Bushmead Pre-School

Bushmead Pre-School Hancock Drive, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU2 7SF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/03/2014 30/03/2009

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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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Teaching of communication and language is good as staff find ways to help all children to communicate, such as through sign language and by learning key words in their home language.  The key person relationships are extremely strong as staff are nurturing and caring towards children and provide them with the emotional security they need to be highly successful learners.  Staff are excellent role models for children and expert at managing their behaviour. Consequently, children learn how to manage their feelings and emotions creating a harmonious and productive learning environment.  The pre-school is led by a well-qualified and motivated manager whose close working with the parent committee gives clear direction to staff who strive to continually raise the standard of care for children.  Staff have an extensive understanding about safeguarding and follow very well informed policies and procedures to underpin their work.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is not always a wide range of opportunities for children to explore their interest in technology to understand more about the world.  There is scope to enhance some activities by introducing more sensory and real life resources.

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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 children's learning activities in the main room and garden.  The inspector had discussions with parents, staff and children.  The inspector undertook a joint observation in the garden with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, safeguarding procedures and self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and held discussions with the chair of the committee.

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Information about the setting

Bushmead Pre-School was registered in 1991 and is on the Early Years Register. It operates from a room and enclosed garden in a community centre in the Bushmead area of Luton, Bedfordshire. The pre-school is managed by a voluntary parent committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs nine members of child care staff. The manager is qualified to degree level in childcare and education. All further staff apart from one, are qualified at level 3. The pre-school opens 9.15am until 3.45pm Monday to Friday term-time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 63 children attending. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 increase opportunities for children to use technology to complete simple tasks, for example, writing their names

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

 enhance children's sensory learning even further by introducing this into different aspects of play, for example, having real ice in the pirate ship tray and food in the home corner.

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who attend

Children enjoy a wide range of adult-led and child-led activities which stimulate children's interest and help them to make good progress in their learning. Children are busy and display high levels of engagement throughout the day. They enjoy a range of activities that support their developing control and skill of using tools. Children make envelopes and write letters using pencils, glue sticks and scissors. They become adept at writing and form letters with increasing accuracy. Children are becoming confident in recognising letters and words. They are able to guess what letters words start with and sound out words which are familiar to them, demonstrating their sound grasp of early literacy. Children take an interest in computers as a way to write and test out their abilities to make words. However, these opportunities are not always readily available for them every session to fully enable them to demonstrate their abilities and follow their desires. Children

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who attend

have ample chances to develop their larger muscles. In the garden they play with a wide range of equipment and apparatus. They spin with excitement on a round-a-about where they lean forwards and backwards as they feel the effects of spinning on their bodies. Children scramble to the top of the climbing frame and encourage staff to join them as they slide down quickly. Staff involve themselves in children's play and show genuine pleasure in their playful interactions with children. This increases children's enjoyment and their desire to take part, and more children join in as a result.

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who attend

Staff support children's communication and language skills very well. They talk with children about the things which interest them, asking open ended questions and asking for their ideas about things. Children think about their response, pausing and in turn, ask questions of staff. Children become capable and confident communicators who are keen to talk with adults to share their ideas. The staff introduce children to sign language, where they do simple hand gestures to link to feelings. This helps children to find differing ways to express themselves. Children who learn English as an additional language make equally good progress. This is because staff learn key words in their home language and focus upon ways to develop their understanding. Staff also seek further professional help when children do not make progress as expected. This helps all children to develop ways to make their needs known. Children use their imagination as they play superheroes and role

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who attend

play making dinner and cups of tea. They enjoy looking at pirate ships and use their imagination as they push the ship around a tray and plastic iceberg. There is opportunity to ignite and enhance children's imagination even further by introducing real life resources, such as ice and foods to their everyday play.

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who attend

The staff find out about what children already know by talking with parents and together completing an assessment of their starting points. From here, staff develop plans to support children's next steps in learning. They plan adult-led activities to focus upon what children need to learn next and monitor their progress closely. The staff are able to recognise when children's learning is slow in areas and does not progress as expected. They take immediate action to gain additional support for children and develop individual plans in partnership with those involved in their care as well as parents. Staff include parents in children's development and give them directions about how they can build upon children's learning at home. The pre-school invites parents to read children's learning profiles and discuss their progress with key people. This close working and easy flow of information, enables all children, including those with special educational needs, to make

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who attend

consistently good progress from their individual starting points.

