Beenham Pre-School

Beenham Pre-School Community Room, Beenham Primary School, Beenham, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 5NN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/11/2013 14/09/2009

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Children are happy and settled at pre-school and make friends. They behave very well.  Staff have a secure understanding of children's starting points, interests and backgrounds. Therefore they are able to plan for them effectively and as a result, overall, children make good progress.  The pre-school has effective partnerships with parents.

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It is not yet good because

 The pre-school building is secure inside to prevent children leaving the premises. However, other people can enter the building from the outside, through the front door, without authorisation.  Children do not have readily available opportunities to engage in role-play activities every day to express their ideas and imagination.  Staff do not consistently provide all children with good opportunities to develop their social skills at snack times and their independence when getting ready for outside play.

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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 in their play and in their interactions with staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled the pre-school's documentation and children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector invited staff to conduct a joint observation and spoke to staff about how they promote the 'Every Child a Talker' initiative.  The inspector engaged in discussion with staff, children and parents.  The inspector read and took into account the pre-school's self-evaluation form.

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Information about the setting

Beenham Pre-school registered in 1992 and is run by a voluntary committee made up of parents. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It was established in the 1970s and operates from the community room situated at Beenham Primary School, in a rural village, close to Reading in Berkshire. The pre-school is open during term time on Monday and Wednesday from 9am to 2.45pm and on Tuesday from 9am to 12.30pm. The pre-school does not open on a Thursday or Friday. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 16 children on roll aged from two and a half to five years. The pre- school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. Children attend from the local and surrounding areas. The pre- school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and is able to

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Information about the setting

support children who speak English as an additional language. There is disabled access to the provision. The pre-school employs three members of staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised persons entering the premises with particular reference to the front door of the premises.

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

 improve the range of resources and opportunities for children to engage in freely chosen role-play activities

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

 develop the systems to further promote children's social skills and independence with particular reference to snack times and preparing to go outdoors.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This enables them to plan and provide a good range of learning experiences for children. They have a good understanding of children's interests and capabilities and interact well with the children to extend their play and learning. For example, at group time children count how many of them are present and add one more as another child arrives, which develops their mathematical skills. Outdoors, children jump in puddles, and, with the staff's support measure the depth of each to determine which is deepest. Children look at the different leaves in the garden, as they learn why the leaves fall from trees and compare the changes in colour. In the sand pit children distinguish between the dry and wet sand and find out which is easiest to make sandcastles with as they play. Such activities develop the children's problem-solving skills.

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who attend

Children are eager to take part in their activities. The pre-school staff offer a broad range of learning resources and activities that span all seven areas of learning. Children freely choose what they want to do. They construct or paint. Some children are confident in using the laptop with educational programmes to extend their understanding of technology. Children enjoy parachute games, which promotes their relationships with each other, as well as their physical skills. Children listen intently to a story that the staff member adapts to capture children's attention further. Overall, children are making good progress in their communication and language, supported effectively by the teaching skills of staff who follow the 'Every Child a Talker' programme. However, there are fewer opportunities for children to communicate in role-play activities, either inside or outdoors, to develop their imaginative play and to express their ideas. Overall, children engage well

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who attend

with one another and politely listen to what others have to say.

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who attend

Staff compile detailed learning journals of children's achievements. Staff use photographs to complement the observations in these journals to show children's participation and play experiences. Staff use extensive reports and a tracking system to assess children's progress each term and share this information with parents so they are involved in their children's early education. Staff have a clear understanding of the progress children make and they are able to plan effectively for their emerging interests. Therefore, children are making secure progress overall.

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

Children are happy at the pre-school. They make friends easily and treat one another with respect. Overall children settle well because staff are warm, friendly and approachable. This helps children to feel safe, content and emotionally secure. Children are very well behaved. They understand their routines and are happy to help with minor responsibilities. For example, staff make tidy up time fun and therefore children are happy to oblige in helping with this task.

