Our Lady of the Wayside Pre-School

Our Lady of the Wayside Pre- School 566 Stratford Road, Shirley, SOLIHULL, West Midlands, B90 4AY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/03/2014 27/11/2008

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Teaching is good because staff know the children well. Children enjoy a wide range of resources and activities and consequently they are happy, independent and active learners who make good progress.  Partnerships with parents are strong and well established. Staff form close working partnerships from the earliest opportunity and actively involve parents in their children's ongoing care and learning. As a result, parents state that they feel fully involved in their children's learning and development.  All staff have a comprehensive knowledge and awareness of safeguarding issues, consequently, children's welfare and well-being is very well- promoted.  Leadership is effective, creating a positive ethos within the pre-school. High expectations are communicated through the recruitment of well-qualified staff and a commitment to continuous professional development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 During some group activities staff do not fully consider the ages and abilities of all children and as a result, younger children are not always fully engaged.  There is scope for staff to use peer observations to further improve the quality of teaching and learning and share their skills and knowledge.

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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 activities in both halls and in the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and spoke to staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the provider's evidence of self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the pre-schools own parental feedback questionnaires.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Our Lady of the Wayside Pre-School opened in 1993 and is managed by a voluntary committee. The pre-school is on the Early Years Register and operates from the church hall premises at Our Lady of the Wayside Church, which is situated in Shirley, Solihull. The group has the use of two halls, with kitchen and toilet facilities, all on ground floor level with ramped access. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The setting is open each weekday from 9.15am to 12.15pm, during term time only. The pre- school also provides wraparound provision, from 9.15am to 12.30pm, for children who attend Our Lady of the Wayside Nursery.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 49 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Children attend from the local and surrounding area. The setting currently supports children with English as an additional language. The pre-school employs nine staff to work with the children. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 4, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one member of staff does not have a recognised early years qualification.

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

 review how larger group activities are managed to fully support younger children in remaining focused and engaged in their learning

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

 consider how peer observations could enable staff to reflect on the quality of teaching and learning and offer opportunities for knowledge to be shared to further support and enhance practice.

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who attend

Teaching is good, because all staff interact well with children. Children benefit from a successful blend of good quality adult-led and child-initiated experiences. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development. Staff promote children's communication and language development well, by engaging children in spontaneous and sustained conversations. Staff are skillful at making the most of these opportunities by asking open-ended questions which encourage children to think about their answers. Staff also support children with English as an additional language, by sensitively introducing new language and key vocabulary during small group times. Children practise their physical skills by learning how to use larger equipment, for example, climbing on the climbing frame and sliding down the other side. Staff support and recognise their achievements with encouragement and praise. Staff enhance

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who attend

children's knowledge and understanding of how physical activity can affect their bodies, for example, by talking about being out of breath when they run and how this makes their heart beat faster.

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who attend

Children enjoy sharing books with adults and some children are able to explain the sounds that link to letters and recognise their own names when they self-register. This helps with their early literacy skills. Children's understanding of mathematics is effectively promoted as staff introduce counting and shape recognition in both the inside and outside environments. They have access to good quality equipment that enhances their awareness of size, shapes and patterns. For example, while reading a familiar story children compare the shape of a bean with that of an egg. There is a well-equipped creative area where children can explore different textures and media, for example, children enjoy drawing and making marks on large sheets of paper taped to the floor. This helps them to explore their own creative ideas. Children's work or art is displayed around the room, which places value on what children have created. Children benefit from free-flow access to the outside

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who attend

environment, allowing them to choose where they want to play. Staff effectively tune in to children's thinking, for example, while at the construction table staff extend children's learning by listening to their ideas and suggesting different solutions. Consequently, children stay focused on their learning for longer. However, there is scope to review how some group time activities are managed, including the group size and timings of the activity, to enable younger children to remain focused and fully engaged in their learning. Staff effectively support children during sharing and turn taking activities, which in turn supports them to play cooperatively and build relationships with their peers. Children are also developing their knowledge and understanding of technology, by taking it in turns to use the computer and interacting with the programmes on offer.

