The Round House Pre-School

The Round House Pre-School The Round House Community Primary School, School Drive, ST. NEOTS, Cambridgeshire, PE19 6AW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/11/2013 26/02/2010

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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

 The quality of the teaching is good and sometimes outstanding. Staff support the children very well during the activities and use commentary and questioning effectively to extend children's learning  Parents speak highly of the setting and staff and have many opportunities to share in their children's learning. This helps to ensure all children make good progress.  Children benefit from lots of fresh air and exercise in a well-equipped and exciting outdoor play area. As a result, their physical development and their understanding of the world are supported well.  Staff work effectively as a cohesive team and deploy themselves well to ensure children's safety and well-being throughout the sessions.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not always encouraged to put things away when they have finished and this occasionally means that toys and books are disorganised, so children cannot always easily find what they need.  There is scope to enhance children's ability to manage their own behaviour, for example, by encouraging the use of timers, so children negotiate sharing and turn taking even more effectively.

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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 the activities indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the children and observed their interactions with staff during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documentation was examined, including safeguarding procedures, risk assessments, staff suitability and their qualification records and children's assessment and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to a number of parents to understand their views on the quality of the provision.

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Information about the setting

The Round House Pre-School was registered in November 2009 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school is run by the Pre-School Learning Alliance. It operates from two classrooms in the Round House Community Primary School in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre- school provides wrap around care for school children from 7.45am until 8.40am and 3.15pm to 6pm during term times.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 85 children on roll at the pre-school aged between two and five years of age. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and some who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs 16 members of staff to work directly with the children. Of these, one member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status and 13 hold early years qualifications at level 2 or 3. Three members of staff are working towards improving their qualifications.

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

 maximise children's ability to easily access books and resources by enhancing their understanding of the importance of tidying up and putting things back where they belong

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

 enhance children's understanding of sharing and turn taking, for example, by making consistent use of timers or clocks.

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who attend

Staff know the children well and understand how to support their learning and development effectively. They make frequent observations on children's aptitudes and interests and use this knowledge in their daily planning. For example, a child's interest in space and rockets has led to a wealth of activities, which has enthralled all the children and supported their creative thinking well. Resources are plentiful and arranged, so children can help themselves and follow their own interests indoors and outside. This promotes a free-flow play environment where children are busy throughout their day. Staff do not always remind children, though, of the importance of putting resources away when they have finished. This sometimes means that children cannot always easily find what they need to pursue their interests. Staff teaching skills are very good. They demonstrate a skilful understanding of how to extend children's learning through very

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who attend

effective questioning. Staff engage with children well and join in their play. They promote good conversations and comment on children's activities. This results in children being motivated in their play and learning. For example, they show much interest in the African land snail and eagerly ask staff questions about where the animal lives and what it eats.

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who attend

Parents have many good opportunities to be involved in their children's learning. They make good use of the setting's library and borrow story sacks to extend children's learning at home. Staff arrange regular consultations to discuss progress at times that suit parents. This helps to develop and support children's learning well in home and setting. Children's communication and language are supported well through a broad range of purposeful activities. Staff read to the children often in planned small group activities and spontaneously in response to children's requests. Children show eager attention and point to the characters and add their ideas and opinions. Staff support their active participation and welcome their contributions to lively discussions. Children, who are learning English as an additional language, see their own languages in print. Staff learn key words and phrases from parents and provide additional support by using simple sign language and

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who attend

visual images. Resources represent the diversity of the children and these, along with ample displays of their photographs, give all children a good sense of belonging.

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who attend

Writing materials are plentiful and varied to effectively develop children's literacy skills. Children enjoy chalking on blackboards outdoors or using pencils and crayons to draw and colour indoors. Staff understand the importance of developing children's physical control and hand-to-eye coordination to prepare them for early writing. Consequently, they plan lots of activities, such as threading or sorting blocks with tweezers to prepare children for this next stage in their learning. Staff use their teaching skills effectively to help develop children's understanding of mathematics. For example, they encourage children to compare the amounts of play dough or sand they have. Children sing number songs and measure themselves and each other to see how tall they are. They readily access resources that promote their understanding of technology, such as, a computer, torches, a shop till and cameras. All of this supports children's future learning well.

