Smart Start Wistow Community Pre School

Smart Start Wistow Community Pre-School Wistow Jubilee Hall, Jubilee Road, Wistow, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 3YP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/02/2014 15/09/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 2 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

 Teaching is consistently of a very high quality delivered through rich, varied and imaginative activities and experiences that are provided for children.  Children have lots of opportunities to investigate and experience new things. This helps them to be motivated to adopt a 'have a go' attitude and approach to learning.  The robust key person system helps children to form secure, emotional attachments providing a strong base to help them to speedily develop in confidence and independence.  The well-established and well-qualified pre-school team have very good access to support from the competent and capable pre-school leader. She regularly works alongside them to supervise, monitor and assess their already first-rate professional working practice.  Adults fully understand how children learn and develop. They guide children's learning based, without doubt, on their interests and individual learning goals, so that each one

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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 looked at areas children use, inside and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children, staff, a grandparent, the pre-school leader, a childminder and the secretary of the pre-school committee.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff and children during a varied range of indoor and outdoor activities.

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Inspection activities

 A joint observation and discussion about the effectiveness of an adult-led group activity for children was carried out by the inspector and the pre-school leader.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documents, including evidence of the suitability of adults to work with children, the self-evaluation record, a sample of children's files, policies, procedures and other records.

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Information about the setting

Smart Start Wistow Community Pre-School was registered in October 1992 on the Early Years Register. The provision is managed by a voluntary management committee, made up of parents of children at the pre-school and members of the local community. The pre- school operates from the Jubilee Hall in the village of Wistow on the outskirts of Selby, North Yorkshire. It serves families from the local community and surrounding areas.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 36 children on roll and all are in the early years age group. The pre- school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Opening times are between Monday to Friday, term time only, 9.15am to 12.15pm and from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. During each three hour session, children may have lunch. The pre- school has use of a main playroom plus an additional side room, a kitchen area, toilets and a room on the first floor if required. There is an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs six members of staff. The pre-school leader holds an appropriate qualification at level 5 and four staff, including the deputy manager, hold appropriate qualifications at level 3. A lunchtime assistant is unqualified but working towards a qualification at level 2. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and receives support from the local authority.

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

 enhance the already stimulating, well-resourced and welcoming environment, for example, by creating further ways to display children's work while working within the constraints of using a shared, public building.

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who attend

Adults have a clear and expert knowledge of the seven areas of learning. They fully understand and skilfully implement the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. They are fully aware of how children learn and how to guide each child's learning based emphatically on their interests and individual learning goals. This makes each child's learning personal. They are very knowledgeable about child development and fully understand how to adapt activities and the environment to meet the needs of children of different ages. Adults have high expectations of children and make sure that they are challenged, highly involved and active in their learning. They reflect on the different ways that children learn and make progress and put their ideas into action. They tailor their practice to be clear that children have lots of opportunities to investigate and experience things and adopt a 'have a go' attitude. Adults are frequently

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who attend

overheard to say 'let's give it a go' helping children to be confident to try without being fearful of making a mistake. The quality of teaching is consistently of a very high level delivered through rich, varied and imaginative activities and experiences that are conscientiously provided for children. As a result, children make excellent progress in their learning.

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who attend

Adults make precise, focused assessments of children's progress and share this information with parents and partners. When children enter the setting, their parents are encouraged to complete a document the pre-school calls 'I am special'. This provides each child's key person with the information they need, in order to help them meet children's individual needs and gain a secure understanding of the starting point in their learning. This information is stored in a folder, personal to each child. It contains detailed, written observations that adults make to check and track children's progress and which they use to identify their future learning goals. In addition, the folder, which is divided into sections relevant to the seven areas of learning, contains many photographs and examples of children's work. This helps parents to be informed in meaningful ways about activities their child is involved in, the progress they are making and about the Early Years

