Sticky Fingers Pre-School

Sticky Fingers Pre-School c/o Copley Primary School, Wakefield Road, Copley, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 0TP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/09/2013 05/11/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 1 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 is satisfactory

 Children's social skills are developing well because the programme devised by the behaviour management coordinator successfully supports them to identify their emotions.  Children who attend after school are fully included in the planning of activities to support their interests.  The staff have a sound understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse. This means that children who may be at risk are identified promptly, so appropriate action can be taken to protect them.  Children act independently in the pre-school and are confident in building friendships, therefore they play cooperatively with each other.

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It is not yet good because

 Practitioners do not have a clear enough understanding of the progress check at age two, and children's starting points are not clearly defined.  The quality of teaching is not consistent through the playgroup, so on occasion children's learning is not fully supported.  Parents are not actively involved in the self-evaluation of the pre-school.

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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 quality of teaching and activities in the play area and garden.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector conducted an interview and a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessments records and planning documentation, checked evidence of staff training and discussed the self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Sticky Fingers Pre-school was registered in 1999 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated within the grounds of Copley Primary School near Halifax. The pre-school serves the local community and surrounding area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three playrooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one has Early Years Professional Status. The pre- school receives support from the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday all year round and provides a before and after school service for children attending Copley Primary School. It also provides a holiday club that is available to children in the local and surrounding areas. Sessions are from 7.15am until 8.55am for the breakfast club. The pre-school is open from 9.10am until 3.05pm, and the after school club operates from 3.30pm to 6.15pm. There are currently 53 children on roll who are in the early years age group and attend for various sessions. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds.

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must:

 develop a sound understanding of the requirements for the progress check at age two, and share information with parents about children's development to use as the starting points for planning their next steps.

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

 strengthen the consistency of teaching by, for example, introducing a mentoring or 'buddy' programme so staff share good practice and provide children with consistently good opportunities to learn

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

 improve how the strengths and weaknesses of the provision are identified by actively seeking the views of parents.

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who attend

The educational programme is generally well implemented in the pre-school. This means that children freely access well-thought-out activities to promote their prime and specific areas of learning. As a result, children are interested in their surroundings and are motivated to learn. Most practitioners pose questions that make children think and engage in the children's talk at exactly the right time. Children's interest in mini beasts is extended through questions to help them to think about the insect world. This results in children learning that spiders live in a web and eat flies. Practitioners encourage children to discuss what they can see in the illustrations in a book and develop their vocabulary by teaching them the name of different insects, such as dragonfly.

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who attend

Children copy what they see in the world around them as they play. They initiate a car wash activity after experiencing this at home. Other children in the garden eagerly join in and soon become engaged in the activity. Some children sit in the cars, while others wash and dry them. Children's literacy skills are developed at snack time because they have to look for their name card before they take a seat. This shows that children are making steady progress in each area of learning, and are developing the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning, especially school.

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who attend

Children's learning is well supported by the resources available. For example, they develop their imaginative play with the toy farm. Children soon extend this play by pouring water on the grass to make it grow, and end up with a puddle where they decide to put some ducks. Their interest in the dairy cows is extended through a learning activity about the variety of cows and their differences, and then differences in people. Children develop an understanding of space and shapes, by fitting puzzles with different coloured rims. Occasionally they do not fit the pieces properly and are not encouraged to stop and think things through, so that they recognise their mistake, before moving on to something else. Some activities are not planned effectively to take account of children's interests and engage them fully in the learning opportunities on offer. This is because the quality of teaching is inconsistent.

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who attend

Observations include the next steps in children's learning and development. However, information is not obtained from parents regarding their children's learning and is not successfully used to form part of their starting points. Parents are suitably included in supporting their children's learning at home. For example, they are encouraged to take books and an activity pack home to use with their children. They are then encouraged to share their comments on the outcome of the activity with the pre-school.

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

The settling of children into the pre-school is suitably planned for. This involves home visits, and during these visits parents are encouraged to share information about their children's individual needs, such as their likes, dislikes and interests. The manager also agrees with the parents on how they would like to settle their child. However, the key person's role is not effectively explained to parents or practitioners, therefore, some parents have not formed strong bonds with their children's key person. Children's move up to the school on the pre-school site is managed well. For example, children starting school visit twice a week. Teachers from the local schools visit the pre-school to greet the children who will attend their class. This means that children become familiar with a new routine while being supported by a familiar face.

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

Children's independence is promoted by encouraging them to put on their coats and help themselves to a snack independently. Children are confident in the pre-school and develop good friendships; they play cooperatively in the home corner and share experiences, such as their visit to a pizza restaurant. Safety is actively promoted in the nursery. For example, children learn how to use equipment, such as scissors, safely. Children also learn what to do in emergencies by practising the evacuation procedure. Children are supported to manage their own behaviour by the behaviour management coordinator. Consequently, they learn how to identify their emotions with special 'feeling cards'. This has helped them to deal with negative feelings.

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

Children's health is promoted because they can spend time outdoors in the fresh air throughout the session. They generally develop their coordination and control by using the sit-and-ride toys, and skilfully negotiate the space needed to avoid obstacles. Children know the routine of the pre-school very well and spontaneously wash their hands after using the toilet. Mealtimes are a social occasion where children sit together to eat the packed lunch provided by their parents, and share the experiences of their day. Children in the out of school club are included in organising the menu.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward because of an incident that resulted in a child being seriously hurt. At the time of the incident, staff were not complying with the requirements. Since the incident procedures have been put in place to ensure that children are constantly supervised, and activities are risk assessed to ensure that sharp equipment is not left out. This means that the ratios are met and staff are appropriately deployed to ensure that children are supervised at all times.

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provision

The management team have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They make sure that all staff are suitable to work with children through a stringent recruitment procedure. For example, all staff are vetted using the Disclosure and Barring Service. Staff induction includes information about the emergency procedures, and training includes health and safety and child protection. Consequently, staff have a sound understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse, and are aware of who the lead person for child protection is. Children are secure on the premises because the main entrance to the setting is locked and the garden is secure. This means that the procedures now in place actively help to keep children safe.

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provision

The manager has a suitable understanding of the learning and development requirements and is able to oversee the educational programme sufficiently. For example, she gathers information from the children's summary reports to monitor their development and identify if there are any gaps in their learning. As a result, mathematics is showing as an area for improvement. Information about the progress check at age two is in place, but not all staff has a good understanding of what is required, to build a strong relationship with the parents. Staff supervision is used to monitor the quality of teaching and to support staff in planning for their key children's development. However, there is room to improve how the quality of teaching is monitored, to help ensure consistency. The appraisal system is in place to support the staff in their professional development. Opportunities are provided for the staff to improve their qualifications. This results in them gaining higher level

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provision

Partnership with parents is suitable. For example, newsletters are devised to give to parents an insight into the educational programme. Parents are also invited to a play session to play with the resources and activities that their children access during the day. This is so that they can have first-hand experience of what it is like for their child to attend the pre-school. The pre-school develops strong links with the school that they share the grounds with, and are developing links with other local schools in the area. The special educational needs coordinator supports the children and staff. The pre-school's self- evaluation includes areas identified for development, such as the garden, in order to improve the experiences of the children. However, there is room for improvement because parents are not actively involved in the evaluation of the quality of the provision.

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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 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. 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 the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

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 303832 Local authority Calderdale Inspection number 938251

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 120 Name of provider Sticky Fingers Pre School Date of previous inspection 05/11/2008 Telephone number 07852 896 862

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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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