Elm Tree Pre School

Elm Tree Pre School Weybourne Village Hall, Farnham, GU9 9ER

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/02/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 Children enjoy a wide variety of activities that encourage them to learn through play. Resources are easily accessible, which encourages children's independence as they make their own choices with regard to what they play with.  The key person system works well. Consequently, children have warm relationships with practitioners and are happy and settled.  Teaching is good because all practitioners fully understand how to promote children's learning and have high expectations for their achievements. As a result, children make good progress given their starting points and capabilities.  Effective partnerships with parents mean that there is a united approach to meeting individual children's needs, extending their learning and helping them make good progress.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not take children on regular outings. This means that although children have access to toys, books and role-play representing community life, they do not have the benefit of first-hand experiences to support their learning.  The programme for literacy is not fully developed in the outdoor area.

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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 compulsory part 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 children's play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with available staff, parents and held discussions with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation including a representative sample of children's records, policies, staff training records and staff suitability records.  The inspector looked at arrangements for keeping children safe.

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Information about the setting

Elm Tree Pre-school registered in 2013. It operates from the village hall in Weybourne, near Farnham in Surrey. Children have access to a secure outside play area. The pre- school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery is open Monday and Friday from 9.15 am to 12.15 pm, with extended days on Tuesday to Thursday from 9.15 am to 2.30 pm. There are currently 41 children in the early years age group on roll. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The nursery welcomes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. A total of seven staff work with the children, and they all hold appropriate or higher early years qualifications.

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

 support children's learning further by introducing outings into the educational programme, for example, taking children on visits to the local community so that they can practise skills, learned in the pre-school, in real life situations

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

 enhance the outdoor area to enrich opportunities for children to see and recognise familiar words and numbers by, for example, creating an outdoor environment rich in print.

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who attend

The indoor environment contains a varied range of resources which are maintained well and accessible for all children. As a result, children are able to find the equipment they require and make independent choices from the wide selection available. Children are motivated, engaged and creative with their learning. For example, they enjoy applying glue onto shaped tissue paper to create a caterpillar. They show high levels of concentration and engagement with the activity and speak about how the glue feels. Staff skilfully use this opportunity to further the children's understanding of mini-beasts, as they discuss the life cycle of a butterfly. This shows that children are thinking about what they are doing and learning and using vocabulary to describe things. This is further consolidated by the staff providing magnifying glasses and binoculars to enable children to search for and closely examine bugs in the garden.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy and join in with 'Music madness sessions,' as staff play the guitar and piano. Staff also incorporate teaching about different cultures through playing music from the around the world. Therefore, children have good opportunities to develop an awareness of diversity, and are developing the skills to embrace new experiences. Children also learn about the world around them as they watch the change and growth of the plants in their garden. Children explore information and communication technology with high levels of confidence. Older children are becoming skilled at using the nursery's computer. They confidently turn on the programme they wish to use and guide the computer mouse to negotiate the pages and work through programmes.

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who attend

Children have a wide selection of books and enjoy listening to stories in small and large groups. Staff read at a slow pace to help all children understand and allow them to join in; they use actions to demonstrate the words spoken and wait for children to repeat the words as the story unfolds. This approach particularly supports children who speak English as an additional language. Practitioners extend children's language and thinking skills by asking them open-ended questions about the stories. For example, they ask,' What do you think has happened?' Children begin to understand that print carries meaning and the more able children handle books with care and enjoy having stories read to them. However, there are few resources in the outside area that support and further their understanding of words. Older children are beginning to link sounds to letters; some are naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet, gaining skills that will be useful when

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who attend

Teaching is good as children are given time to work at their own pace and complete activities to their own level of understanding. Staff sit with them, observe, do not take over or intervene and allow them to solve things for themselves. Staff demonstrate a clear knowledge of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the seven areas of learning. They use effective observation, assessment and planning systems to promote children's progress. Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of their key children, including their individual needs, learning styles and interests. All key persons share relevant development information with parents and there are clear logs of discussions about things that children have done in the pre-school and at home. As a result, parents feel fully enabled to approach their child's key person or a member of the management team. Practitioners use their accurate assessments of children and information from their

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who attend

parents to plan suitably challenging play activities. Written records, such as the progress checks for children aged two years, are accurate. They describe children's learning and developmental progress and are shared with parents.