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who attend

Foundation Stage areas of learning. Parents can take these folders home to share with other family members and are confident to contribute towards this interesting and valuable account of their child's learning journey. Ways in which adults engage with parents contributes very effectively towards children's learning. This is because information is shared and continued highly successfully between the home and the setting. For example, a clearly visible whiteboard informs parents of the focussed activities for the week and includes suggestions about how parents can support and expand their child's learning at home. Parents use 'Home Pride' sheets to share accounts of children's achievements at home. The regular monitoring of children's progress means those who need additional support are quickly identified. Parents, partners and outside agencies are fully informed and involved in this process to ensure children receive the support they

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who attend

need to enable them to continue to make excellent progress.

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who attend

Children are highly engaged, well motivated and willing and eager to join in. They are consistently busy, well occupied and active, which means they behave exceptionally well. They concentrate very well and demonstrate that they are sustained, critical thinkers. For example, they make jellyfish using empty containers and pipe cleaners. They are challenged to think about how to fix the pipe cleaners to the containers and to consider what will happen when the jellyfish model is taken over to the water tray and immersed in the water. Adults ask 'Do you think that will work?' to encourage children to solve problems and develop their ideas and strategies for doing things. Children show extremely high levels of confidence and self-esteem. They remember to save the pips from their fruit at snack time and talk confidently about the reasoning behind this, which is because they are going to 'grow them in the garden'. They experiment with the hand-held metal

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who attend

detectors, independently testing the zips on their clothing and footwear, staples on the wall, furniture and the inspector's pen and earrings to check for metal. When asked if they should use the metal detectors to check if the building bricks and home corner utensils are made from metal, they quickly reply that 'no, they are made out of wood and plastic'. This shows children are gaining and retaining knowledge and experience but are still curious to 'test out' what they have learnt in different situations. A varied range of equipment is confidently used by children linked to information and communication technology. The hand-held electronic tablets are firm favourites. Children use them to speedily alternate between the different applications, including games to sort and match shapes and the camera. The varied range of high quality tools, equipment and resources that children confidently use means they are developing a broad range of skills that make them

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who attend

exceptionally well prepared for school and the next steps in their learning.

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

The beginning of the morning session, including children's arrival at the pre-school, is well organised. Children and their parents are warmly greeted and informally line up to record their attendance in a register. They are fully involved in this process. Children write their name, find their printed name card and select a picture card to show if they are going home at the end of their session, staying to have a packed lunch provided by parents or a meal provided by the nearby school. A mirror board at child-height invites children to think about how they are feeling, which informs parents and pre-school adults about children's emotional well-being. Children know who their key person is because they place their name cards near to a photograph of their special person. This helps children to feel safe, secure and have a strong sense of belonging. Named coat pegs and individual drawers for each child reinforce this. The environment is stimulating, extremely well resourced and

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

very welcoming. It is extremely well prepared before children's arrival, so that they can quickly begin to play and be ready to learn. Low dividers and furniture are attractively and skilfully arranged to create defined areas for children to use. There are some posters on the walls but display boards or areas to exhibit children's creative work is limited due to the constraints of the pre-school using a shared building. A colourful canopy made from transparent fabric is used to create a quiet place for children to crawl into to read books or to rest or relax. This is a space for children to hide away but remain in full view of adults who ensure they remain safe.

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

The outdoor play space is used regularly each day by the children, so they have the opportunity to be physical and active in the fresh air, supporting their health and well- being. There are a number of resources for children to use that includes balls and a net to aim balls at, hoops and bicycles, including those for two children to share, tyres and a slide. Sometimes, children are taken to the adjacent park to use the larger, more challenging equipment. A large cardboard box provides children with endless play possibilities as they climb into it and pretend it is a boat. This interest in boats prompts adults to record what they have seen on a large sheet of paper that everyone contributes towards, so that they can develop this idea further. Growing activities are planned to take place shortly with children's contributions of the pips they find in the fresh fruit they eat. Children independently visit the snack table according to their choice. They understand to

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

clean their hands before eating their chosen piece of fruit. Many of the older children safely use a small knife to cut up the fruit themselves on a plate. They are precise and take great care, which demonstrates their excellent understanding of managing risks while keeping themselves safe. At lunch time, adults sit and eat their food with the children. This provides the perfect opportunity for a calm and relaxed social gathering where children and adults engage in high quality conversations. Some children have a meal cooked in the school, which is then transferred over to the pre-school. This helps children to become familiar with the types of meals they will experience once they start school.