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

Children are developing a sense of independence. For example, they make choices about what they want to do or play with. Staff encourage children to change from shoes into their Wellington boots but they are not sufficiently organised so that children can do this indoors. This therefore results in a few children having wet socks or struggling to change into their boots even though there are some chairs to sit on outside. Children are supervised appropriately as they use the toilet independently and are reminded about the importance of washing their hands to support their health. Staff are proactive to talk to children about the temperature of the water and make assurances that the water is not too hot but it is wise to check. Children also benefit from other opportunities to learn about their own safety. For example, staff remind children about sitting down on chairs for tabletop activities and how to use resources, such as scissors in an appropriate and safe

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

Children have regular opportunities for outdoor play and consequently benefit from lots of fresh air and exercise. They enjoy healthy snacks provided by the pre-school. Staff interact well with the children to create learning opportunities as children enjoy their snack. However, there is a lack of planning and preparation by staff to ensure that snack time is a more sociable occasion. Consequently a few children have to wait for others to finish before they can eat. The pre-school also offers some lunchtime sessions and parents provide their own children's lunches. Staff are aware of children's dietary needs and any allergies through discussions with parents and adhere to these to protect children's well- being.

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provision

Staff at the pre-school demonstrate a sound understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, the pre-school has not informed Ofsted of the changes to the nominated person. This is an offence and breach of the requirements. It is a requirement to inform Ofsted of any significant event within 14 days. On this occasion Ofsted does not intend to take further action at this point. These breaches also apply to the Childcare Register. However, the impact of these breaches of requirements on children's welfare is low.

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provision

Staff complete risk assessments for the environment both indoors and outside. Daily checks also help staff to promote the safety of children. However, although staff have been proactive to secure the door of the pre-school building from the indoors in order to ensure that no child can leave unsupervised, the security system from the outside is not effective at all times. This means that visitors can enter the premises without staff's knowledge. This potentially places children at risk. This is a breach of the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This breach also applies to the Childcare Register. However, staff supervise children appropriately at all times. They monitor children going to the toilet area for example, which minimises this danger, as children are never left unattended.

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provision

Staff complete safeguarding training as part of their induction practice. They understand their responsibilities to safeguard the children they care for and the procedures to take should they have a concern about a child in their care. The pre-school implements its policies and procedures appropriately. They share these with parents so that they understand the procedures that support their children's well-being. There are plans to publish these shortly on the pre-school's website as part of their ongoing improvement. All staff hold current paediatric first aid qualifications to support their knowledge and help them tend to any minor accidents that may occur. Staff at the pre-school work well together as a team. Recruitment procedures sufficiently ensure that the adults working with children are suitable to do so. Staff receive appropriate supervision to promote their personal development and the outcomes for

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provision

children. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. They plan effectively to support children's learning through good quality teaching in all seven areas. Assessment of children's progress is good. This means staff can identify any gaps in children's development and make timely intervention to support their specific needs. Partnerships with other professionals are well established, for example with the local health visitor, which helps to support children's individual needs well. There are good partnerships with the feeder school and other local school. Therefore, children's transitions on to school are well supported.

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provision

Parents are, overall, positive about the care their children receive. They state that their children enjoy attending pre-school and acknowledge the feedback they receive on their children's achievements. The pre-school staff are effective in helping to promote home and pre-school learning. For example, they provide parents with reading books to share with their children to support early literacy skills. Parents attend regular key person meetings to work collaboratively for the benefit of their children. Staff offer guidance about helping children to extend and use their language skills and develop early communication. These partnerships support the systems in place to help children to move confidently on to school. The pre-school is confident to acknowledge the strengths of their provision, particularly in relation to children's learning and the partnerships with parents. They demonstrate their capacity in tackling and acting on identified weakness as areas for

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that no one can enter the premises without the knowledge of those caring for children (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure that no one can enter the premises without the knowledge of those caring for children (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 508015 Local authority West Berkshire (Newbury) Inspection number 939819 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 16 Name of provider Beenham Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 14/09/2009 Telephone number 0118 9714380

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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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