Plymtree Pre-school

Plymtree Pre-school Plymtree Village Hall, Cullompton, Devon, EX15 2LE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/03/2014 22/10/2008

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Staff prepare children well for starting school, through the delegation of tasks which develop children's independence.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are involved in their children's learning and pre-school experiences, which helps staff meet children's needs well.  Children make good progress in their learning and are working securely within their expected age ranges. Some children exceed development for their age range owing to the quality of staff teaching.  Staff and children form positive relationships through the effective key person system, which supports children's well-being, so they feel secure and ready to learn through play.  Staff teach children to take an active role in keeping themselves safe and healthy.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff sometimes miss opportunities for children to think creatively and solve problems during their self-chosen play.  Staff do not always provide more challenging activities outdoors, such as for the more athletic children.

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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 the children in all areas of the provision both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager to discuss the pre-school provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation including some policies and procedures, and children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the pre-school's self-evaluation and talked to some parents during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Plymtree Pre-school opened in 1988 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. It operates from the village hall in Plymtree, near Cullompton in Devon. Children use the main hall with a smaller ante-room; kitchen and toilet facilities are available. Children have access to the adjoining tennis court for outdoor play and use the local park. The pre-school is managed by a committee of parent volunteers. The pre-school is registered on the Early years Register. Currently, there are 17 children on roll. The pre-school is open on Mondays from 9:15am until 3.15pm; Wednesdays from 9.15am until 3.15pm and on Fridays from 9am until 12 noon during school term times only. On Mondays and Wednesdays a lunch club operates from 11.45am until 12.30pm. The pre-school is closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There are four members of staff, three of whom hold an early years qualification.

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

 keep alert to teaching opportunities to encourage children to use resources and materials as they wish to develop their creativity and problem solving

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

 develop the outdoor environment to provide opportunities to challenge the more physically capable children in their play.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at pre-school and form good relationships with staff and other children. Key persons are effective in ensuring that all children are well settled so they are ready to learn through play. They identify children's starting points from entry so they can provide children with things they enjoy doing. They carry out regular to assess children's continued development and to identify any gaps in their achievement. For example, staff have identified that the teaching of mathematics could be enhanced and have planned more activities and provided other resources to develop children's early understanding in this area of learning.

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who attend

Staff use they observations to create a 'This Is Me' story book for each child and these are used to form individual learning plans to determine children's next stages in learning. As a result children reach their expected levels of achievement in all areas of their development, with some exceeding age-related expectations. Staff are developing children's communication skills through the use of specific educational programmes and children are confident communicators as a result. Appropriate arrangements are in place to complete progress checks for children aged two years.

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who attend

Parents are invited to attend 'parent chat' meetings with their child's key person to support parents in taking an active role in their child's learning. Staff complete daily communication books to share with parents and other early years childcare providers if children attend more than one setting, which demonstrates strong partnership working. Staff work closely with parents and seek additional support from other professionals if developmental concerns arise. Staff have implemented adequate systems to support children who speak an additional language through partnership working with parents and the use of translators where necessary. All these approaches help meet children's individual needs so them make progress.

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who attend

Children and staff understand the nursery routine and how sessions run. Children are able to track the routine using a 'visual timetable'. This display provides them with the sequence and structure of the session so children understand what happens next by looking at it. This system helps all children feel 'at home' in the pre-school.

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who attend

Staff ask questions such as 'What would happen if...?' to encourage children to make predictions and think ahead. They know the children well and often employ good teaching techniques to engage children in their learning. However, at times staff do not allow children adequate time to make their own decisions, meaning that children become dependent on staff to support their learning through activities. Children demonstrate deep levels of concentration as they engage in planned active learning. For example, one child maintained focus to create a junk model 'tractor' for sixty minutes. This provides sound foundations and helps them develop positive attitudes to learning in preparation for school. Staff do not provide always sufficiently challenging resources to extend children's learning when outdoors, which restricts children's engagement and, on occasion, leads to inappropriate behaviour.

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who attend

Staff read stories to children clearly and in an exciting manner, using fun voices and involving children, which helps bring the story to life. For example, children are asked to show various facial expressions to mimic how characters are feeling, which helps them to maintain an interest to follow the story. This successful teaching helps children develop a love of stories and books in readiness for their move to school.

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who attend

Children are given a 'five minute warning' before the end of a session to allow them to end play on their terms, which gives some ownership of their learning and provides clear expectations. When preparing food for snack time, children are given opportunities to explore the various fruits using all of their senses to form a more thorough knowledge of textures. For example, a child commented how a kiwi was 'spiky' but changed his opinion to 'soft' when allowed to touch it. This demonstrates how children learn through exploration and how staff develop their vocabularies in the programme for their communication and language development.

