ABC Pre-School Group

ABC Pre-School Group ABC Playgroup, 13-14 Mercury Close, Rochester, Kent, ME1 3AT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/11/2013 26/09/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 There are good interactions between staff and children, staff obviously know individual children well and as a result, behaviour is good.  Teaching is good, staff instil a love of books and frequently use mathematical language, so all children make good progress.  Partnerships with parents and the wider community are strong and well established; so all children's individual needs are met.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children do not always have the opportunities to develop their creativity through different materials and media.  Children are not always encouraged to write for a purpose for example their name on their work.

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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 spent the majority of the time observing interactions between staff and children.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of policies, procedures and checked suitability of the staff and their qualifications.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documents relating to the learning and development of the children.

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Information about the setting

ABC Pre-school opened in 1995 and is in a residential area of Borstal, Rochester. It is part of a community project and run by a board of trustees. It operates from two converted ground floor flats. The setting opens five days a week during school term times. Opening times are from 9.15am-12.15am. It also offers an afternoon session on a Monday from 1pm to 4pm. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 33 children on roll in the early years age range. The group is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education places for children aged two, three and four years. Children come mainly from the local area. The pre-school has a project manager and employs seven members of staff. Of these, two hold foundation degrees and five hold a relevant National Vocational Qualification at level 2, 3 or 4.

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

 Provide a wider range of materials and media for children to explore and express their creativity

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

 Ensure all staff consistently support children to write for a purpose such as their own names.

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who attend

Children arrive at the setting happily and enjoy their time there. They self-register on arrival finding their name and posting it in a box, which helps with early literacy skills. The children choose to play in one of three playrooms that are all well equipped and staff are well deployed within the rooms, so fully support children in their learning. Staff effectively support children during activities such as sharing and turn taking activities, which in turn supports children to play co-operatively and build relationships with their peers.

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who attend

Staff skilfully support children's developing language and communication skills. They use a variety of teaching techniques depending on the age and stage of each child. Such as saying 'it's a stripy tiger' and using open questions such as 'I wonder what would happen if we add water to the sand?' They use children's names to ensure children are paying attention before they speak helping them to develop listening skills. In addition, they support children's early reading skills, as they point out letters in children's name and discuss words in books. Small group time takes place at the end of each session and staff plan letters and sounds activities for older children. These focussed activities include listening for environmental sounds to develop skills in differentiating sounds and preparing children for their next stage in their learning. Children develop good early writing skills, as resources are freely available. Some children can write their own name as well as other

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who attend

recognisable words. However some staff occasionally write children's names for them, rather than encouraging them to try for themselves. Staff read frequently to children pointing out parts of books and rhyming words, which support children to develop early alliteration and develop a love of books. They introduce new words, such as 'tusks' to extend children's vocabulary. Furthermore, they run a lending library for children to share their favourite books at home and use the mobile library fortnightly. Consequently, children make consistently good progress in their literacy development.

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who attend

There is a well-equipped creative area where children can explore different textures and media. However, on the day of inspection, only adult led craft activities were available which required little input from children. Therefore, children do not have every opportunity to be creative and explore their own ideas. Nevertheless, staff display individual works or art around the room, which places value on what children have created.

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who attend

On starting at the setting staff and parents work together to find staring points of children. Staff then carry out on-going assessments and use these to plan next steps in children's learning, ensuring they are making good progress. They share this information with parents as well as ideas of how they can support children at home. All children's progress is regularly summarised to ensure all children make good progress from their starting points. Staff record observations of children in the form of photographs and written observations. They are kept in learning journeys, which are placed at child height, so they can freely access or add to their own work. Consequently, children look at their own learning records and make comment such as 'this is my book and I drawed that'. Therefore, children demonstrate that they are proud of what they have made and feel valued. Furthermore, parents are also encouraged to take folders home and add any

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who attend

learning they have observed which displays a joined up approach to learning.

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

Staff have established strong relationships with the children as well as parents. Settling in periods allow relationships to be built before they start. Parents report they receive lots of information before their child starts and they feel fully supported during this time. A well- established key person approach is in place, which helps children develop a sense of security. The children know their key person when they start and this is reinforced as a photograph of their key person is placed on their individual pockets. The high levels of support continue as children prepare to leave the pre-school. Staff work closely with the local school and use the Forest School facilities every other week. The reception teacher visits in the final term, to get to know the children better and staff display a photo of her and the classroom. These excellent strategies help children to become familiar with the school and prepare emotionally for the move to reception.

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

Staff support children to learn and value their achievements. For example when a child attempts to thread beads a member of staff said 'wow you couldn't do that last week and now you can well done'. This encouragement helps children to recognise their own achievements and feel valued, which develops their confidence. Staff support children's growing independence by placing resources and equipment at a low level. This includes having the sink in the bathroom lowered and a purchased a portable sink for the main room, ensuring all resources are appropriate for children to manage their personal needs.

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

Children are encouraged to wear wellington boots to the setting with the expectation they will play outside daily. A snack bar is available which allows children to choose when they wish to eat. Fruit, crackers milk and water are on offer thus promoting healthy lifestyles. Furthermore, all children have a named water bottle, which ensures they stay hydrated during their time at the setting. Children manage their own personal care routines and staff discuss washing off the germs before snack ensuing children gain an understanding of the importance of hand washing. Children are encouraged to pour their own drinks and use tongs to pick up pieces of fruit both promoting self-help skills.

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

Children play well and share resources. Golden rules are displayed to support children understand the expectations of how to behave. These are depicted in both pictures and word and are reinforced during group time. As a result, the behaviour of the children is good and the pre-school has a positive atmosphere.

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provision

The provider implements the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are protected by the good arrangements that are in place. Staff have a secure understanding of the systems to follow if they have any concerns about a child. Effective recruitment procedures are in place to check that all staff are competent and suitable to work at the setting. Staff complete daily checks as well as risk assessments, which support the continued safety of the children.

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provision

The self-evaluation is a team effort. The setting is managed by a board of trustees who are involved in evaluating and moving the group forward. Quality pledges and action plans created yearly clearly layout how the setting intends to improve over the coming year. For example, extending tracking of progress to include groups of children such as girls and boys, to enable the manager to monitor if the setting is meeting the needs of all who attend.

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provision

All staff have a professional development folder which contains their annual appraisal, supervision records as well as individual targets set for them. The manager supports any targets through training, literature and occasionally role modelling. Staff are given the lead for specific areas such as overseeing the provision for two-year olds. They attend specific training courses relevant to the area they lead. This arrangement has a positive impact on younger children as the daily routine provides tailored activities to meet their specific needs. Parents are enthusiastic about the setting and describe feeling well supported by the team. A number of parents have had more than one child attend the group. They are familiar with their child's progress as the learning journey is available daily and staff encourage parents to take it home and add any learning. Formal termly meetings take place, however some parents described feeling so well informed they do not always need

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provision

to take this up. Good links have been forged with the local community. For example, the Community Outreach Officer worker from the local Children Centre visits the group weekly to share information about local groups and offer support. Contact with outside agencies is also good and this enables staff to support children's individual needs.

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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 103780 Local authority Medway Towns Inspection number 813246 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 23 Number of children on roll 33 Name of provider Action for Borstal Community Project Date of previous inspection 26/09/2011 Telephone number 01634 817454

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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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