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

Children settle well, are secure and enjoy trusting and caring relationships with staff. This results in a warm and nurturing atmosphere where children's emotional well-being is fostered well and their growing sense of independence is promoted. Children benefit from the positive relationships between their parents and staff. Each child is allocated a key person when they first attend who spends time gathering information about their individual needs. Children explore all areas confidently and independently, helping themselves to toys of their choice from the wide range available. Children have good opportunities to develop an awareness of diversity, as they play with figures, dolls and books that reflect positive images. Staff plan activities related to festivals that help children learn about different cultural celebrations.

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

Staff support children well in their social skills, so they learn how to play together and build friendships. All children are learning to behave well in the nursery and are supported very well by staff to understand the clear rules and boundaries. Staff praise the children and reinforce the kindness they have shown to each other. As a result, children make good relationships with their peers and become aware of their behaviour and how it can affect others. In addition, staff help children to understand how they can keep themselves and others safe through their actions. For example, they sensitively remind them to take care when playing with the large wooden blocks, to ensure they do not fall on them.

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

Children go outside regularly and this helps to enable them to remain healthy as they get lots of exercise and fresh air. Children collect their coats independently and practitioners give them time and support to put them on before they go outside. Children are active in their outdoor play as they use a good range of resources, such as hoops, balls and climbing and balancing equipment, which develop their physical skills well. Staff encourage children to engage in conversation, for example, as they pretend to go shopping. However, staff do not plan outings to support the children's learning. This makes it difficult for children to make the connections between their play and real life situations.

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

Staff meet children's dietary needs through the provision of freshly prepared snacks. The excellent rolling snack system supports children's independent skills very well. They are encouraged to experience tasting a wide variety of fruits and snacks as they serve themselves and sit sociably together. Parents supply suitable packed lunches. Children know they need to have clean hands before they have their snack or lunch and this is part of the daily routine. These skills support children's next stage in their learning, preparing them for their move on to other settings and school. Staff form successful links with other practitioners who are also involved in children's care and learning. For example, children visit their new schools. This aids the children's move into primary school and provides a valuable opportunity for them to meet their future teachers in an environment where they feel comfortable.

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provision

The manager and staff team have a clear understanding of their responsibility to meet the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. All visitors and parents are greeted at the front door, usually by a senior member of staff. Therefore, children are kept safe and cannot leave the pre-school unsupervised. Effective recruitment and vetting procedures are in place. As a result of a comprehensive induction to the setting, staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Consequently, children are kept safe and staff promote their welfare. Adult to child ratios are met at all times and staff follow an effective process of daily risk assessment to ensure potential hazards are identified and minimised quickly. The manager understands clearly her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. She has a strong knowledge of the Early Years Foundation

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provision

Stage and uses this well to support her staff. She has a good overview of children's learning and development because she monitors them, and their progress records, regularly. This means she can see that all children are making good progress and can target intervention if necessary. Practitioners have a secure knowledge of how children learn so they are able to plan stimulating and challenging experiences for their key children. All practitioners work extremely well as a team, keeping each other informed and sharing changing information about their key children and any achievements or concerns. They record observations of children's progress in their individual development folders. The manager uses regular team meetings and annual appraisals to monitor staff practice and skills. Staff share information gained through any training they have completed with their colleagues. This ensures children benefit from a well-qualified staff team, who apply

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provision

consistent approaches to their work with the children.

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provision

Parents are kept fully informed about their child's learning and development through daily verbal feedback on the activities that children have engaged in and through regular formal feedback. They regularly view their children's learning journey records and contribute with ideas and observations from home. Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection hold the provision in very high regard. They feel that their children are very well cared for and are helped to make very good progress in their learning. The management has a strong drive to improve the pre-school. It effectively uses a variety of methods of self-evaluation to help identify areas for further development. It targets areas for improvement and implements plans to address these. The setting receives ongoing support from the local authority enabling it to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY466917 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 928663 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 41 Name of provider Elm Tree Pre-School Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07977892694

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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

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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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