Noak Bridge Pre-School

Noak Bridge Pre-School Noak Bridge Primary School, Coppice Lane, Basildon, Essex, SS15 4JS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/10/2013 26/09/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 are keen and active leaners because practitioners have a secure understanding of how to capture and follow their interests. Practitioners listen attentively to children and use their ideas and suggestions to plan challenging activities that are tailored to meet children's individual learning styles.  Children move confidently between the indoor and outdoor learning environments, which enables them to make choices and decisions about how and where they learn.  Effective and well-considered settling-in procedures ensure that children begin their pre-school life confident and comfortable in their surroundings. For the majority of children starting pre-school in September of each year, this process begins in the summer term with regular taster sessions, which parents and new children are encouraged to attend.  Children are consistently protected from harm during their pre-school life, as practitioners demonstrate good knowledge of safeguarding procedures. Practitioners'

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This provision is good

knowledge is regularly updated through appropriate training.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Sometimes, children's mealtimes are not consistently used as an opportunity to promote children's very good social development even further.  Opportunities for children to remain hydrated are not always fully promoted throughout the pre-school session, in order that their well-being is promoted even further.

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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 and play in the pre-school room and garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with practitioners, children, the manager and the special educational needs coordinator at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of records, including children's details, information about children's learning and development, accident and medication records, risk assessments, written policies, proof of practitioners' qualifications, and the checks in place to assess practitioners' suitability.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to at the time of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Noak Bridge Pre-School was registered in 1994 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a demountable classroom within the Noak Bridge Primary School grounds in the Basildon area of Essex, and is managed by a committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from one room and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs nine members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday term time only, with a summer camp for two weeks during the school holidays. Sessions are from 7am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 64 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 review systems to ensure that mealtimes are treated as an opportunity to promote children's social development, and used to promote children's understanding of healthy eating

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

 evaluate the current system for ensuring that fresh drinking water is available at all times, to ensure that all children bring their own drinks, or are offered fresh drinking water throughout the pre-school day.

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who attend

Children are busy, active and fully engaged during their pre-school day. Practitioners understand that children learn through play and provide a wide range of different opportunities to enable them to progress across all seven areas of learning. Accurate assessments of children's progress and achievements are made by their individual key persons, who clearly understand the children in their groups. Observations are effectively used to assess children's stages of development and to identify their next steps in learning. Effective communication between key persons and parents ensures that both parties remain well informed of any changes in the children's lives. The pre-school is experienced at supporting a wide range of children with varying needs. Appropriate interventions are sought to ensure all children, including those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make

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who attend

Practitioners demonstrate a skilful knowledge of how to extend children's thinking through clear language and appropriate questions. They listen carefully to children and use appropriate forms of sign language to help children with limited speech to communicate. Children develop effective handwriting skills as they freely access a good selection of materials for making marks. Children are beginning to form recognisable letters and numbers in their emergent writing. Some children are linking sounds to letters and recognising the letter at the beginning of their name.

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who attend

Children enthusiastically participate in singing activities, choosing a visual image of particular songs from the 'choosing box'. Once practitioners have finished this activity, the box is used by individual children, who mimic the activity, pretending that they are the practitioner and encouraging their imaginary children to sing along with them. Practitioners effectively follow play such as this, by observing and deciding at what point they should or maybe should not intervene. Practitioners recognise that children have different learning styles. They know that many of their children enjoy transporting resources from one area to another and interpreting their use to suit their game. This play is encouraged by practitioners asking children to tell them about their game. Children are encouraged to develop essential skills to help them to deal with the transitions in their life. For example, they begin to learn about 'big school' routines through carefully planned

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

Children are settled and comfortable in their pre-school environment. The effective systems used during the settling-in period, which lasts for a couple of months, ensure that children feel safe, secure and confident when left. Parents play a very active role during the settling-in period, accompanying their children to regular taster sessions to help them to acclimatise to the surroundings and people. This process helps children to form very close and caring relationships with their key persons and other adults. Children behave well and demonstrate a clear understanding of the pre-school's boundaries and rules, as practitioners gently remind them. For example, practitioners give children a five minute warning when the routine is about to change. Practitioners act as very good role models, speaking to each other and to children in a calm and relaxed voice. They encourage children to be kind and caring towards each other.

