The Young Ones

The Young Ones Preston School, Monks Dale, YEOVIL, Somerset, BA21 3JD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/10/2013 01/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are happy and form positive interaction with the friendly staff, which contributes to them settling easily in their care.  Staff create a welcoming, attractive and inclusive play environment, which is organised well to promote children's interests in learning.  Children can easily access a wide range of toys and resources, which encourages their independent choices in play.  Staff form positive partnerships with parents, and their involvement in their child's learning is encouraged well.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not consistently extend activities to effectively build on children's existing skills.  The organisation of snack times does not fully support children's self-care and social skills to encourage their growing independence.  Staff do not consistently promote children's understanding of possible risks within their environment, which limits how they learn about safety.

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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 children's play activities indoors and outside.  The inspector had discussions with management, staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including operational policies and procedures, such as for use of mobile phones and behaviour management.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken with at the visit.  The inspector viewed a sample of children's learning journals.

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Information about the setting

The Young Ones registered as a privately owned group in December 2007 and previously functioned under a partnership since 1978. The group operates from a self-contained classroom situated in the grounds of Preston Comprehensive School in Yeovil, Somerset. Children have use of a main playroom and associated facilities. There is an enclosed grass area available for outside play.

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Information about the setting

The group is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is open from Monday to Friday, term time only, from 9.15am until 4pm, with out-of-school care offered from 3.15 until 6pm. There is also a play scheme operating Monday to Friday, from 8.am to 6pm, during the school holidays. The group is in receipt of funding to provide free, early education for children aged two, three and four-years. There are currently 120 children on roll, 29 of whom are in the early years age group. Children aged over eight years also attend the after school and holiday play scheme provision. The group support children who are learning English as an additional language. The owner/manager employs six staff, all of whom hold relevant qualifications in childcare and early years education.

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must:

 improve the challenges provided for children in their play to consistently build on their existing developmental skills, such as during larger group activities.

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must:

 improve the systems of monitoring the effectiveness of the agreed procedures for use of mobile phones on the premises.

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

 provide further opportunities for children to consistently develop their awareness of keeping themselves and others safe from harm

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

 maximise children's learning opportunities within everyday routines, such as snack times, to fully support the development of their self-care and social skills.

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who attend

Staff have a sound knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have reviewed their planning, observation and assessment systems and are now working to fully establish these in practice. Staff plan activities based on children's interest, which encourages their participation in play. For example, staff recognise children's fascination with insects as they find lots of wood lice under a log outside. They find a bug viewer and children are keen to look into this. Staff ask them how many legs the lice have and they count these together. Staff talk with children about a spider they found earlier and they remember it had a 'fat tummy'. This helps children develop their counting skills and share their understanding of the natural world. In addition, children start to gain a curiosity in play, which supports them becoming active learners. Staff plan activities for different areas of play to support children's next steps of

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who attend

learning. For instance, they create an obstacle course using a climbing frame, a slide and mats outside. They plan this to encourage children's understanding of going under, over and through the equipment. As a result, their communication, language and physical skills are promoted. Children also develop their understanding of mathematical concepts as they complete the course and learn to judge space, size and shape. Children spend time exploring the play dough and roll, squash and squeeze it. They say the dough is 'very sticky' and feels 'stretchy and squidgy', demonstrating their growing vocabulary. Staff ask children which of the dough balls they make is bigger and which is smaller. They help children to cut the dough into half and they count 'one, two' pieces. This effectively encourages children's language skills and their understanding of simple mathematical concepts within their play.

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who attend

Younger children settle easily and like to explore the play areas. They show interest in a favourite story book and look at the pictures. Older children chat happily to staff about the story they read to them. This actively encourages their enjoyment of books and stories. Staff plan activities to help continue developing children's literacy skills. For example, through painting and drawing activities and children begin to make recognisable shapes and letters. Staff plan activities for circle times that promote children's understanding of familiar letter sounds, such as the initial letter of their name. Staff then ask children to sound out the syllables of their name by banging in time to these on the drum. However, some children are able to do this easily and staff do not extend this activity to fully support the individual abilities of all the children. Consequently, not all children are sufficiently challenged within some activities, such as at larger group times. Staff interact

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who attend

well with children and support their ideas. For instance, they provide a big box for children to paint and also paper for them to stick onto the box. Children become absorbed in this activity and show pride in their achievement. Consequently, this supports their emotional needs and their imagination and creativity in play.

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who attend

Staff have implemented an appropriate system of completing the progress check for two- year-old children. They share their summary of children's achievements with their parents and identify ways to support their further development. Parents state that their child loves going to the play school and they think the staff are friendly and approachable. Staff encourage parents' involvement in their child's achievements through daily discussions on the activities and sharing their learning journals. This contributes to a consistent approach for children's development.

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

Staff and children develop very positive relationships. Children greet staff with delight and staff welcome each child and help them feel valued in their care. For example, staff make special books for them of photos of activities available. This helps all children make independent choices in their play and encourages their understanding and language skills. Staff display words in different languages and use simple signs and symbols to support communication. This actively promotes inclusion. Children play in a bright, inviting playroom, where they can easily access a range of toys and resource to support their ideas. Younger children find the toy cars and push these around the floor making engine noises. Older children like to sort out the pencils into their numbered pots. This effectively encourages children's early language and understanding of grouping, sorting and numbers. In addition, the role play area is regularly changed to meet children's interests.

