they may have about children in their care. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures support staff well and mean children are as safe as possible at pre-school. Recruitment procedures are thorough and include background checks and a rigorous induction programme. Professional management systems are second to none with supervision, appraisals and peer observations all ensuring staff remain suitable for their role and any underperformance soon identified. Staff take every opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge and attend training sessions regularly. This means children benefit from their growing skills and current childcare practice.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are excellent and valued highly by staff. Parents offer high praise for the staff and especially appreciate how approachable and keen they are to listen to queries and have children's best interests at heart. Patents notice how children quickly learn new skills such as counting, and how excited they are when they know that they are going to pre-school. All in all, the pre-school provides an excellent start to children's education, where they are able to flourish, while making friends and having fun.

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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 EY440993 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 932398

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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 26 Name of provider Button & Bows Committee Date of previous inspection 21/05/2012 Telephone number 01487830678

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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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