Dent Pre-School Ltd

Dent Pre-School Haygarth Room/Memorial Hall, The Laning, Dent, SEDBERGH, Cumbria, LA10 5QJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/11/2013 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

 The quality of teaching is very good because all staff have high expectations of the children and provide a wide range of stimulating and challenging activities and resources which interest and motivate their learning. Consequently, children develop good skills in all areas of their learning and development.  Staff warmly welcome children into this friendly pre-school. They sensitively help children to settle easily, form strong bonds with their key persons and develop their confidence and independence.  Staff, parents and other providers work well together to share information about the children and support their learning and development at the nursery and at home.  Managers and staff are clear about the safeguarding and welfare requirements and are extremely vigilant which ensures that children remain safe and secure while at the pre- school.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although improvements have been made there are limits for younger children to explore and investigate when using the outdoor learning environment.  The storage of resources means younger children's self-help skills are not best supported in the nappy changing and potty area.

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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 activities in the playroom and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and spoke to the staff and children during activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, the appraisal and supervisory records, the provider's self- evaluation form and policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Dent Pre-School opened in 1993 and re-registered in 2013 to become a limited company. It is situated in a memorial hall in Dent, Cumbria. It operates from a play room and an enclosed outdoor play area. Children also have access to the adjoining school playground and field. The pre-school serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. It is open from Mondays to Fridays from 9am until 12pm, during term times only. There are currently nine children attending in the early years age range. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four-year-old children. There are currently three staff working directly with the children. Of these, two hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 and one is working towards a qualification at level 3. The pre-school receives support from the local authority early years advisors. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register.

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

 enhance the monitoring of outdoor play and further improvement of the outdoor learning environment for younger children to have sufficient resources to explore and investigate.

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

 review the indoor storage areas especially in relation to self-help for younger children in the nappy changing and potty area.

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who attend

The quality of teaching provided by the manager and staff is very good. Initial information is gathered from parents about the children during settling-in sessions. This information helps the children's key persons to assess the children's starting points and to get to know the children well. Staff work together to plan activities and display the planning on the wall for parents to see. Staff provide an imaginative range of activities that are appropriate to the children's ages and stages of development. The good balance between adult-led and child-initiated activities fully supports children to make good progress in their learning and development. Staff skilfully support children in their learning by encouraging them to initiate their chosen activities by exploring and playing independently. Staff support and extend children's thinking through talking to them and listening carefully to their ideas. For example, children play in the role play corner which is set up as a vet

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who attend

surgery. Children bring their toy cats and dogs for treatment. Staff model writing for a purpose as they write down the animal's names and their medical conditions. Children then do the same as they change roles. Labels and pictures displayed in the role play area, such as stethoscopes and syringes introduce new words, which enhance the children's vocabulary. As the children wrap bandages around their pets they develop good physical coordination. They also learn about how to look after animals as staff ask them open questions about what animals need to stay healthy and strong. As the children weigh the animals they learn how to use scales, recognise the numbers and also talk about the importance of balanced diets. Staff also support children's good communication and language skills and help them to build their vocabulary during story time and singing sessions. For example, children enjoy sitting in the cosy corner listening to stories being

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who attend

read to them by the enthusiastic staff. Children talk about being left or right handed. One child says she can write with both hands and the staff member explains that this means she is 'ambidextrous'. Children learn to recognise their names and those of their friends when they hang their coats on their pegs and identify their names on their water bottles. These activities support children to develop good early literacy skills.

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who attend

Children have many opportunities to be creative and make marks with paints, crayons and chalks. They enjoy painting plant pots to give to their parents as presents. The staff encourage them to recognise the colours of the paint and notice how the colours change as they are mixed together. They decorate the pots with stickers and identify shapes such as stars and moon shapes. Staff clearly display numbers and shapes in the environment and teach children to count and recognise numbers and shapes at every opportunity throughout the day. For example, children are given a number on a card at snack time and find the corresponding number on their chairs. They then count out the correct number of cups and plates for everyone. Staff teach children to recognise shapes during every day activities. For example, during snack time the children look at their crackers and pieces of cheese. Staff ask what shape they are. Some of the children struggle with the

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who attend

difference between a square and a rectangle. Staff explain this clearly in terms that children understand. They are then able to identify that their crackers are square and their pieces of cheese are rectangles. These activities enable children to count for a purpose, recognise shapes, thus supporting understanding and mathematical thinking. Staff enthusiastically praise the children for their achievements, which clearly boosts their confidence and self-esteem.

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who attend

Staff keep parents well informed about their children's progress through daily talks with the key persons and the use of daily diaries. They are actively encouraged to be involved in their children's learning. For example, they are given ideas of how to support their children's learning at home by undertaking tasks and taking books home to read together. This supports children's communication and literacy skills well. The parents share what their children learn at home, which is added to their learning journeys to contribute to their overall assessments. Staff accurately assess and track children's progress and plan for the next steps in their learning based on their individual needs and interests. They work closely with parents and health visitors to undertake the progress checks at age two. This effectively identifies children's developmental stages and staff are pro-active in seeking early intervention for children who require additional support, such as speech and

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who attend

language therapy. Overall, staff support children well to ensure that their learning and development is in line with the expected developmental ranges for their ages, give their starting points. As a result they are acquiring the skills and attitudes required for when it is time for them to attend school.

