Willows Pre-School

Willows Pre-School 28 Wilton Grove, Wimbledon, London, SW19 3QX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/01/2014 03/11/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children are extremely independent in the pre-school because the learning environment is so challenging and interesting.  Staff are highly qualified and have an exemplary knowledge and understanding of how children learn. This means their teaching skills are excellent and children make excellent progress.  The manager sets a very high standard and gives staff highly effective support to make continuous improvements for the benefit of children.  Staff build extremely strong parental partnerships by providing a great deal of information about how the pre-school works. This supports consistent care of children.  The manager and senior staff employ highly effective monitoring methods to track children's learning and ensure that all children make excellent progress.

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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 children at play indoors and outside.  The inspector and manager carried out a joint observation.  The inspector observed how staff are deployed and how children are supervised.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the manager to discuss safeguarding and monitoring procedures, and examined a range of documentation.

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Information about the setting

Willow Pre-School was registered in 2009. It is situated in a single storey building in the grounds of Wilton Tennis Club which is located in a residential road in Wimbledon, Merton. There are three interconnecting play rooms, toilet facilities, a kitchen, storage and an office. French windows at one end of the playroom enable children to have direct access to an enclosed outdoor play area. Children can also use a tennis court nearby which was designed for children's use. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. The pre-school is open for 50 weeks of the year, Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm. There are currently 38 children on roll. The pre-school supports children who are learning English as an additional language. Staff are fluent in English and some are fluent in Italian, Spanish, Slovakian, Portuguese, Russian, Hungarian and Maltese. There are ten staff working with the children. The manager and two other staff have Early Years Professional Status and

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Information about the setting

one is a qualified teacher. Five other staff have appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 enhance children's creative thinking by consistently giving younger children time to respond to what they see.

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who attend

Staff have an exemplary understanding of how to meet the learning and development requirements. They plan a stimulating and interesting curriculum which covers every area of learning and gives children exceptional choice and independence. Children have lots of opportunities to engage in child-initiated play and staff expertly facilitate their ideas, bringing out the learning in everything they do. As a result, children are highly absorbed in their activities and make excellent progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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who attend

Staff are excellent teachers. They continually engage children in conversation, expanding their vocabulary and consolidating new words by following interesting themes in activities. For example, staff plan a wide variety of activities around the story of Goldilocks. Children have a range of opportunities to use comparative language about the size of the bears, the bowls and the chairs. They also describe the texture of raw oats and the taste of porridge flavoured with salt, sugar and other flavours. During craft activities, children use papier mache, oats, paint, glue and tissue paper to create items from the story. They also discuss how characters might be feeling and whether what they are doing is wrong or right. As a result, children engage in all areas of the curriculum in meaningful ways connected to the story. As they talk, they build a wide vocabulary and learn to be confident in making decisions and expressing themselves. Children have exceptional

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who attend

opportunities to build their skills in literacy. Staff provide large chalk boards outside to encourage children to make large pictures, using wide arm movements and stretching up. From a young age, children are confident to attempt writing their names on their work and write for a range of other purposes, such as creating labels on displays. They acquire a great interest in stories and books, using the highly effective self-made story sacks to tell the stories in their own way. Staff give children time to think and respond in free play, which supports their creative thinking. On a few occasions, however, the lively conversational style of staff means that younger children have less time to think and respond. Staff and children speak a wide range of languages between them, and this is reflected in all aspects of pre-school life. For example, the visual timetable is explained with words from the full variety of children's languages. Children spontaneously use

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who attend

Spanish and Italian words they have learned and see the connections their friends have displayed on a world map. As a result, children are very interested in each other's lives and learn a great deal about differences and similarities in an atmosphere of great respect. Staff demonstrate an expert knowledge of how children learn, giving them endless opportunities to touch, explore and manipulate toys, equipment and materials. As a result, children have high levels of control and independence which keeps them curious and excited about their learning.

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who attend

Staff work closely with parents to gather information about children's interests and starting points. In the first few weeks of attendance, staff are very attentive to how children engage in play and their level of skill in all areas of learning. This means that the first summary assessments staff make of children are highly accurate portraits of the child as a whole person. Staff meet with parents to discuss what the next steps in children's learning will be, and centre the plans around each child's learning needs. This means that planning is highly effective at providing the right level of challenge for all children, including the gifted and talented. Staff share the detail of the plans with parents which helps them to have conversations with the children about what they are doing, and provide complementary experiences at home. This builds a very effective partnership between the key person and the parent. Staff who act as key persons for the children

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who attend

moving on to school pay close attention to ensuring that children have the skills they need to make the transfer smooth. As children's independence and skills have been closely fostered throughout their time in pre-school, children are very much ready for the next stage in their learning.

