Downside Pre-School

Downside Children's Pre-School Chaul End Lane, LUTON, Bedfordshire, LU4 8EZ

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/09/2013 20/11/2008

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 The pre-school staff plan a broad educational programme, which meets the needs of all children. Good quality toys and resources support children's developing skills. The bright, child centred environment supports children's play and learning to a good level.  Children develop strong bonds with their key person. Children move around the pre- school with confidence, they are happy and secure in their play.  The leadership and management of the pre-school is strong. The well-qualified staff team work extremely well together. Staff are supported through regular team meetings, this enables them to meet the children's learning and welfare needs effectively.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally, observations and assessments for the younger children are not always consistently linked to the prime areas of learning, in order to show their very good progress.

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

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children playing in all areas of the pre-school and the outside play area. She talked to the children to find out what they enjoyed doing.  The inspector observed children at snack time and in key group activities.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of documents for the welfare of the children and management of the pre-school.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents and staff about the children's care, development and daily routines.

p.2

Information about the setting

Downside Children's Pre-School is privately owned and opened in 2003. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre- school is situated in the grounds of Downside School, in the Challney area of Luton. It is a sister site to nearby Chaul End Children's Centre Nursery, which provides full day care. Children are accommodated in an open plan building with three areas for designated play. There is an enclosed area for outside play. Children come from the immediate and surrounding areas and attend for a variety of sessions.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 8.45am until 11.45pm and 12.30pm until 3.30pm term time only. There are currently 98 children on roll in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early years education for three- and four-year-old children. The pre-school supports children who speak English as an additional language.

p.3

Information about the setting

The owner is the registered provider and manager of the pre-school. She is qualified to degree level. The nursery employs nine staff to work with the children, all hold early years qualifications to level 3. One member of staff has Early Years Professional Status and two hold early years degrees. The pre-school is supported by the local authority Early Years Development Team and they are a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

p.3

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

 ensure observations and assessments are always consistently linked with the prime areas of learning for the younger children in the pre-school to focus on skills they need to move them towards excellence in their development and learning.

p.3

who attend

Children are happy and settled as the pre-school is thoughtfully laid out to meet the developing needs of the children who attend. The staff team plan a broad educational programme; the pre-school uses the local authority early years audit to review the documents, which show they plan effectively to meet the developing needs of the all children. Observations show all children take part in a wide range of play and learning experiences, which are based on their ages and stages of development. The key worker system is very effective. Staff know their children extremely well, they gain vital information from the home visit and from discussion with parents as the children come into the setting. Parents are encouraged to share in their children's learning as they have regular discussions with staff. They are encouraged to talk about activities and events from home to enable the pre-school to consistently support children's developing interests.

p.3

who attend

Information about children's starting points is gathered through the 'All about me' form. This is used as the basis for planning to ensure that their individual learning needs are appropriately met. However, sometimes the very good observations and assessments for the younger children are not consistently linked to the prime areas of learning. This means children's progress is not always fully focused on the skills they need to develop and learn effectively.

p.4

who attend

The outside play area provides interesting and challenging play opportunities. Staff interact and play with the children to extend their play ideas. Staff sit with the children around the sand pit. They support the children's imaginative play talking to the children about the scent of the mint and chive leaves that the children add to the sand in their buckets as they pretend to cook. Children express themselves clearly, sharing events and activities they enjoy at home, they stir their dinner and talk about adding spices and vegetables.

p.4

who attend

Children have many, varied learning experiences as the pre-school is exceptionally well resourced. Children are keen and competent learners. They enjoy being part of a planned, group activity; they respond well to the staff who invite them to join in their key group story time. Two rooms within the nursery are permanently set up as libraries, providing comfortable and quiet areas for children to start to look at books on their own. There is an excellent selection of books around the pre-school. Children's understanding of stories are extremely well supported with story sacks and boxes. These contain puppets, fabrics, small people, animals and laminated cards that are used extend the stories with great detail. Children are encouraged to use the toys to join in re-enacting the story. Children have opportunities to handle the character toys so they become involved and engrossed in the story line. Children's imaginative and creative play is supported in all areas of the pre-

p.4

who attend

school. One small room is set up to promote home play. Children use the area throughout the session, making good use of the opportunity to re-enact cooking, making tea and looking after the dolls. Children enjoy playing with the excellent range of small home making toys and equipment, which reflects on their experiences at home.

p.4

who attend

Younger children, those new to the pre-school and those with English as an additional language or who need additional support in developing their language skills are supported well. Children's use and understanding of English is further supported as the staff use small recording devices acquired when they took part in the 'Every Child a Talker' course. Children are encouraged to record words and phrases both in their own language and English, these recordings are taken home to be shared with the children's families to support them in promoting children's language skills. The pre-school have received recognition with an award by the local authority for supporting language and communication in the community as they provide a friendly and enabling service for families. Staff promote early communication skills with the use of Makaton sign language. There are clear picture signs around the play rooms that are used to show where different

p.4

who attend

toys and resources belong. Children enjoy a range of well-planned play and learning experiences. These support and extend all areas of learning. Children are making good progress and are keen to take part in new experiences; they are developing the skills which will enable them to make consistent progress in their future learning.

