Horam Community Pre-School

Horam Community Pre-School Horam Village Hall, Horam, East Sussex, TN21 0JE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/10/2013 14/03/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Staff create a strong learning environment where children are independent, active learners.  Children have mature language skills and enjoy sharing their ideas, thoughts and experiences.  The committee, manager and staff work very effectively together when taking action to address issues that have arisen, such as actions from previous inspections.  Children's critical thinking and problem-solving skills are very well fostered by staff who consistently use open questions to prompt children's thinking.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not consistently plan for more challenging activities to fully engage children's investigatory skills.

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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 at play in the playroom and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed safeguarding and other management issues with the manager and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and manager observed activities and discussed how they are evaluated.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation.

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Information about the setting

Horam Community Pre-School is a committee run group. It first opened in 1977 and is situated in Horam, East Sussex. The pre-school operates from two rooms within Horam village hall; children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open from 9.30am each weekday with differing finish times; Monday 1.15pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 3.30pm and Friday 12.30pm, term time only. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. Children attend either on a part-time or full-time basis. There are currently has 23 children on roll. The pre-school supports children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. There are six members of staff, including the manager. All staff hold relevant National Vocational Qualifications at level 3 and the manager has a relevant level 4 qualification.

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

 enrich the provision for children's investigatory play by adding challenging activities, such as woodwork or early science.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They provide a broad and balanced curriculum which includes all areas of learning. They prioritise children's interests in their planning and maximise children's opportunities to be independent. This means that children are active, independent learners. Staff also regularly review children's next steps so that planning can reflect their immediate learning needs. As a result children make good progress given their starting points and capabilities.

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who attend

Staff have good teaching skills. They consistently talk to children using open questions and statements which encourage children's critical thinking skills and problem-solving. For example, children building simple aeroplanes notice that the items they are using don't quite fit together. Staff ask 'what could you do that would help it to fit?' and children devise their own solutions. Children are confident to attempt new skills and staff give very well-judged support to make sure the child is doing as much as they can while also being successful. This gives children the skills to 'have a go', which is one of the characteristics of effective learning. Children have mature language skills and express themselves very well. They share their ideas in group times and when playing with their friends. For example, children who are working together to tidy the farm toys exclaim 'it looks like a mountain!' as they lay the 'grass cloth' over the top of the box. Children acquire a wide

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who attend

vocabulary because staff extend conversations and give lots of information. Children develop their mathematical skills very well. When a child makes their own dice out of construction blocks, he makes sure that the shape is a proper cube and carefully counts the stickers to ensure he has the spots in the right places. Staff build on this by using the dice in a board game. Children count as they play and are skilled at making things the right size in their art work. For example, children making pictures with tissue paper closely observe the size and shape of paper they will need before they tear off the right size. Children enjoy exploratory learning and staff are skilled at responding. For example, staff use the computer to find a picture of a London landmark, when a child is curious about what it looks like. However, staff do not consistently challenge children's investigatory skills with more challenging activities such as woodwork or early science activities.

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who attend

Staff work very effectively with parents to gather information on children's starting points. Staff note key words in children's home languages where appropriate and closely observe children in their first six sessions. This helps staff to establish children's next steps and begins the cycle of observation and reviews. Staff make a summary review of children's learning each term and this is shared with parents to plan children's next stage of learning. The key person carries out the progress check at age two to identify children's development in the prime areas of learning. Staff track children's learning against the expected levels of development so that they can identify any achievement gaps and address them. This means that children make strong progress in their learning.

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

Staff have a very effective key person system. They get to know each child as an individual and understand their personalities and learning styles. Staff work with parents to settle the children in so that children are confident and secure. Children have their own drawer and a simple uniform which creates a strong sense of belonging. The independence that children enjoy in the pre-school gives them a good sense of ownership. Staff have created a learning environment which is strongly rooted in children's interests. The resources are of good quality and are skilfully organised to maximise children's choices. Children can create their own challenges and have time and space to develop and extend their play. Staff have established a routine which also maximises children's choices as they have a lot of time for free play n addition to group and circle times. The outdoor learning environment is thoughtfully arranged to cover all areas of learning and can be

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

Children learn about healthy lifestyles in very effective ways. Children enjoy healthy snacks and include their own produce, such as tomatoes and herbs, in a variety of cooking activities. Parents provide packed lunches and staff give helpful suggestions for healthy lunch boxes. Children know what foods are healthy as they chat with staff and each other while eating. Mealtimes are sociable occasions and children take responsibility for clearing their plates and cups. Children adopt good hygiene habits. They know to wash their hands after messy activities or using the toilets, and they also wash before eating. Children have good self-care skills and manage their coats and shoes with staff on hand to help where appropriate. Children enjoy a wide variety of activities to support their physical development. They use ride-on toys, climbing frames and hoops. Children also play running games such as 'Mr Wolf'. Children carry chairs very carefully and understand how

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

to manage it safely by walking slowly and holding the chairs correctly. Children develop a strong sense of safety because staff clearly explain their reasons, and ask children to consider consequences.

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

Children are very well-behaved. Staff are skilled at teaching children the skills of negotiation and cooperation so that children can sort out their own disputes fairly. Staff treat children very thoughtfully and with great empathy and understanding. Children are polite and treat each other with respect. They invite their friends to play with them and enjoy strong friendships. Children are persistent when trying new skills such as a construction activity, and resilient when playing games. For example, they are not disappointed if they have to go down a snake when playing snakes and ladders, as they understand that the game can change quickly. Overall, this means that children acquire good skills which prepare them for their future learning.

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provision

The managers and staff have a good understanding of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Since their last inspection, they have all renewed their child protection training and made it mandatory for committee members to have child protection training as well. Managers have liaised effectively with the Local Children's Safeguarding Board to refine their procedures and ensure they are working together consistently. This means that all those involved in the pre-school have a good understanding of their duties in promoting children's safety, and are taking effective action where appropriate. All staff and committee members undergo checks to establish their suitability to work with children and the manager monitors the process so that checks are carried out in a timely manner. The manager has established a well-qualified and experienced team who understand how to meet the learning and development

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provision

requirements. They work together in all aspects of the pre-school and meet regularly in supervision and team meetings to refine and enhance their provision. For example, now they are taking children from their second birthday, they devised strategies to adapt their routine and teaching methods. In this way, they ensure that the younger children are well settled and able to meet expectations. The manager monitors the tracking documents and learning journals so that she can quickly address achievement gaps or any areas for improvement in the curriculum. In this way she can be confident that children are making good progress. Parents complete an annual questionnaire to ascertain their views which also helps the evaluative process and enables staff to meet their needs as families. This means that the pre-school makes good continuous improvement.

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provision

Parents are very appreciative of the standards the pre-school has achieved. Staff share a diary with parents which details the child's activities and achievements at pre-school and at home. Parents attend termly meetings with their child's key person to discuss how children are developing and establish children's next steps. Parents value staff's support on issues such as potty training and they devise shared strategies to help the child be successful. Parents can be on the management committee and help in the group, giving them good opportunities to be fully involved. This builds a very effective partnership which meets the children's individual needs. Staff have build strong and effective relationships with schools which helps children to make the move into reception class very smoothly. Where children attend multiple settings, the key person liaises with them to share information and ideas. For example, the shared diary includes information from other

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provision

settings. Staff also work with other professionals who work with the family such as the local Children's Centre. This supports the child's consistent care.

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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 109443 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 939290 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 23 Name of provider Horam Community Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 14/03/2013 Telephone number 01435 812192

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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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