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

The key person system is highly effective. All children and staff work together in a family atmosphere where children can move freely around the pre-school and engage in their choice of play. The key person's role is to oversee their children's learning needs and care in a particular age group, but all staff engage with all children, so children benefit from a range of strong relationships. As children grow, they already know the staff who will be their next key person, so the transition is extremely smooth. As a result, children are confident to separate from their parents and are very secure in the pre-school. Staff have created excellent learning environments indoors and outside. Play materials are always easily accessible, giving children high levels of independence and choice. Children can move freely between the different playrooms or go outside for the majority of the day, which supports those children who are active learners. Staff engage the children with the

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

routine by providing visual props for snack time, or circle time. Children use the pictures from the visual timetable to show their friends what is happening next, giving them a strong sense of belonging and ownership of what is happening.

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

Children have excellent opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles. They eat a wide range of healthy foods at snack and meal times. Food is all freshly prepared on the premises and children eat in sociable groups, serving themselves and pouring their own drinks. This builds children's independence and personal care skills, as well as helping children to enjoy mealtimes as social occasions. Children follow well-established hygiene routines and understand why they must wash their hands after messy play or using the toilet. Children's physical development is extremely well fostered. Children enjoy challenging play equipment such as a climbing wall and obstacle courses which help them to practise their strength and dexterity. Children learn to balance, use ride-on toys, climb and stretch. Their small muscle skills and hand-eye coordination are well-supported in art and craft, early writing and construction activities. Staff are very skilled at giving children

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

opportunities to challenge themselves and take risks, while providing support and guidance. In this way, children have the confidence to experiment with new skills and learn to manage their personal safety.

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

Children demonstrate great maturity in their behaviour and social skills. Children benefit from being in a family atmosphere and forge friendships with older and younger children. This means they can learn mature skills in cooperation and turn-taking, and also have empathy to support younger children who are learning. Children relish opportunities to take responsibility and help lay the tables or gather their friends for circle time. They have an exemplary understanding of what is expected of them. Staff create highly effective activities around the kinds of behaviours that make people happy and safe, and those which make people feel sad. As a result, children are assertive, say how they are feeling and manage their own behaviour very well. Overall, this means that children acquire excellent skills for the next stage of their learning.

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provision

The manager has an excellent understanding of how to meet the welfare and safeguarding requirements. All staff have undergone training in child protection and the policies and procedures are clear and well-understood. All staff are checked according to their suitability to work with children and undergo a rigorous recruitment and induction procedure. Staff know what to do should they have concerns about the welfare of a child and demonstrate an exemplary understanding of other procedures such as whistle- blowing. The manager has robust systems in place to ensure that she meets the staff-child ratios at all times. As children move freely around the play areas, staff show an exemplary understanding of how to deploy themselves to support children in their play, moving around to where children need them. This means that children are well-supervised. Record keeping and documentation is highly organised and staff follow procedures exactly. For

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provision

example, the records of administered medication are accurate and surpass the requirements. This helps to underpin children's well-being.

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provision

The pre-school employs a strong proportion of highly qualified staff and all staff are developing their qualifications as they work. This means that the manager and staff can regularly review their practice against cutting edge knowledge and ideas. Staff appreciate the wide range of opportunities to develop their skills, whether by training, mentoring or supervision and appraisal. The manager involves staff, parents and children in the self- evaluation process and is continually setting targets for improvement. For example, parents asked for more information about the planning systems and now receive the 'planning wheel' by email, as well as seeing it posted in the pre-school. Children enjoyed the digging area and suggested having a den, so staff built a robust tepee out of tree branches. The manager also takes staff suggestions on board and supports them to play to their strengths by giving them specialty roles in creative play or literacy, for example.

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provision

As a result, the provision is being continually enhanced for the benefit of children. The manager has exemplary methods for monitoring and analysing the provision. She works with her senior team to review all the learning journals frequently and gather data about children's progress. She makes regular cohort analyses to check the impact of their teaching on groups such as boys and girls, or children who are summer-born and winter- born. This gives her excellent evidence to address any areas where children may be under-achieving and demonstrates the high impact of initiatives, such as challenging those children who are gifted and talented.

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provision

Parents clearly value the pre-school very highly. They receive a wide range of information about their child's day and their achievements. Regular parents' evenings mean they are well-informed about their child's development and the flow of information means they always know what is planned in pre-school. The well-established parent-governor role is very effective at providing an additional avenue for communication. Parents meet to share their views and build their networks as a community. The manager uses questionnaires to gather parents' views anonymously, and a comments book which is always available in the pre-school. This helps her to understand any concerns they raise, but mainly demonstrates how appreciative parents are of the high quality of education and care their children receive. The manager and staff have built excellent partnerships in the community. They work closely with the receiving schools to support children and their

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provision

parents in the transition. The staff have an excellent understanding of how to work with other professionals to support children if any additional needs are identified. Overall, this means that children enjoy highly consistent care.

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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 EY391694 Local authority Merton Inspection number 944358 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 38 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Willows Pre-School Ltd Date of previous inspection 03/11/2009 Telephone number 020 8540 2388

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Setting details

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

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’.

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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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