United Reformed Church Pre-School and Nursery

United Reformed Church Pre- School and Nursery Vaughan Road, HARPENDEN, Hertfordshire, AL5 4ED

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/02/2014 02/07/2010

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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

 The pre-school manager clearly provides exceptional support and inspiration to the whole staff team, showing exemplary leadership.  The exceptional range of activities and experiences provided is highly effective in supporting children's learning and development across all age ranges.  The pre-school daily routine provides an extensive amount of free play time enabling children to independently explore, investigate and discover.  The staff team make excellent use of all resources and play spaces to ensure children of all ages play in safe, secure, stimulating environments.  The staff team clearly have an exemplary knowledge and understanding of children's learning and development.

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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 activities in the three playrooms.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the practitioners working with the children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of the parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

United Reformed Church Pre-school and Nursery opened in 1973 and is on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is based in the United Reformed Church hall in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. The setting is managed by the manager on behalf of the church committee. Children use three rooms with adjoining toilet and kitchen facilities. The pre-school uses the main church hall and the nursery class uses an adjoining room for part of the session. There is an enclosed outside play area.

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Information about the setting

Currently there are 62 children on roll between the ages of two years and five years. The setting is open Monday to Thursday from 9.15am to 12.15pm and Friday from 12.15pm to 3pm, term time only. It currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The United Reformed Church Pre-school and Nursery employs 10 staff. Of these, six hold qualifications at level 3, one holds a qualification at level 2, one has Qualified Teacher Status and the manager holds a qualification at level 6 and a foundation degree.

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

 update the pre-school website to show the latest information about areas of learning so that parents continue to be fully informed.

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who attend

The staff team clearly have an excellent understanding of how children learn and develop across the age range. Each child's key person carries out a range of highly focused observations and assessments to build a precise picture of children's learning and development. There are then clear links to show how the individual information is effectively used in ongoing planning. This enables the pre-school team to provide an exceptionally wide range of engaging activities and experiences, which cover all aspects of each area of learning. Children are thoughtfully challenged to be active learners who are given time and space to explore and discover through independent play.

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who attend

The information gathered through the 'My World' booklet used at admission ensures staff get to know the children extremely well. This provides them with an insight into the child's learning styles, their interests and their individual learning needs. This information is skilfully used to shape the learning experience for each child. The exceptionally high quality and skill of teaching allows children to be confident, independent learners. At the smaller group activities staff use stories to support and inspire children to develop play. This encourages the children to develop their creative and critical thinking as they talk about how pigs built their houses and then use a range of resources to explore building for themselves.

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who attend

The pre-school team make excellent use of all resources to create enticing activities for all areas of learning. Children choose freely from the science trolley and use the different resources to explore and investigate through their play. Children are encouraged and supported to extend their learning as all play is actively child led. Staff make excellent use of conversations with children, who speak with confidence at a range of activities. To expand children's vocabulary staff introduce new words as the children are playing and exploring. This allows the children to link words to actions and supports them to learn and remember. Children have extensive opportunities for writing at all activities, which builds their confidence to practice and develop writing skills. Children show increasing confidence in maths through staffs careful use of maths language and concepts at all activities. Children can calculate how many bricks they need to build with and can easily name

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who attend

shapes and sizes. Staff skilfully model problem-solving by thinking aloud and encouraging children to work things out for themselves.

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who attend

The pre-school effectively meets the needs of a wide age range of children. Staff have highly effective methods of ensuring activities are appropriately planned and provided for children of different ages. Younger children have a dedicated area where they can freely and safely access the activities and resources. For example, the younger children have more clear floor space and closer supervision as they investigate sand with skilful supportive staff. The exceptionally well-planned systems ensure that all children learn well. Children with additional needs have dedicated support in the setting, which enables them to fully take part in all activities. Staff create visual timetables so that children with special needs can securely follow the routine. Key persons hold regular meetings with parents to review children's development. Parents report that staff show exceptional commitment to supporting children's learning and to working with them.

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who attend

Parents are actively encouraged to contribute to learning and development records with details of play and learning at home. The pre-school have a parent teacher association to further support the extensive and effective partnership with parents. The pre-school have effective systems for carrying out the progress check at age two. These exemplary partnerships ensure parents are fully involved in their child's next steps and transitions. The pre-school team have created an excellent learning environment where children can be exceptionally independent. The daily routine is organised to allow long periods of time and space for free play. This ensures that children lead and develop their own play and are able to explore through active learning and skilfully set challenges. The knowledgeable and committed staff team extensively support children to be exceptionally well-prepared for their learning journeys and transition into school.

