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 03/12/2013 05/11/2008

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Staff plan effectively for children's individual needs and interests, and as a result, they make good progress in their learning.  Children's are supported well in the acquisition of communication and language skills. This is because good links with specialist services have been established.  The manager monitors children's safety and staff's practice closely. This ensures any patterns of accidents are identified and causes addressed quickly.  There is an established programme of professional development in place supporting practitioners to improve their knowledge understanding of good practice. As a result, practitioners have a secure knowledge and understanding of how to promote children's learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance the range of resources in the outdoor area for children to develop an even greater range of skills.

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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 play and learning activities and spoke to staff and children in the indoor and outdoor environments.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of children's learning journals and progress tracking information.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a meeting with the manager and deputy manager and looked at and discussed a range of policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Sticky Fingers Pre-school was registered in 1999. They are registered 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 the town of 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 an enclosed area available for outdoor play. A garden to the rear of the building is accessible for planting. There is a weather cover to provide protection for children in the sun and rain.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. One holds 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. The setting provides a before and after school service for children attending Copley school. They also provide 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 is open from 3.30pm to 6.15pm. There are currently 45 children attending who are in the early years age group who attend for various sessions. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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

 enhance the provision for the outdoor area to ensure that children are offered opportunities to develop skills and concepts in numeracy and literacy.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this well to support children's learning and development. They effectively observe children and plan a balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning opportunities and experiences, which are based securely on children's interests and their identified next steps in learning. For example, children are encouraged to think about what shaped pieces of track they may need to make a circuit. As a result, children are developing their use and understanding of mathematical language by describing if they need curvy or straight pieces of track to make their circuit. Staff support children's love of books and stories well. They provide a good range of books for children to select from, resources to support the stories and a cosy area in which to read them. Staff are responsive to children's requests to read stories to them and ask

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who attend

appropriate open-ended questions about the story and what is happening in the pictures. As a result, children are developing their love of book and developing their knowledge and understanding of story structure and organisation. Staff encourage children to recognise numbers in the environment, for example, by adding numbers to trikes outside. Children's knowledge of numbers is extended further when staff talk with them about how old they are and how old other children in the setting are. Therefore, children are beginning to recognise numbers and talk about numbers, which are significant to them in their life.

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who attend

There is a good range of mark-making opportunities, which children access independently. Staff interact effectively with children and encourage them to explore different mark- making media and talk with them about the different types of lines and marks they have made. Staff demonstrate their knowledge of individual children well by encouraging some to write their name. As a result, children are beginning to ascribe meaning to their own marks. Children are supported well to build and construct with a variety of materials. Staff use questioning skills to develop children's deeper level of thinking by asking them 'How you think you can?' and 'What would happen if?' questions. This means children develop skills of being creative and critical thinkers. Staff sit with children at snack time and are given choices to help them to develop their decision making skills. They are encouraged to pour their own milk/water from small jugs resulting in children developing and refining

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who attend

their small muscle and coordination skills. Children are provided with a broad range of resources and activities in the indoor environment. Resources are clearly labelled with photographs and labels and accessible for children to select. As a result, children develop their independence skills in finding and selecting what would like to do.

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who attend

Staff have good relationships with parents and they gather information about children's achievements from home and parents contribute to their child's initial assessments. Good processes and documentation are now in place to complete the progress check at age two. Regular summaries of progress are given to all parents and they can access their child's learning journals on a daily basis. As a result, parents are well informed on the progress their children are making. Parents attend 'Play and Learn' days at the pre-school to develop further their knowledge on how to support their child's learning at home. This means parents are fully involved in their child's learning and understand how they can best support them in the home. Children's individual needs are quickly identified through the thorough monitoring and tracking systems the pre-school has in place. Strong partnership work with other professionals ensures children are supported well. Children

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who attend

are supported in the acquisition of communication and language skills with staff who use gestures and signs when singing in group sessions and also when talking to children at an individual level. The physical layout of the environment promotes an inclusive setting, which is accessible to all.

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

Children are supported well when they start at the nursery. They come for introductory visits to meet staff and their key worker and to familiarise themselves with the environment. The settling-in process is variable to meet the needs of individual children. Some children have home visits where information from parents is collected and used to support the children in the move from home to pre-school. Consequently, children are well settled and happy in the nursery. Some children move between different provisions during the day. Links with other providers are established and information is shared between the two settings via transition books. Consequently, there is a continuation in children's learning across the two different providers. Most children move from the pre-school into the school on site. Pre-school staff has a good relationships with early years staff in the school and support children to move effectively with visits and sharing of information

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

about the child with the staff. As a result, children make seamless transitions between the nursery and school.

