Whittingham Pre-school

Whittingham Playschool Whittingham Avenue, SOUTHEND-ON-SEA, Essex, SS2 4WA

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/01/2014 16/04/2013

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

p.1

This provision is good

 Staff plan interesting activities based on individual children's needs and interests. Their effective teaching strategies and innovative use of resources help children to make good progress in their learning and development.  Secure relationships between staff and children mean attachments are strong and well embedded. As a result, children's emotional well-being is effectively fostered.  Staff give priority to the safety of children and effectively support children's growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy.  Partnerships with parents are very positive. They are warmly welcomed and fully encouraged to share information about their children's learning and development at home.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for children to write for a purpose and for display have not been fully embraced.  There is room to improve the opportunities for children to develop their self-care skills and awareness of good hygiene when washing their hands.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor learning environments.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff and children.  The inspector viewed a sample of the children's development records.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of suitability and qualifications of the staff, self- evaluation, risk assessment, policies and procedures and other documentation in relation to health and safety checks.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from written comments on questionnaires and reports provided by the pre-school.

p.2

Information about the setting

Whittingham Playschool opened in 1976 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school is privately run and managed. It operates from the Whittingham Methodist Church in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The pre-school serves the immediate locality and the surrounding areas. The pre- school opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9.15am until 11.45am. Children are cared for in the main church hall and have access to an enclosed area for outdoor play.

p.3

Information about the setting

There are currently 18 children attending who are within the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports children for whom English is an additional language.

p.3

Information about the setting

There are currently eight staff working directly with the children. Of these, six staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two staff hold qualifications at level 2. The pre-school receives support from the local authority.

p.3

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

 extend children's literacy skills by giving them greater opportunities to practise their early writing, for example, by encouraging them to write captions and labels for display

p.3

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

 enhance the opportunities for children to develop their self-care by reviewing the arrangements for children to wash their hands after art and craft activities.

p.3

who attend

Children enthusiastically learn through play as they participate in fun, hands-on learning experiences. The staff have been working closely with a local early years advisor since the last inspection so planning is now more effective in meeting the needs of all children. Staff use their own regular assessments and observations alongside those obtained from parents to plan stimulating and challenging activities. This means the staff know their key children well and are able to identify how they learn and provide activities accordingly. For example, an imaginative dinosaur world is created for children who have expressed an interest. Children thoroughly enjoy using a wide variety of high quality resources and books to link to this theme. In addition, there is now a more positive blend of adult-led activities and experiences the children choose for themselves. Children have access to a wider range of resources, which extend their knowledge and skills as they play outdoors.

p.3

who attend

For example, children use magnifying glasses to look at leaves and insects close up, developing their awareness of the world around them.

p.4

who attend

Children are effectively developing the skills they need in readiness for starting school. They are focused, listen well and respond eagerly to instructions. Children's communication and language skills are effectively promoted as staff engage in their play, continually talking to them. They provide children with a commentary of what they are doing and ask open questions that elicit interesting answers from the children. Children particularly enjoy looking at the photographs in their development records and talking about their previous experiences. Children with English is an additional language are well supported. This is because staff work closely with parents to gather useful words in their home languages and display visual prompts so that children understand what is going to happen next. Teaching strategies are effective in helping children make good progress because the staff are skilled in maintaining all children's attention. Children are enthralled

p.4

who attend

by their favourite stories and enjoy recalling what has happened and anticipating what might happen next in the book. Enthusiastic singing sessions take place. Children sing with gusto and eagerly use actions to accompany the songs. Number rhymes are used well to support children's understanding of simple calculation and counting skills. Children are learning to form letters correctly when writing their names and use clipboards to make marks, both indoors and outside. However, there is scope to enhance children's emerging literacy even more, by encouraging them to write captions and labels for display.

p.4

who attend

The staff effectively track children's progress to ensure that there are no gaps in their learning. In addition, the required progress reports for children when they reach the age of two are successfully completed and used to secure early intervention when progress is identified as less than expected. Parents are kept informed of their children's achievements through regular reports, meetings and the sharing of children's development folders. They also contribute their own observations of their children's learning at home on 'wow moment' notes. Parents are kept fully involved in their children's learning when they contribute recycled items for children's creative activities or attend special events in the pre-school at Christmas. The staff also give parents ideas for activities to complete at home, which many say they really appreciate.