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who attend

Staff record their observations of children in the form of photographs and written observations. These are recorded in learning journeys which are shared with parents. As they observe children playing they find out about what they are interested in and use this to plan activities each week. This ensures children's individual needs are effectively met. Parents contribute towards an initial assessment of children's starting points and then have daily opportunities for contact with their child's key person as they drop off and collect their children. As a result, parents are well-informed about their children's learning and ideas are shared on how they can continue to support this at home. Home link books are used to support communications between pre-school and home, as well as other settings that the child may attend. Children effectively develop the skills they need in readiness for starting school and their transition in to school is well-planned for, because

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who attend

the pre-school have established good links with their feeder schools.

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

A well-established key person approach is in place, which helps children develop a sense of security and supports their emotional well-being. Staff have established strong relationships with all children, as well as their parents. Settling-in periods allow relationships to be built before they start. Parents report that they receive lots of information before their child starts and they feel fully supported during this time. Parents also have access to various books and leaflets in relation to many topics, including potty training, healthy eating and behaviour management, which can be loaned to support them in their parenting at home.

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

Staff support children's growing independence by placing resources and equipment at a low-level. This includes, having a portable sink in the main room, so children are able to manage washing their hands independently. A snack bar is available which promotes children to make healthy choices. There are opportunities for children to pour their own drinks and select their choice of healthy snack which supports children's growing independence. Children manage their own personal care routines and staff discuss washing off the germs before snack ensuring children gain an understanding of the importance of hand washing. The outside environment also offers children opportunities to be active and develop their coordination, control and movement. As a result, children learn the importance of being physically active.

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

The staff work well as a team and take a consistent approach to managing the children's behaviour. For example, children are gently reminded to share resources and take turns. Children are learning to manage appropriate risks well, for example, they carefully negotiate their way around equipment as they play games outside with staff. The well- resourced environment, both indoors and outdoors, is used well to support children's all- round development and emotional well-being. This provides a good range of experiences that help to develop children's growing independence, cooperation and social skills.

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provision

The manager plays an active and effective role in overseeing the daily running of the pre- school. The manager and staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are effective policies and procedures in place, which are regularly updated and monitored to support their successful implementation. Robust staff recruitment and vetting systems are in place which ensures that children are cared for by adults who are suitably checked and qualified, and have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in order to keep children safe. All staff have an induction when they first start working to ensure that they fully understand the policies, procedures and what is expected of them. Staff undertake training in safeguarding and have a good understanding of the steps they need to take if they have concerns about a child. Regular audits and the monitoring of accidents

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provision

and their causes feed in to the risk assessment process to support the ongoing improvement of children's safety. Children are well-supervised and supported as the staff are effectively deployed and the required ratios are met. Staff complete daily safety checks as well as more detailed risk assessments, which support the continued safety of the children.

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provision

Formal supervision sessions are held for all staff throughout the year. These enable staff to reflect on their personal development and to discuss and plan any training needs. In- house training and staff meetings are held on a regular basis and enable the sharing of good practice and ideas. Self-evaluation is ongoing and takes in to account the views of parents and children. This means that action plans prioritise improvements that will have the most impact on children's learning and development. However, the manager has not fully considered how to use other methods of self-evaluation, including peer observations, to enable staff to fully reflect on their own practice and provide opportunities for their knowledge and expertise to be shared.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good from the outset. Parents are provided with a wealth of information, in displays, newsletters and on the pre-schools informative website. This ensures they are well-informed about how the pre-school operates, and are kept up-to- date with information about activities and events. Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection expressed very positive views about the pre-school and how well their children had settled. The manager understands the value of working with other professionals and has established good links with the pre-schools feeder school, consequently children's transitions are well-planned for.

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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 250105 Local authority Solihull Inspection number 854743

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 49 Name of provider Our Lady of the Wayside Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 27/11/2008 Telephone number 0121 745 2799

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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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