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

Parents comment that children are only upset for a short time when they first attend pre- school. Children are observed to settle quickly because they are warmly greeted by staff, who are kind and friendly. As a result, children separate from their carers with confidence and purpose. This demonstrates their sense of belonging and confidence, so they are happy to explore their environment.

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

Staff provide good role models for children, who feel valued and gain self-esteem through praise and encouragement. When preparing food for snack, staff wash their hands with the children to demonstrate how to do this and showing that they apply consistent rules. This ensures children develop a positive attitude to learning because they know what is expected of them, which generally fosters good behaviour.

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

Staff teach children to take responsibility for their personal care needs. Children are developing confidence to do so without adult intervention. For example, they independently put on an apron before starting their painting activities and wash their hands before eating. Staff encourage children to pour their own drinks and help to prepare fruit for snack, which they undertake with enthusiasm, showing that they are keen to be involved in daily tasks. Children play well together and form good friendships. Some resources are stored in boxes that are labelled with photographs and this helps children know what is in them. This system supports children's independence during tidy up time, when staff delegate specific tasks to children. Children enjoy the responsibility and hurry to tidy up as much as possible. These responsibilities and attitudes prepare children well for the move to school.

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

The outdoors area is an important part of pre-school life and children are able to use this daily since the installation of an outdoors canopy. Children have the space to be exuberant and expressive in their movements but staff do not provide adequate resources to encourage the more athletic children to engage in challenging and suitably risky play to keep them engaged. Staff provide other activities too when children go outside to promote other areas of learning. For example, children enjoy practising their early writing skills by making marks using water and paint brushes in the programme for literacy, which helps them gain suitable skills in preparation for school.

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

Staff have a thorough understanding of the pre-school's safeguarding procedures and how to keep children safe. The manager has installed barriers to prevent children from accessing the kitchen without adult supervision. Staff deployment is effective in supervising children and allows children to play in their chosen area of the pre-school. Children can choose from a range of resources to support their learning. However, sometimes staff do not allow children opportunities to use the resources as they wish in the programme for creativity.

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provision

The friendly staff team work well together and with parents to reassure them of their children's well-being. All staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements for both learning and development, and safeguarding and welfare. All staff have attended training and understand their responsibilities with regards to any child protection concerns. This means that staff are able to take appropriate and prompt action to promote children's welfare. There are effective systems in place to ensure children's safety is promoted, such as visitors' records, daily safety checklists and regular fire drills. Staff and parents know to keep the front door locked to prevent strangers entering the premises uninvited or children leaving unsupervised. The committee and staff team work together to review policies and to reflect changes in requirements and support practice. Parents are given

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provision

copies of reviewed policies to ensure they are aware of changes, which creates an ethos of openness.

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provision

The staff establish positive partnerships with parents. The notice board, for example, keeps parents well informed about forthcoming activities and events, helping them to feel fully included in their children's experiences. The manager is implementing a trial system to increase parent participation in the pre-school evaluation. This innovation demonstrates the manager's understanding of the importance of partnership working with parents. The staff have identified other settings which individual children also attend and have established good links with them to promote consistency in the delivery of the educational programmes and support offered.

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provision

All staff members have induction and receive ongoing supervision to ensure they understand their individual roles and responsibilities well. Recruitment and vetting procedures are thorough to confirm the suitability of staff to work with the children. The manager has a good understanding of statutory requirements to ensure that children are well cared for by appropriately qualified staff.

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provision

There are clear systems for monitoring staff effectiveness. Regular supervision and appraisals help identify any training needs. Staff cascade information from training courses at staff meetings to ensure staff are consistent in their approach and are constantly evaluating the success of the pre-school in meeting children's needs. The manager has a clear overview of the assessment of children's progress, which helps to identify any gaps in children's learning. For example, staff have recently extended resources and planned activities to further promote children's understanding of early mathematics. As a result, children are now seen to regularly name shapes and count during their play. At times, staff miss opportunities for children to lead their own learning and they do not provide sufficiently challenging outdoor resources. This means the most physically active children are not challenged fully.

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provision

The staff team has successfully addressed the recommendations set at the last inspection, which has improved aspects of children's safety, learning and enjoyment. This demonstrates a determination to drive improvement. The manager and staff make good use of their self-evaluation systems to ensure continuous improvement and have consequently noted several areas for improvement. This team's approach to reflective practice encourages all staff to assess the effectiveness of their practice. Committee members conduct monthly observations to develop their knowledge and understanding of the setting and staff practice, which helps them to gain an understanding of staff roles and demonstrates they take their involvement seriously. Staff have also started conducting peer-to-peer observations to share good practice and feedback is given during supervision meetings, which evidences that practice is being monitored to make changes where

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provision

needed and to identify individual staff's strengths.

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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 106012 Local authority Devon Inspection number 845888 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 17 Name of provider Plymtree Pre-school Committee Date of previous inspection 22/10/2008 Telephone number 07928 786673

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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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