St Lawrence Church Pre-School

St Lawrence Church Pre-School Hillhouse C of E Primary School, Ninefields, WALTHAM ABBEY, Essex, EN9 3EL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/12/2013 11/12/2009

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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

 Staff support children's language development soundly as they talk and comment on the activities as children engage in play.  Staff establish warm relationships with children. As a result, children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.  Staff demonstrate sound knowledge of safeguarding procedures in order to keep children safe.

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It is not yet good because

 Planning is not fully developed to consistently reflect the individual needs of all children attending the pre-school.  There are few multicultural resources, particularly in the role-play area, that reflect a range of cultures and backgrounds to promote children's understanding of the world further.  Self-evaluation has yet to be used to fully monitor all areas of the provision to accurately identify potential for improvement.  The provider has failed to inform Ofsted of a recent change in manager. Although this has minimal impact on children's safety and welfare, it is a breach of requirements.

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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 indoors and outdoors.  The inspector looked at 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 provider's improvement plan.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and parents at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

St Lawrence Church Pre-School was registered in 2002 and is on the Early Years Register. It operates from a classroom within Hillhouse C. of E. Primary School in a residential area of Waltham Abbey. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre- school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 12 noon, term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children and there are 27 children on roll. The pre-school supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one at level 2.

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must:

 improve the level of challenge provided for children and support them to make more rapid progress by effectively using the assessment of children's skills interest and development to inform the planning of activities.

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

 extend ways of supporting children's growing understanding of family, the community and the wider world to broaden children's knowledge and reflect an inclusive ethos

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

 develop further the process of self-evaluation to fully monitor all areas of the provision and ensure planned actions to overcome weaknesses are concerted and effective.

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who attend

Staff have generally good knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They use this information reasonably well to support children in most aspects of their learning and development. They observe the individual children's progress and record their development in their profile folders. However, they currently do not always use these effectively to plan and provide relevant experiences to consistently meet the individual learning and development needs of all children. The key person system supports effective links with parents and carers. Staff obtain information about the children's interests when they start and provide resources to aid the settling-in and initial assessment process. Staff communicate with parents on a daily basis and parents have regular opportunities to view their child's profile folder. This approach successfully engages parents in their children's education.

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who attend

Staff provide a good range of toys, resources and equipment, and encourage children to freely explore their surroundings and discover new things throughout the session. Children enjoy leading their own play and take part in activities which are guided by adults. For example, children maintain focus for sustained periods of time when they decorate pine cones with staff. They adeptly spread glue and sprinkle glitter, and smile as staff praise and acknowledge their efforts. Outdoors, staff encourage children to try new activities and to judge risks for themselves. Staff are on hand to monitor safety and provide guidance and encouragement when children use a range of wheeled toys outdoors. This promotes children's physical development and encourages them to get better at things through effort and practice.

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who attend

Staff promote the communication and language skills of all children, including those learning English as an additional language. For example, children are confident enough during registration time to stand up in front of staff and their friends to share their news from home. They know and are able to recite enthusiastically the days of the week, supported by staff. Children enjoy sharing their favourite storybooks with staff and their friends, which helps to promote their early enjoyment of books, a useful attribute for when moving onto school. Staff engage actively in conversations with the children about the pictures they see, and give them time to initiate discussions from shared experiences. Accessible writing materials are available for all children to practise their early writing skills. Staff extend children's learning as they introduce simple mathematical concepts of shape and size. For example, while playing with construction blocks, staff encourage older

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who attend

children to talk about the colour, shape and size of the pieces they are using. Consequently, they develop skills to support the next stage in their learning and their move to school.

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

Children share warm relationships with the approachable and friendly staff. New starters settle quickly into the nursery as staff take account of information about individual children's care needs obtained from parents. A key person system is in place to help children build relationships with their special member of staff, to support their emotional needs and be motivated to learn. Children demonstrate a positive approach to learning, supported by the cheerful interactions of the staff team caring for them. They respond well to the clear boundaries set for them. Children learn about the needs and feelings of others through sharing, taking turns and helping others. They demonstrate they can negotiate and solve problems, for example, as they confidently inform staff if another child has upset them. They are learning to understand that their actions can hurt other children's feelings. Their behaviour is good, as staff share consistent expectations and are

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

good role models themselves. Staff have agreed procedures outlining how to manage changes in children's behaviour, and the rationale of this is shared with parents to maintain a joint approach. Regular praise and encouragement offered by staff promotes children's self-esteem. Children willingly take on responsibility, for example, tidying away toys and resources at the end of the session.

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

Children explore, play and learn in a safe and secure environment both indoors and outdoors. Children play outside on a daily basis and the outdoor area promotes children's developing physical skills and confidence. The indoor environment is effectively organised, allowing children to access a developmentally appropriate range of toys and resources covering all areas of learning. However, there are fewer multicultural resources in the role- play area to fully reflect diversity to help children learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others.

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

Staff support children's good understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They provide nutritious snacks, which include fruit and vegetables. Staff discuss the importance of hand washing with children in order to protect them from harmful germs. As a result, children develop independence in hygiene and managing their personal care. Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise during outdoor play. During play outdoors they listen carefully and adhere closely to the instructions of staff and regularly practise the emergency evacuation procedures. This demonstrates a mature attitude to taking responsibility for the safety of both themselves and their friends. Complying with these expectations means children enjoy their nursery experiences and have some emerging skills to underpin their eventual move to school.

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provision

Children's welfare is promoted because safeguarding regulations and duties are appropriately met. However, the provider failed to notify Ofsted of a recent change of manager. This is a breach of a statutory welfare requirement. However, this has minimal impact on children's safety and welfare as Ofsted has record of her as an existing registered individual for the pre-school. Staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures and are aware of their responsibilities in this respect. They know how to report and record concerns and have attended relevant training. Vetting and recruitment procedures check that all adults working with children are suitable to do so. Children are protected in the event of an accident because a number of staff have a current paediatric first-aid certificate. Children play in a secure, safe environment where staff complete daily safety checks and regularly review risk

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provision

The recently appointed manager and her team demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They understand their responsibility to promote the learning and development of all children. The manager monitors staff performance, both informally through working alongside the staff and more formally through annual appraisals, which identify some training needs. All staff hold relevant childcare qualifications and are keen to continually update their professional development. For example, recent training on behaviour management supports them to manage children's behaviour. Staff use positive strategies to deal with any minor issues and children receive praise and encouragement, which supports their self-confidence and esteem. Suitable induction procedures are in place to support new staff to help them understand their roles and responsibilities. The manager uses regular staff meetings to discuss and share any

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provision

ideas and practice issues to further promote effective outcomes for children. In addition, the pre-school works closely with local authority advisors who offer expertise and advice. The manager and staff team demonstrate a commitment to the continual development of the whole provision and are beginning to identify priorities for improvement. However, the system of self-evaluation is not fully developed to help ensure that children benefit from continued and improved practice in all areas. For example, although the pre-school has started to identify some realistic future targets for further development, they have not yet been fully implemented to enhance the provision for children.

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provision

Effective procedures have been established to work with parents and as a result, parents speak positively of the care and learning their children receive. They describe the staff team as, 'friendly, approachable and caring'. They keep up to date about their child's learning through daily verbal feedback and informative display boards. Effective relationships with other professionals and external agencies are established so that children's needs are supported and help them to make progress. Links with other providers are in place and continue to be developed to further aid children's progress and development through a consistent approach.

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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 EY218787 Local authority Essex Inspection number 946242

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 27 Name of provider St Lawrence Church Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 11/12/2009 Telephone number 01992 719594

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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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