p.4

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

The staff team have a warm and caring approach. Children join staff readily to share their thoughts and ideas or for reassurance and help. There is an effective key person system in place to support children's emotional well-being. As a result, children feel secure and develop a strong sense of belonging to the pre-school. Parents provide key information about children's individual requirements and care routines right from the start. This means that new children settle quickly and gain confidence separating from their parents and carers. New children also bring in items from home to give them comfort as they see and play with familiar and favourite toys. The pre-school has close links with local schools and arranges for the children to meet the teachers. As a result, children confidently and seamlessly move onto the next phase in their education.

p.4

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

Children have access to fresh air on a daily basis, which supports their health and well- being. They excitedly put on their own coats, with little or no help, before going outside. They run energetically and exercise to develop their physical skills using equipment, such as, bats and balls. Children have a good awareness of safety and staff routinely encourage them to consider potential risks. For example, children learn the safe way to handle tools when hammering nails into wood and take care when using scissors. External visitors also support children's understanding of safety and good health, for example, police officers, fire fighters and nurses visit the pre-school to talk to children about their jobs and how they help to keep them safe.

p.5

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

Children's behaviour is good and staff offer regular praise and encouragement, promoting their self-esteem. They learn to help each other as they distribute plates to their friends before eating. The staff sit with the children at snack times and use this opportunity to support children to adopt good table manners and encourage them to serve their food. Children have healthy appetites and learn about the food that is good for them. Drinking water is available throughout the session in the form of jugs and beakers, which the children can help themselves to. Children are developing a good understanding of hygiene routines, such as, putting used tissues in the bin or washing their hands after using the toilet. However, children do not always have access to fresh water to clean their hands after completing their art and craft activities. This means that the opportunities for children to independently manage their self-care and personal hygiene needs have not

p.5

provision

The manager and staff have developed a strong understanding of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Documentation is efficiently organised. Detailed policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and shared with staff and parents to ensure the safe and efficient management of the pre-school. The staff complete relevant background checks and have attended training in safeguarding and first aid. Staff fully understand the child protection policies and know how to report any concerns about the welfare of a child. Risk assessment is now robust and the actions raised at the last inspection have been effectively addressed. Significant improvements have been made to the security of the premises to ensure that children are unable to leave the premises unnoticed. Alarms have been fitted to the main entrance doors and members of staff are always positioned to make certain that children are unable to leave the premises

p.5

provision

There is a good team spirit amongst the staff and they are all fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. Staff meetings are used to ensure all staff are involved in the planning of activities. Efficient supervision has been set up to monitor the performance of the staff and to identify their future training needs. To assist the smooth running of the pre-school, staff are constantly undertaking different courses to update their knowledge. The information they gain is efficiently cascaded to their colleagues at team meetings. Self- evaluation is effective as the staff have now become reflective practitioners and continually appraise the activities they provide. As a result, the daily routine has been revised to benefit and maximise children's learning opportunities. Children's progress is constantly monitored to ensure that no child gets left behind and to make certain that activities are in tune with children's interests and capabilities. There is a strong drive in the

p.5

provision

pre-school to provide the best possible care for children so that they thrive and learn in an enabling environment.

p.6

provision

Parents are well-informed about the pre-school and their children's care through a range of written and verbal communications with staff. The notice boards are frequently updated with informative displays and details of activities and forthcoming events. Parents comment on how delighted they are with the pre-school. They say that the staff are extremely supportive and really appreciate the extra help they offer any families who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. Partnership working with outside agencies and professionals help support the needs of all children and families. Staff have successful links with the local schools. This helps to promote the full integration of care and learning and to support children's transition when moving on to school.

p.6

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

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number 119538 Local authority Southend on Sea Inspection number 938334

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 18 Name of provider Linda Kennedy Date of previous inspection 16/04/2013 Telephone number 01702 603229

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10