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

Key persons work closely with parents right from the start. They offer to undertake home visits to meet the children in their own homes, which provides a relaxed way of getting to know each other. This successfully supports children well in their transitions from home to the pre-school. Staff gather important information about the children's individual needs and routines to ensure they are well met. Staff quickly get to know the children very well and develop strong bonds and positive relationships with them. This helps them to sensitively support children's emotional and physical well-being. When children are settling in to the pre-school staff comfort them by knowing what they like to play with. This in turn helps them to feel happier and more able to separate from their parents which helps them to feel safe and secure. The good level of adult attention and warm interaction ensures that children's personal, social and emotional development is effectively supported by the

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

staff who praise and encourage them throughout the day. The pre-school is attractively decorated with children's individual artwork and photographs of the children and the staff. This helps children to feel familiar and comfortable in their surroundings. The children confidently select from a wide choice of stimulating resources, which are stored at low level and are easy for them to reach. This enables them to become confident learners and teaches them to make choices and play independently and cooperatively alongside others. However, the way that resources are stored in some areas of the pre-school, such as the nappy changing and potty area, slightly restrict easy access for children and staff to use the facilities.

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

Children enjoy being outdoors and have daily opportunities to benefit from fresh air and exercise, which supports their physical well-being. They learn from an early age about the importance of leading healthy lifestyles. The older children enjoy using gutters to roll their cars down. Staff enhance this activity by talking to the children about how some cars go faster than others. Children learn that this is because of the different sizes and weights of the cars. Children enjoy learning about the natural world as they plant daffodil bulbs and learn how to care for them to help them grow. However, the outdoor learning environment does not yet provide a wide range of opportunities for two-year-old children to explore and investigate natural objects to stimulate their sensory experiences. This means that their developing understanding of the world and sensory exploration is not promoted as well as possible.

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

Staff have high expectations of the children and encourage them to develop their independence by teaching them good skills in self-care. They wash their hands before helping to prepare nutritious snacks. Staff effectively support children to judge risks and learn to use sharp items safely, such as knives for cutting up fruit and vegetables for snack. Children also learn the importance of keeping themselves and others safe by not running inside and by helping to tidy up their toys. The staff use clear boundaries and gentle guidance to teach children about behaviour that is acceptable. For example, children learn to take turns and share toys and books with their friends. Staff teach them about the importance of being kind and showing concern for others. This is done skilfully through role play in the 'vet's' where children learn to take care of their 'animals'. Children are very well supported in their moves from the pre-school to the adjoining school, due to

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

the close working relationships that exist with teachers at the school. This link is strong because the provider also works at the school.

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provision

The provider, manager and staff have a good understanding and knowledge of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The recruitment and staff checks undertaken by the provider ensure that staff are suitable and safe to work with children. All staff have undertaken safeguarding training and have a clear understanding of what to do should they have concerns about a child. The safeguarding policy includes procedures to be followed if there are allegations made against staff members. Due to the vigilance and care provided by the staff, children remain safe and secure in the pre-school and outdoor area. The provider ensures that the correct staff to child ratios are adhered to at all times and that staff are effectively deployed and appropriately qualified. This results in children being well-supervised and ensures that their individual needs are very well met. Effective risk

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provision

assessments and daily safety checks undertaken inside and outside minimise hazards in order to reduce the risk of accidents to children. Procedures for dealing with accidents are stringently followed. All accidents are recorded and parents are informed and asked to sign the accident records. All staff are trained in paediatric first aid and are, therefore, prepared to deal with any accidents or medical emergencies should they arise.

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provision

The provider, manager and staff have a very secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are experienced, qualified and highly skilled in their interactions with the children. The impact of their high quality teaching results in children making very good progress in their learning. The provider meets with the manager and staff regularly to monitor the planning and learning journals. This ensures that high standards of teaching are consistently provided for all children. She also checks that staff plan for children's next steps in their learning and that these are followed through. All staff receive a full induction to ensure that they understand all of the policies and procedures. The provider monitors staff's' practice closely on a regular basis and has thorough systems in place to address any under-performance issues should they occur. Annual appraisals and regular staff

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provision

supervisions are undertaken to monitor the continued professional development, conduct and training needs of staff. Regular staff meetings and training also effectively support staff well in their daily work with the children.

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provision

Partnerships between staff and parents are very positive. Parents spoken have confidence that the staff carefully follow stringent health and safety procedures to effectively keep children safe at the pre-school. Parents comment on how friendly and helpful the staff are and how relaxed they feel about sharing information together. Partnership working with external agencies and professionals, such as speech and language therapists and health visitors are very effective in ensuring that children are well-supported when required. Self- evaluation by the provider and staff is accurate and results in them maintaining a good standard of care and education. They regularly take into account the views of children and parents to contribute to their thorough evaluation of the pre-school. The manager and staff work closely with the local authority advisor and have a clear and well-targeted plan of action for future developments. This is a positive indication of how committed and

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provision

driven the staff are in maintaining continuous improvements.

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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 EY460094 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 921162 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 14 Number of children on roll 9 Name of provider Dent Pre-School Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01539625432

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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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