Little Sparkes Pre-School

Little Sparkes Pre-School Winchmore Hill Cricket Club, Firs Lane, LONDON, N21 3ER

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/10/2013 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 enjoy a choice of play activities. They often become absorbed in their exploration and learn to focus on their chosen tasks.  Staff are attentive to children's needs. They enhance children's play through their support and interaction.  Children are encouraged to adopt healthy eating habits at snack times. Parents contribute a wide variety of fruit and vegetables for children to eat.  The provider prioritises the partnership with parents. He listens to their views and takes these into account in his decision-making.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always focus closely on individual children's next steps when planning activities, which results in missed opportunities to challenge children in their learning.  Staff do not organise circle times sufficiently well to ensure that all children can be encouraged to participate and benefit from the learning experiences on offer.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children taking part in a variety of activities.  The inspector talked with members of staff and some parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled the pre-school's documentation, with a particular focus on documents relating to safeguarding and children's progress.  The inspector interviewed both the owner and the manager.

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Information about the setting

Little Sparkes Pre-School registered in 2013. It operates from a cricket club pavilion in Winchmore Hill in the London Borough of Enfield. The pre-school previously operated from other premises and has merged with an existing one on this site. Access to the pavilion is via a short flight of steps from the adjacent pathway. Children have the use of a large hall and a linked outdoor balcony. They also have the use of a large enclosed outdoor sports area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. It is open every weekday from 9.00am until 3.00pm during term-time. The pre-schools receive funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. Currently there are 48 children on roll in the early years. The pre-school employs five staff, four of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or difficulties and those who are learning English as an additional

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

 improve staff's ability to challenge children further in their learning by taking children's next steps into account more effectively when planning activities.

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

 review the organisation of circle times to enable all children to benefit from the learning experiences on offer.

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who attend

Staff meet the needs of all children effectively, overall. They provide a range of activities each day which encourage children to explore and discover new things. For example, children play imaginatively with small blocks, vehicles and figures. They explore creatively with paint, pens, paper and scissors. Staff engage children in conversation as they join them in play. In this way they encourage children to talk about what they are doing and to develop good communication skills. Older children are very talkative and enjoy taking part in conversations with others. For example, they are eager to talk about models they are making with modelling dough. When organising adult-led activities, such as vegetable printing, staff take the opportunity to point out new things to children. For example, showing them the ring patterns on onions or encouraging them to listen to the different sounds they can make on metal containers. This encourages children to use their senses

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who attend

Staff promote children's learning in the key areas of literacy, language and mathematics. For example, they share books with children, read stories and encourage children to count. Children learn about different shapes and how to write letters of the alphabet. Prior to children moving on to school, they are given their own workbooks to help develop these skills further on an individual basis. Staff record their observations of each child's development in every area of learning, noting some next steps to help children move on in their learning. They produce attractive learning profile books which show children's overall progress very clearly. However, they do not always use the next steps effectively in their planning, so that they can make the most of opportunities to focus on individual children and challenge them in their learning.

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who attend

Children benefit from a good choice of activities and this keeps them busy throughout the session. They particularly enjoy choosing from the creative materials, books and home corner equipment. They like to use the large physical equipment, which is set out in a safe area at the end of the hall. Some children return to it repeatedly and this allows them to play energetically before moving on to join a quieter activity. As a result children are better able to concentrate on their learning. Staff organise large circle times when children can participate in useful group activities. For example, children talk about what they have done during the session, sing songs and participate in action rhymes or games. However, staff do not always support the circle leader by encouraging all children to join the group, resulting in a few children sitting aside and others being distracted. Therefore not all children benefit from the experience on offer.

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who attend

The manager ensures that children have good opportunities to learn about different cultures and religions by celebrating festivals throughout the year. In addition to telling children about each festival, she displays information about the different festivals to encourage parents to become involved. Children take part in activities linked to the festivals and so learn more about diversity in a wider world.

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

Children develop self-confidence as they choose from the resources and activities on offer. They play happily in groups, for example, having fun together building towers and watching them collapse. Children develop close friendships and enjoy each other's company, for instance, they chat enthusiastically with each other while moulding and shaping modelling dough. They concentrate on their chosen tasks and are keen to try new activities. For example, when vegetables and paints are set out children are eager to have a go at making pictures. As a result, children are developing good attitudes to learning and these provide a strong foundation for future learning at school.