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

For instance, they play happily in their doctors' surgery using the keyboard to book appointments for their patients.

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

Children are offered a varied provision of foods and several help to prepare their snacks. For example, children spread jam, marmite or honey on their toast. They sometimes have fruit or vegetables they help to grow from their vegetable patch. Staff also plan regular cooking sessions. For instance, children make bread, fish cakes or healthy snack pots. This effectively promotes children's awareness of nutritious foods that will help to keep them healthy. Children have opportunities to develop their independence as they are encouraged to pour their own drinks at snack time. Staff provide a more structured sit down meal for children one day of each week. However, the organisation of everyday snack times does not effectively support children's social skills. Children sit at the tables to eat their food, but most do so very quickly and they do not sit down to have their drinks. In addition, while younger children are given time to finish their snacks, they sometimes

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

leave the table and wander round eating their food. This does not support children well in developing an awareness of acceptable social boundaries.

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

Children have fun playing in the large, enclosed, grassy outside play area. They have plenty of room to run freely and enjoy playing hide and seek around the trees with their friends. Staff promote children's physical development through a variety of enjoyable play activities. For example, they encourage children to follow the actions of favourite songs and they start to roll their arms up and down or slowly and quickly. This helps children to develop an enjoyment of exercise and they start to also gain control of moving in different ways. Staff gently remind children to wear their helmets when riding their bikes and talk to them about walking indoors and not running. This helps children start to understand about some possible risks in their environment. However, at times, some children continue to climb up onto the bench area of the kitchen breakfast bar. Staff do not explain to children why they should sit down to eat their snacks and some do not always handle

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

scissors with sufficient care. Therefore, staff do not consistently support children in learning about ways in which they can keep themselves safe.

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

Children start to recognise why they need to wash their hands regularly as they know this will get rid of any germs. Staff talk to them about using clean knives to spread honey on their toast. However, staff do not consistently encourage all aspects of children's self-care skills, for instance to help them remember to wipe their noses. Staff act as positive role models and talk calmly to children. Most children sit and wait patiently for group sessions to start. Staff effectively encourage children to use good manners and they begin to naturally say 'please' and 'thank you'. For instance, children politely ask a visitor if they can get past them to reach a toy. As a result, children start to develop skills that will support them as they move onto school.

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provision

Staff have developed an appropriate understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They demonstrate a suitable awareness of how to safeguard and promote children's welfare. They are aware of safeguarding issues and procedures to follow should a concern arise. Any accidents or incidents are clearly recorded and monitored against the risk assessment systems in place. Suitable safety prevention is in place. For instance, visitors' attendance is recorded and the large, outside garden area is enclosed. This helps to minimise risks to children.

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provision

Clear policies are in place to support the efficient management of the setting. These include appropriate procedures for protecting children from the dangers of the sun and managing children's behaviour. Staff follow these appropriately in practice. For example, in the warmer weather, staff check with parents on arrival whether their child has sun cream on and encourage children to wear sun hats when playing outside. In addition, they provide more activities in the shaded outside area under the trees. This helps to prevent children playing in the sun for long periods and minimises the risk of sunburn. Staff manage children's behaviour appropriately and interact with them well. The settings' safeguarding policy covers the use of mobile phones in the setting. Staff know to store their mobile phones out of children's reach on a shelf in the play room. This means these are generally kept out of use during the session, although on occasion staff use their

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provision

phones with permission to receive important personal calls. Appropriate recruitment procedures are in place, and systems of supervision and appraisal are being established to promote and fully support staff development. This helps to assess staff suitability for their roles in caring for children.

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provision

Staff are qualified and continue to attend further training. For example, they have recently completed safeguarding and first aid training and some staff have also completed a sign language course. These courses help staff in protecting children's welfare and promoting inclusion. Staff work well together as a team and share responsibilities within the group. They are all involved in evaluating aspects of the provision and identifying areas to develop. Staff have reviewed the recommendations made at the last inspection. For instance, they have initiated systems of sharing information on children's development with other provisions they attend. This helps to promote continuity with children's learning. In addition, staff have implemented ways of sharing more information with parents on their child's developmental starting points. Consequently, staff have made positive improvements to support children's learning and development. Staff have

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provision

reviewed different ways of providing snack time, although the current system does not fully support children in developing their social skills.

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provision

Parents say they feel involved in their child's learning and are pleased with their progress. Staff liaise with parents on their children's specific needs, such as any dietary requirements and meet these appropriately. For example, they use a dairy free spread for all children to avoid any chance of using ingredients that children may be allergic to. This effectively promotes children's individual needs. Staff liaise with other providers that children attend to encourage ways of sharing information on their development. This helps to provide continuity in children's care and learning needs.

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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 EY365283 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 927516 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 120 Name of provider Jane Bowditch Date of previous inspection 01/06/2009 Telephone number 01935 433 365

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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

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’.

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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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