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

A key person system is place, which helps each child to form secure attachments with an adult in the pre-school. Key person are introduced to parents at open days and support the parents and child at introductory visits. Children can change who their key person is if they gravitate to another adult once they start. A list of key person groups is displayed on the wall in the playroom so that parents can see who their child's key person is and understand their role. Children also know who their key person as they confidently tell visitors that they like their key person. Children's behaviour is managed well with a 'thinking fish' area used where a member of staff and a child can sit and discuss any inappropriate behaviour the child may have displayed. Staff develop children's turn taking skills well by using a timer outside for popular resources. Expected behaviour in pre-school is discussed at group time and children are asked why some behaviour is unacceptable. As

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

a result, children are aware of the boundaries set and of behavioural expectations in the pre-school.

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

A strong emphasis is put on children's independence and self-care skills as they are encouraged to put on and take off their own coats, use the bathroom independently and put on their own aprons. Therefore, children are developing skills of taking care of themselves and their own personal needs. Healthy snacks are offered to children during session and drinking water is always offered as an alternative to milk. Advice is offered informally to parents about healthy lunch boxes. Children's individual dietary requirements are displayed in the kitchen areas. As a result, children eat a healthy range of food and are beginning to developing their understanding of their need to do this. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area for a substantial part of the session. They are provided with a variety of equipment to develop large muscle and coordination skills including trikes, bat and balls, rocking boat, hoops and brushes. They take some risk in

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

their play as they practise their physical skills, which help them to learn about keeping safe. However, there is scope to enhance opportunities to further support children's mathematical and literacy development in the outdoor learning environment.

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provision

Leadership and management is good. This is because the manager has a good overview of the curriculum and monitors educational programmes to ensure children make progress in all areas of learning. She has a secure knowledge of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and uses this well to support her staff. The manager has a clear vision and wants all children who attend to reach their full potential, be happy and confident independent learners. Planning and assessment systems are monitored effectively and the management team confidently describe what is working well. The summative assessment systems for tracking children's progress clearly identify which age and stage a child is currently working within. Cohort data is collected and the information is used effectively to identify children who are working below expected levels of development in the prime and specific areas of learning. Staff work with other agencies

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provision

and appropriate interventions are secured when necessary. Consequently, children receive the support they need both individually and in small groups.

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provision

The manager carries out informal observations of practice to monitor the quality of teaching and ensures training needs are identified effectively. This is further monitored through supervisions and appraisals, which provides support, coaching and training to meet individual staff needs. Staff complete training feedback sheets when they have attended training and cascade this back at fortnightly staff meetings. As a result, knowledge from training is shared with team members and there are consistent approaches in practice. There is an induction policy for new staff and students and a checklist for them to sign when policies have been read. Local authority audit tools have been used effectively by the staff to identify strengths and weaknesses. More recently the management team have used the evaluation schedule to reflect on the settings practice and provision. From these there are clear and effective improvement plans to support the

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provision

pre-school to overcome identified weaknesses. There are well-established link with the local authority who contribute to the self-evaluation process and parents' views are sought informally at parents' consultations and at 'Play and Learn' days.

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provision

Actions were raised by Ofsted to ensure the all members of the management committee are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their roles and meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements with particular reference to risk assessments and records of attendance.The manager and her staff team fully understand their responsibility in safeguarding children. Recruitment processes are robust which ensures all members of staff and the management team understand their role and responsibilities for keeping children safe. Staff's knowledge and understand of safeguarding procedures and who to refer to if they have concerns is good and is in line with published guidance. There are clear procedures and policies in place for the use of camera, mobile phones and social network sites. Risk assessments are effective at identifying and minimising any potential hazards both indoors and outdoors. Daily risk assessments are completed for resources and equipment and any

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provision

safety risks are removed or minimised immediately. An accident book records any accidents and accident forms inform parents of the accident on the same day as it has happened. An analysis of accidents in the pre-school is undertaken on a monthly basis by the manager to identify where most accidents are occurring. Action is taken to reduce them for example, an additional member of staff is now always outside which has reduced the number of accidents which happens in this area. Documentation is well kept, for example, all registers are accurately completed throughout the day and validated against rotas to ensure consistency. This means children are effectively safeguarded.

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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 303832 Local authority Calderdale Inspection number 944399

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 45 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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