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

Children's independence is supported well at snack times because they are encouraged to prepare their own fruit and pour their own drinks. Staff sit with them as they eat and promote lively conversation. Children enjoy talking about foods they like and which are good for them, which enhances their understanding of healthy eating. Staff encourage them to look at shapes, tastes and colours of their foods to extend their learning. Parents provide children's lunches and these are enjoyably eaten in friendly, sociable groups. Staff teach children about good hygiene, so they understand the reasons for regular hand washing. They have high expectations of children's independence, for example, they expect them to get themselves ready for outdoor play and help themselves to drinking water. As a result, they are well prepared for the next stage of their learning, including school. Children demonstrate they know how to keep themselves safe as they negotiate

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

the beams in the garden with skill and handle the metal spades with consideration for others.

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

Outdoor play is a feature of the setting, enabling children to enjoy fresh air and healthy exercise throughout the sessions. The outdoor area is well equipped, with lots of interesting activities to attract children's interest. For example, there is a 'builder's yard' stocked with real bricks, pipes and fencing. This reflects the building going on around them on this new housing development, supporting children's real-life experiences. Children thoroughly enjoy digging in soil and exploring sand and water. The gazebo means that children have a sheltered place to play and is well stocked with books and games. Weekly trips to a local wood help children to learn about wildlife and develop their understanding of the world. Children meet a range of visitors, such as a veterinary surgeon, which gives them good opportunities to learn about their local community.

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

Children are effectively supported to settle in and separate from their parents. Staff invite them for visits and allow as much time as it takes for children to get to know the setting and feel comfortable. Each family is allocated a key person early on in the process to help build close relationships with parents and children. Consequently, children feel safe and show good levels of confidence and self-esteem. Children's behaviour is good and they develop firm friendships with each other. Staff make good role models as they address the children with respect and encourage social manners, such as 'please' and 'thank you'. Occasionally, children rely on staff to solve their minor disputes, such as sharing the computer games. Although, staff are supportive and give children good guidance, they do not always make the best use of strategies that help children to independently manage their own sharing. For example, through the use of timers or age-appropriate clocks.

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provision

Staff at the pre-school understand how to protect the children in their care and know how to implement the safeguarding procedures. All staff undertake safeguarding training and have their knowledge reviewed at team meetings. Recently, staff have reviewed their understanding of safeguarding procedures, including how to respond to allegations against staff. As a result, additional training is planned and the manager has updated her Designated Person training. Robust recruitment procedures help to ensure all adults are safe and suitable to work with the children. The provider takes up all necessary checks on staff and implements a comprehensive induction programme, so they understand their responsibilities. Security of the setting is well managed to ensure children are unable to leave the premises and that visitors are checked. Effective teamwork helps to ensure all children are supervised to ensure their safety. All this means that children play in a safe

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provision

Monitoring of the education is robust and thorough at all levels. Staff work hard to ensure children have an enjoyable programme of activities that promote good progress. They make regular assessments of children's learning and meet weekly to discuss and evaluate planning for individual children. Managers effectively track each child's development to identify any gaps in learning and implement focussed planning if necessary. They monitor staff performance through regular appraisals and individual supervision meetings. Staff are encouraged and supported to increase their qualifications and attend a range of training courses to improve their knowledge. One member of staff is working towards a degree qualification, while others have attended training in the 'Every Child a Talker' programme. Staff are enthusiastic about their work and form a happy and motivated team, which enables them to deliver good quality provision for all children. Robust self-evaluation

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provision

means that the managers and staff have a good understanding of their strengths and areas for development. Parents contribute to self-evaluation through regular questionnaires and discussion with staff. Actions taken to address weaknesses have a positive effect on the provision. For example, staff have introduced additional ways to track children's progress in communication and language. This enables them to identify any areas of concern and plan additional activities for any child at risk of delay.

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provision

Positive partnerships with parents help to ensure children's individual needs are met well. Parents like the friendly staff and say their children enjoy attending the setting. Newsletters are sent home regularly to inform parents of events and the children's activities. Parents get suggestions about songs and stories children enjoy and can borrow books to use at home, which helps them to support their children's learning at home. Staff have built strong links with the host school to support children's move into reception classes. Children make use of the school grounds and share in the school's events, such as special assemblies. Reception teachers are known to the children, which gives them confidence for their first days in school. Few children attend other settings, but there are appropriate procedures to share information as necessary. Staff have developed some joint working with the local children's centre and continue to develop links. These help to

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provision

support vulnerable families, including those, who have children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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 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 EY398502 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 943802

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 49 Number of children on roll 85 Name of provider Pre-School Learning Alliance Date of previous inspection 26/02/2010 Telephone number 01480479890

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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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