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

Children's well-being is sensitively and carefully nurtured to effectively support their personal, social and emotional development. They arrive with their parents and are enthusiastically greeted by all staff. The children are exceptionally confident coming into the pre-school, they clearly feel secure here with a good sense of belonging. Children go immediately to choose activities and are swiftly engaged in their play. Throughout the session children move confidently around the play space, making decisive independent choices. The routine is clearly well embedded with all the children and both younger and older children show exceptionally high levels of self-control. At a range of activities children devise rules and share and take turns independently. At the sand children are searching for the treasure. They discuss how they will search together and takes turns with the different tools. When a new child approaches the children explain the task so

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

they can join in. Staff encourage children to take responsibility and at the computer an adult asks a child to explain how the game is played to the next child.

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

Children health is exceptionally well supported through the excellent partnership with parents. The parent teacher association provide an extensive range of healthy snacks. Snack time is offered through an ongoing cafe style routine and children are skilled at helping themselves. They are offered bread with spreads that they choose and prepare themselves and both fruit and savoury snacks to help themselves from. Milk or water are constantly available and children pour their own drinks. They have an exceptional understanding of the routine and wash their hands before snack and clear their plates and cups after without prompting. The high levels of independence that children have are so extensively well supported by the staff that children are confident and exceptionally able to assess and manage risks for themselves. At the climbing frame children climb up and down in different ways, staff clearly observe but allow the children to manage the risks

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

and make decisions about how to set their own challenges.

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

Staff prepare children well for school. They provide small group sessions with children to engage in more focused learning. Children have excellent self-care and communication skills, which prepare them well for the next stage of their learning. Staff make particular connections with schools to support the whole family in moving on. Children's safeguarding is exemplary, all staff have attended training and are clearly confident to bring issues to the manager if they have concerns. If staff have any minor concerns about a child they raise this in team meetings so that all staff are knowledgeable about a child's next steps. Any deeper concerns are immediately raised with the manager and the policy and procedure is followed.

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provision

The manager and leaders of this setting show an inspirational commitment to meeting the individual needs of the children. This is a close knit exceptionally motivated team who clearly share the vision and work in highly effective ways to support children's welfare and learning and development. The well-qualified staff team take full advantage of all opportunities to train and continue their professional development, ensuring that knowledge is continually updated. Staff have an excellent understanding of the safeguarding requirements and children's safety is maintained at a high level. There are current and effective risk assessments in place and secure systems for visitors and for ensuring the safety and security of the building. All staff update their child protection training regularly and have current suitability checks. They are very familiar with the safeguarding policies and procedure for the pre-school and are confident to use these as

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provision

required. Staff use the highly effective risk assessments to minimise hazards while still helping children to take risks and manage challenges.

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provision

The enthusiastic and committed manager is highly qualified and experienced, she works alongside staff in all aspects of the childcare. This means she is consistently supervising and monitoring staff practice and can quickly identify staff's strengths and areas for development. Staff greatly appreciate having opportunities to build skills through training and role modelling. They work together to monitor the provision and develop areas that they identify for improvement. Staff have daily meetings to discuss any issues from the session and share ideas. There is an ongoing action plan that each member of staff has a copy of and can add to this for further discussion. The manager monitors children's progress records to ensure they are accurate and well used to identify any learning and development needs. In order to make the records as useful as possible, they are regularly updated and they are clearly well used and effective.

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provision

Parents have extensive opportunities to be involved in the provision through contributions to children's learning records. Their contributions are highly valued by staff and parents are very complimentary about the exceptional care taken to meet the needs of children. Parents enjoy being part of pre-school life and show a high commitment to the parent teacher association. The staff commitment to enabling all children to fulfil their potential is further evident in the strength of partnerships with other agencies. The pre-school team maintain close working relationships with all agencies and carers involved with children so that they benefit from a wide range of knowledge. Staff have clear relationships with receiving schools to support children in their transfer to the next stage in their learning. This helps to maintain children's confidence in learning as an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

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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 123612 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 854166

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 62 Name of provider United Reformed Church Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 02/07/2010 Telephone number 01582767578

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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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