p.4

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

All children and especially those new to the pre-school build strong links with their key person, other children and the whole staff team. Through discussion with families at the home visit and a comprehensive settling-in process, staff meet the children's individual needs to a good level. Parents are welcome to stay at the pre-school as part of the settling in process until their children are confident in being left. This promotes children's sense of belonging and helps them to feel secure. Consequently, children behave well; they are cooperative, they are learning to take turns and share through well-managed activities and very good support from staff. Children are keen and helpful. Good behaviour is promoted as staff are good role models, they thank children for their help and remind them to say 'please' and 'thank you', especially at snack times.

p.5

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

Children learn about their own safety in the nursery through every day routines. They help to put toys away with gentle reminders from staff to look where they are going as they move around the pre-school rooms. Staff ask appropriate questions and make the children think about what they are trying to do. Children are beginning to understand how their actions affect other children playing nearby. Children are beginning to learn about keeping themselves safe during activities. They enjoy using the low level climbing blocks, steps and slide. They are supported by staff who ask them to think about what they are doing as they climb and manoeuvre themselves carefully to sit at the top of the slide. They talk to children about how to make sure their shoes are done up and not to tread on their dresses as they use the play equipment.

p.5

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

Children learn about a healthy lifestyle through daily routines. Snack time is a social event. At the beginning of term children are learning to sit as a small group, to select fruit and to show good manners. Some children are competent in serving and pouring their own drinks and are encouraged by staff, who show them how to hold the jug and pour into their cup. As children become more experienced they make more choices about what they would like and start to cut and serve fruit and snack food. Children are encouraged to use the cloakrooms independently. Staff talk to the children to support them in managing their own personal care. There are appropriate routines in place to support children who need extra help in using the cloakrooms or who are still in nappies and these support their privacy.

p.5

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

The nursery provides children with a wide range of social experiences that support their well-being to a good level. These opportunities enable children to move onto other early years nursery and school settings with confidence.

p.5

provision

The registered provider has high expectations for the quality of care and learning provided at the pre-school. She provides clear leadership and works hard to support the staff team through effective supervision and training opportunities. A regular review of general practice and documents ensures that all the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are met to a good standard.

p.6

provision

The registered provider and her deputy take overall responsibly for safeguarding issues. The pre-school is one of the local authority Safeguarding Champions. They have submitted their policies and procedures to ensure the systems they have in place protect children and meet the Local Safeguarding Children Board remit. A robust recruitment process, staff appraisals, compulsory safeguarding training and discussions at team meetings further develops their understanding and, therefore, promotes children's safety. Documents to manage the welfare and safety of the children are effective, so clear records of any complaints, incidents and personal care issues are maintained. Effective risk assessments monitor hygiene and the children's safety within the nursery and on outings.

p.6

provision

All staff are committed to continually improving their skills through regular training opportunities provided by the local authority early years team. There is a very effective evaluation process in place, which enables the pre-school staff to identify areas of practice which work well and aspects to be further developed. The use of a log book to reflect and improve the different areas of the pre-school is effective. The staff team have recently reviewed the reception and outside play area. This has improved access and information for parents and provided a vibrant and interesting play experience for the children.

p.6

provision

The nursery has developed excellent relationships with parents. Staff welcome them as they come into the nursery to collect their children and they are told about their children's experiences at nursery that day. Parents have confidence in the staff, they chat and share events from home on a regular basis. Families new to the nursery are offered a home visit. This gives them the opportunity to talk about their children's likes and needs and to find out about some of the nursery routines before starting. Parents are kept fully involved in activities at the local children's centre. The pre-school organises play sessions for dads and a stay and playgroup at the linked nursery. Families are supported well, which enables them to have confidence in their skills to extend their own children's learning through play.

p.6

provision

There are strong links with other agencies, such as the children's centre services at the nearby day care nursery. The pre-school works very closely with other professionals to support children with additional needs and their families. There are well established links with local schools, nurseries and pre-schools. The pre-school works with other settings whenever possible to support children's continued learning.

p.6

provision

The management and key persons have a, generally, good overview of the curriculum and the progress the children are making. Effective monitoring and the use of the local authority progress tracking system ensures that all children receive a broad learning experience, which promotes their progress towards the early learning goals. The nursery has an effective process to evaluate and review their practice, taking into account the views of staff, parents and children. This information is used effectively to identify areas of practice that work well and aspects to be developed.

p.6

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

p.7

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.8

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.8

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.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY271008 Local authority Luton Inspection number 935129

p.9

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 75 Number of children on roll 98 Name of provider Shagufta Anwar Date of previous inspection 20/11/2008 Telephone number 01582 591 780

p.9

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.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.9

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.9

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.10

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.10

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.11

Type of provision

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

p.11