Swallownest Pre-School

Swallownest Pre-School Horsa Huts, Rotherham Road, Swallownest, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S26 4UR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/03/2014 26/11/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children access a well-resourced indoor and outdoor area and are supported by caring staff. As a result, they are settled, happy and have formed good attachments with their key persons.  Children are aware of their behaviour expectations, which are successfully maintained by staff. Consequently, their behaviour is good and they play well together.  Developmentally appropriate activities are planned for the children. This means that children have access to a suitable range of activities that support the development of new skills and they make satisfactory progress.

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It is not yet good because

 The majority of play taking place is child-initiated and staff do not always sufficiently encourage children to engage with an activity, or to persevere with a task. Therefore, the characteristics of effective learning are not always promoted by effective teaching and so children make satisfactory rather than good progress.  Staff's interaction with children is variable in quality and consequently, children's language development is not always well supported.  The quality of teaching and learning is not effectively monitored by the management. This means that staff are not consistently supported to deliver a good balance of adult- led and child-initiated activities. Consequently, some opportunities for good teaching are not fully exploited.

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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 the playroom and the outdoor area.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager of the provision and spoke to staff 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 suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the provider's evidence of self-evaluation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Swallownest Pre-School opened in 1970 and is on the Early Years Register. It operates from a single-storey building in the Swallownest area of Sheffield and is managed by a voluntary committee. Children use one main playroom and have access to a secure outdoor play area. The premises are accessible for people with limited mobility.

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Information about the setting

It is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.15am to 3.15pm and on Wednesday from 9.15am to 12.30pm, during school term times. There are currently 43 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The pre-school is in receipt of nursery education funding for two-, three and four-year-olds. It supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are five members of staff who hold appropriate early years qualifications. Of these, two hold a qualification at level 6 and three hold level 3.

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must:

 improve the balance of adult-led and child-initiated play taking place so that the characteristics of effective learning are better supported by the teachers

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must:

 improve the quality of teaching, with particular regard to the programme for communication and language and supporting children's skills in becoming proficient talkers.

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

 develop further the monitoring of staff practice, particularly in relation to teaching, to ensure that all staff are aware of their strengths and areas for improvement; set challenging targets so that teaching practice continues to improve to effectively support children's good progress.

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who attend

Children are clearly settled and enjoy their time at the pre-school. They are confident to explore their environment freely, both indoors and outdoors. An appealing environment encourages children to want to play and learn. They have access to a wide range of suitably organised resources that support a variety of skills and abilities. The space is organised so that the children can enjoy their activities with little interruption, giving them the opportunity to become engrossed in their play. Staff plan activities based on their accurate development assessments of the children and on children's interests. This begins with information from parents and an assessment period when children start to establish their starting points.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is variable and children are not always encouraged to take part in purposeful activities. For example, a planned drawing activity fails to engage children. The children are neither encouraged to join in, nor are teaching methods adapted to support children to concentrate for a period of time on practising their early writing skills. Incidental teaching and learning, however, is more effective. For example, children are encouraged to replace batteries in a toy. They are supported to do this by staff, who talk them through the process. They are able to develop skills using tools, such as a screwdriver, to replace the battery cover. During outdoor play with dough, staff members engage the children in making pizzas, with some informal communication taking place about pizza toppings. Therefore, children are suitably helped to develop skills for their future learning. When children choose to engage in an activity with a member of staff,

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who attend

there are some stronger aspects of teaching and children make more rapid progress. While children play, variable amounts of support for their communication and language development takes place. However, staff do not always successfully engage in conversation with children and there is sometimes a lack of open questions that create opportunities for children give a range of responses and to build on their vocabulary. Overall, the inconsistency in the quality of teaching means that children make satisfactory rather than good progress.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are generally good. Informal discussions are held daily and staff provide parents with more formal reports of their child's development termly. Parents make positive comments about the pre-school being inclusive and welcoming. Partnerships with other providers where children also attend are suitable. Relevant development information is shared, enabling both settings to plan for the child's next steps in their learning. This provides some consistency for children's learning.

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

The key person system works well. Parents and children know who their key person is and children demonstrate their feeling of security during the session when they approach their key person for support with their personal needs. Children who are a little unsure remain close to their key person, who gives simple tasks to them so they feel they are helping. Children bring comfort items with them to the pre-school to support their emotional development and transition from home. This helps them to adjust to separating from their main carers easily. As a result, children are well supported emotionally.

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

Children are suitably encouraged to understand about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For example, they enjoy an activity that involves making fruit kebabs. During this activity discussions take place about the fruit that contribute to children's early understanding of healthy eating. Staff members are also vigilant when children go to the toilet, and give regular reminders to the children to wash their hands. This shows the staff are committed to encouraging children to keep themselves safe and learn about health and hygiene. Children have access to the outdoor area throughout the sessions and, as a result, they have plenty of fresh air and physical exercise. They use equipment, such as wheeled toys and climbing apparatus, to help with their fitness and general well-being.

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

Children behave well. They understand, and are reminded of, the rules and boundaries of the setting during their play. For example, they know to turn a sand timer when taking turns on the bikes and to get their coats to go outside. When a child climbs on a wall, they are gently lifted down and reminded that the wall is not for climbing on. Consequently, children are learning rules and boundaries; they are also learning about potential dangers and how to keep themselves safe.

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provision

The manager and designated lead for safeguarding have a sufficient understanding of how to safeguard children. The pre-school has a safe recruitment procedure, which includes relevant Disclosure and Barring Service checks being carried out on all adults who work directly with the children, or who are part of the voluntary management committee. Children's welfare is monitored closely and all staff have an awareness of what to do if they have any concerns about a child. Appropriate policies and procedures are in place. This includes instruction that mobile phones and cameras are not to be used in the pre- school. Staff are aware of the safeguarding policies. Therefore, children in the pre-school are suitably safeguarded.

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provision

Accurate monitoring of children's progress is used to develop and document activity planning. The management observe staff once a term to assess the quality of teaching. However, this is not fully effective. For example, the monitoring of practice has not identified that the quality of teaching is variable and that children are sometimes disengaged due to a lack of encouragement by staff. In addition, targets set for improvement do not always match the weaknesses identified and are not sharply focused on teaching and learning. As a result, not all children make good progress. Self-evaluation is adequate. Staff contribute to improvements being made, which is evident in the well- resourced, organised playroom and outdoor area. Improvements have been made since the previous inspection. For example, partnerships with other settings more effectively support children's learning. The staff team are well qualified and have a wide range of

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provision

experiences that they use to support children's care and learning. Staff attend some regular training, such as aafeguarding, first aid and food safety. The manager and committee demonstrate a sufficient understanding of their responsibilities to deliver the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, children are safeguarded from harm and are accessing their education in a safe and caring environment.

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provision

Good relationships are in place with parents, As a result, staff are confident to discuss any concerns about children's development at the earliest opportunity and further support can be sought if required. Consequently, children receive input from external agencies in a timely fashion. Partnership working with external agencies is clear and individual education plans are in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These successfully support consistency for children's care and learning.

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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 303272 Local authority Rotherham Inspection number 864767

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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 43 Name of provider Swallownest Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 26/11/2009 Telephone number 01142 876823

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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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