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

The robust key person system helps children to form firm, emotional attachments providing a strong base to help them develop in confidence and independence. Warm, caring and trusting relationships are clearly evident between children and their key person and some children spontaneously tell their special person how fond they are of them. The majority of the children will attend the local village school, which is close by, when they leave the pre-school. Adults help prepare children for this by regularly taking children across to the school for visits and to attend school events. Alongside walks in the community and trips to local farms, children are extremely well supported to feel part of a close and caring community. Some children attend other settings in the local area, for example, childminders and a before and after school club. They are very well supported to cope with attending different settings and in doing so become very familiar with the village

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

and the people who live there. They are particularly well supported to make the adjustment into school with minimal disruption or anxiety. This helps children recognise their place in a village community and prepares them successfully for their transfer into other settings and school.

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provision

The pre-school is extremely safe and secure. During times when parents and their children are arriving at and departing from the playgroup, adults are extremely vigilant to ensure that any unauthorised person is not able to enter the premises or any child able to leave unsupervised. Highly effective safeguarding arrangements are in place, including security monitoring cameras at the entrance to the pre-school and the checking of the suitability of adults to work with children. All adults attend safeguarding training, so they understand the action to take and whom to contact if they have any concerns about a child's welfare or well-being. Appropriate written safeguarding policies, procedures and guidance are in place to keep children safe. This includes, a safeguarding policy, complaints procedure, safe recruitment procedures and risk assessment routines. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures are established, shared well with parents and regularly reviewed

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provision

to ensure they remain fully effective. This helps to ensure a safe environment for children to play and reduces risks and hazards. The safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are understood by all adults and are fully met.

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provision

The well-established and well-qualified team have very good access to support from the competent and capable pre-school leader. She regularly works alongside them to supervise, monitor and assess their first-rate professional working practice. The inspirational pre-school leader frequently reviews and monitors the provision for children and has a clear vision for future improvement. She regularly checks that all areas of learning for children are given sufficient attention through the programme of activities. If there are any gaps, she uses this knowledge to ensure these are promptly covered. The pre-school leader and her team regularly exchange information and share their ideas for improvement. This includes discussions about their observations of groups of children who require prompt and positive interaction. For example, they adapt the environment to meet the needs of the youngest children and provide additional challenges for the more capable

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provision

children. They channel the boisterous behaviour and enthusiasm of some children who show an interest in being 'superheroes' into purposeful play and learning. The pre-school leader seeks the opinions of her team, parents and children who all contribute towards setting achievable targets and identifying priorities for further development and improvement. Issues raised at the last inspection have been well met. This has resulted in a safer environment for children through improved, more detailed risk assessment procedures. Reflective practice is greatly enhanced and remains a key strength in the continuous pursuit of excellence.

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provision

Highly effective partnerships are clearly evident, resulting in children's needs being exceptionally well met and by being very well prepared for school. Partnerships with parents are very strong and make a significant impact towards highly successful information sharing. This enhances, extends and influences children's learning, development and progress, particularly through the excellent ways this is continued between the home and the pre-school setting. Children's well-being, enjoyment and learning is at the very centre of this outstanding pre-school. They flourish and thrive by being part of a close knit community, attending a highly successful pre-school setting and from strong partnerships and extremely effective working relationships.

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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 400317 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 872181

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 36 Name of provider Smart Start Wistow Community Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 15/09/2009 Telephone number 07973 918517

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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

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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