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

The pre-school environment is stimulating, colourful and well organised. Children move confidently from the pre-school room to the outside area. The environment is rich in print indoors and outdoors, with a number of visual cues to help children to communicate their needs. Children are encouraged to assess safety, for example, when climbing on the climbing frame and when walking along balancing beams. Children develop knowledge that fresh air and exercise are good for them as practitioners actively encourage outdoor play throughout the year. Everyday activities and routines help children to learn about keeping healthy. For example, they know that it is important to wash their hands after using the toilet and before sitting down to eat their meals and snacks. Children make choices about when to enjoy their snack as practitioners offer the snack table throughout the session. Children are encouraged to enjoy fresh fruit and

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

vegetables, as well as savoury snacks, during this time. Some children attend the pre- school over the lunchtime period for the 'lunch club'. Children bring a packed lunch and sit with their friends. While this time of the day provides opportunities for children to eat their meal, it is not always successfully used as an opportunity to promote children's social development. Practitioners do not always sit down with the children, and the organisation of the tables means that a large number of children sit together. This occasionally creates a busy and hectic time with younger children repeatedly getting up from the table and moving towards the toys. Systems in place for ensuring that children are well hydrated are also not always consistent. Most parents bring a bottle or cup of juice or water for their child. Practitioners provide a jug of water and cups during snack time. However, once this is cleared away, the setting relies on children independently accessing their cups to remain

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

hydrated. This system is sometimes not as well monitored as possible to ensure that all children know where their drinks are and can freely access them to promote their health to the maximum.

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

Children's self-esteem and confidence are positively promoted by practitioners using praise and encouragement. Children develop a good sense of belonging and talk confidently about 'their' pre-school and what they like to do there. They state that they like 'painting, playing in the garden and building things'. The wide range of resources and adult-led activities help to prepare children for their next stages of learning. For example, they go for regular walks in the local area, enabling them to develop social skills when meeting new people and participating in new experiences.

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provision

The pre-school is run by an effective committee who oversee the operational systems. A manager and two deputies work alongside the team of professionals, ensuring that children gain the greatest benefits from their pre-school experiences.

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provision

This inspection was generated following a notification from the pre-school committee about an accident to a child at the setting. The pre-school committee and practitioners met immediately after the incident and reviewed all of the procedures followed at the time, which included notifying parents. An audit of practitioners' first aid knowledge was conducted to ensure they were prepared for dealing with all kinds of accidents. Following this meeting, some procedures were tightened and, although all practitioners hold current first aid qualifications, it was felt that some further first aid advice could be beneficial and was sought.

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provision

Practitioners demonstrate a secure knowledge of how children learn. Key persons know that children in their groups well and recognise their individual learning styles. This enables practitioners to provide children with interesting resources and activities that are tailored to meet their individual requirements. The manager works alongside her team of practitioners and has a group of key children herself. This helps her to monitor the educational programme and to be involved in planning meetings. She evaluates the effectiveness of the key persons' observations and identification of children's next steps in learning by regularly looking through their development records. Practitioners meet regularly to discuss individual children's learning and to plan appropriate and stimulating experiences. Effective monitoring of the provision enables the manager to identify any gaps in children's learning. With parental permission, the team seek appropriate

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provision

interventions to help to reduce these gaps.

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provision

Children are effectively protected from harm during their pre-school life as practitioners are knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures. They regularly update their safeguarding knowledge and discuss current guidance during team meetings. All adults working with children are vetted, and proof of the checks used to assess their suitability is available on site. The committee has effective procedures in place for the recruitment of new practitioners, which includes a well-considered induction programme. Daily safety checks carried out by practitioners, before the children arrive, ensure that the pre-school building and outdoor area remain safe and secure.

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provision

The pre-school manager, committee and team of practitioners are firmly committed to driving improvements within the pre-school. A system of reflective practice enables the practitioners to review and evaluate the pre-school session. They consider how well children benefit from the range of resources and activities offered. Regular supervision meetings enable the manager to oversee practitioners' working practices and to discuss any issues or concerns. An effective programme of professional development provides good opportunities for practitioners to update their childcare knowledge. It also helps practitioners to feel valued members of the pre-school workforce.

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provision

The pre-school has effective partnerships with parents. All parents consulted at the time of the inspection expressed very high praise for the pre-school. Many felt that their children were making good progress because of the experiences they were enjoying during their pre-school day. Some chose the pre-school because they had heard about its good reputation, and others felt that practitioners were very approachable and professional. The pre-school has well-established links with the school on whose site it is situated, and works closely with other local schools during the transition period when children move from pre-school to big school. They actively encourage all reception class teachers to visit the children during their pre-school session in preparation for this huge transition in their life. The key persons work closely with other early years settings, when children attend more than one provision. They share important information about children's progress to

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provision

complement the learning that takes place in both settings.

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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 203900 Local authority Essex Inspection number 936069

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 64 Name of provider Noak Bridge Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 26/09/2008 Telephone number 07887 971325

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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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