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

Children feel safe at pre-school because there are always adults nearby to whom they can turn if wanting reassurance. There are appropriate safety measures in place, for example, bolts have been placed on doors so that children are restricted to safe areas of the building. Children are encouraged to use the toilet area independently when needing to wash their hands but a member of staff is always on hand to offer help if required. Staff manage children's behaviour well. They remind children of the need to share when playing with others so that they learn to respect the needs of others. Children are praised when remembering to share fairly, or to take turns, and this boosts their self-esteem. When disputes occur staff take children aside to explain what is expected of them, so that they learn to negotiate rather than argue. This leads to a relaxed and calm atmosphere.

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

Children are able to play outdoors every day and benefit from being in the fresh air. They especially enjoy exploring different resources on the outdoor balcony, for example, banging metal objects to make sounds or creating patterns with chalks on chalk boards. Staff make good use of this small area to enable children to move in and out as they wish. Children are also taken each day to the large sports area where they have plenty of space to move about and develop physical skills, for example, when chasing, throwing and kicking balls.

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

Children develop a good attitude towards healthy eating. They especially enjoy snack times when they can try a range of different fresh fruits and vegetables. Staff sit with children to encourage them to help cut up the fruit and vegetables. In this way children are encouraged to be independent in meeting their own needs. Children like to try the different ones on offer each day and so develop new tastes. At lunchtimes they sit in small groups with their packed lunches, thereby gaining useful social skills.

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provision

The owner and manager work closely together on-site to manage the provision. Since opening the pre-school a month ago they have worked hard to build relationships between staff, children and parents. There are good procedures in place to promote the safeguarding of all children in the setting. The owner makes sure that all staff undergo the necessary checks to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. The owner has carried out a thorough risk assessment of the premises. Staff carry out daily safety checks to ensure that the play areas remain safe for children.

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provision

All staff are trained in safeguarding and know what to do if they have any concerns relating to child protection. Children are well supervised, especially when walking from the main building to the outdoor sports area. The manager ensures that staff are well deployed so that there is always an adult on duty on the outside balcony. Most staff are trained in first aid, which means that children can receive appropriate treatment in the event of an accident. Staff are attentive to matters of hygiene, ensuring that children become aware of the importance of good hygiene practices.

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provision

The manager is proactive in encouraging staff to regularly observe children's development and therefore has introduced a new system of observational assessment, which is designed to encourage more input from parents and to highlight children's next steps in learning. She is beginning to monitor staff's use of this system to ensure it is used consistently for all children. This helps to ensure that children's individual needs are met well and any gaps in achievement are addressed. As a result children with special educational needs, or learning English as an additional language, are making good progress given their starting points.

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provision

There are many notices and pictures on display around the setting, which help to inform parents about the provision. These include information about the pre-school's policies and procedures as well as details of the different learning areas and schemas. These help parents to become more involved in their children's learning and to support them at home. The manager is aware of the importance of working with other early years professionals so that children receive continuity of care and learning. She has developed close links with a local children's centre and makes use of written note books to liaise with other settings that children attend. Staff share children's learning profile books with parents at regular intervals so that parents are well informed about their children's progress and are able to add a written comment. Previous comments are very positive showing that parents are pleased with their children's progress.

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provision

The owner is very keen to establish good relationships with parents so that they can work in partnership with the pre-school. He personally welcomes parents and children to the setting every day. By standing outside the main entrance door he can ensure that children are always dropped off and collected safely. This also gives parents the opportunity to talk with him if they have a query or concern. In addition he offers more formal opportunities for parents to air their views so that he can take these into account when evaluating his provision. For example, he organised an open coffee morning to give parents an opportunity to discuss any concerns they had about the merging of the two pre-schools. Parents stated that they found this very useful and appreciated the opportunity to talk with the owner and manager. The owner plans to involve parents in other ways too, for example, by organising a charity lunch and garden party.

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provision

The manager leads the members of her staff team in a process of regular self-evaluation so that they continually develop and improve their practice. Staff have regular appraisals and are given many opportunities to attend further training. The setting also receives support from an early years advisor and her advice is taken into account by the owner and manager when discussing future plans. For example, they have focused recently on re- arranging the play environment so that it offers plenty of choice for children. They are excited about the prospects of being in new premises and making the most of the available play areas to promote children's learning and development to the best of their ability.

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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 EY468823 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 936860 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 48 Name of provider Fred Mustafa Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07956 420563

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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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