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

Staff are highly responsive and in tune to children's needs. The key person system is very well-developed and staff know and understand the children they care for. Close working with families enables staff to understand children's likes and dislikes and plan practically for their care. As a result, children form very close attachments to staff. Some children experience periods of unsettlement in their lives and staff provide stability and genuine care for them. Consequently, children experience a smooth move into pre-school and separate from their parents with confidence. The staff prepare children extremely well for school. There are close relationships with nearby schools and children attend with pre- school staff to become familiar with the teaching staff and surroundings. The pre-school welcomes teaching staff from local schools into the pre-school so they can get to know children. Therefore, children become well-prepared for the move into school. The very

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

high self-esteem children display means they are confident to approach adults in the pre- school to express their ideas. They are resilient, content and display a sense of purpose as they embrace every opportunity of learning staff provide for them. This demonstrates that children develop the effective characteristics of learning which equip them well for their lifelong learning.

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

Children become highly independent and make many choices about the way they play and where they play. They decide whether they want to eat a snack and serve themselves their food. Children get themselves ready for lunchtime by washing their hands and finding their lunch boxes on the table. Staff encourage children to assess and manage small risks for themselves. They use tools, such as scissors, independently and know how to hold and use these safely. In the garden, children climb, jump and enjoy finding different ways to enjoy the apparatus, as they lean forwards and backwards and test out what they can do with their bodies. Staff are available to supervise when children play on the climbing frame, but stay a distance back so children find their own solutions to challenges, becoming confident problem solvers in the process. This helps children to understand about safety and they moderate their actions, for example, changing direction

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

to avoid collision on bikes and scooters. Children behave very well because staff are excellent at managing their behaviour. They give children egg timers to measure time, so they know that it is their turn when the sand runs out. The children riding the bikes and scooters surrender them quickly because they know and understand this rule. Staff understand that children might display unwanted behaviour when they cannot express their complicated feelings. Staff are exceptionally patient, considerate and excellent role models for children, this makes children want to please them and behave well. The calm and nurturing care, staff show towards children, creates a harmonious environment where children get along very well together.

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

Parents provide healthy lunches for children who sit with staff and talk about what they are eating. Staff encourage children to eat their food and tell them why it is good for their bodies. Lunch times are sociable occasions and children benefit hugely from staff who teach them good table manners and praise them for trying different foods. Children play in the garden every day and enjoy the freedom they have to come and go as they please. This helps children to understand the benefits of fresh air and exercise. Staff organise animal events at the pre-school where children hold and interact with mice, lizards and giant land snails. Children enjoy these sessions and learn a great deal about being gentle and considerate towards others. Staff also help them to understand that they need to wash their hands after handling animals, which increases their awareness about how to reduce the risk of the spread of infection.

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provision

Staff have a thorough understanding about safeguarding and follow very well-developed policies and procedures which guide their work. They recognise the signs and symptoms which might cause them concern about children's welfare and know how to pass on any such concern. Staff are fully aware of their responsibilities because they undergo regular training to refresh and enhance their knowledge. The pre-school carries out a robust induction procedure for all staff. Senior staff complete Disclosure and Barring Service checks for all new staff and undertake references to confirm the suitability of those who will work with children. The pre-school implements measures to reduce any likely risk to children from use of technology. They keep their mobile phones locked away from the areas where children play and delete photographs after use. Staff carry out risk assessments of the areas where children play and ensure that there is always safe staff to

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provision

The highly qualified manager leads a strong and stable staff team who are committed and happy in their work. There is an effective programme of supervision in place and staff have frequent one-to-one meetings to discuss all aspects of their role at the pre-school. The manager is very keen for staff to share their views and team meetings provide a platform for staff to express their ideas and concerns. There is a plan for professional development of staff to ensure that the qualifications and training they undertake is beneficial for children. The manager reflects upon the positive impact of undertaking qualifications at degree level and how she has been able to cascade her knowledge to the staff team. This enables staff to enhance and review the quality of care they provide for children. Parents, who form and lead the committee are dedicated to their roles and bring with them a wealth of experiences. They have active involvement in shaping the future of

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provision

the pre-school and contribute towards self-evaluation and developing plans for the future. The manager plans ways to develop the pre-school, for example, by extending the provision for two year olds to better meet the needs of the local community. The pre- school has successfully tackled recommendations from the previous inspection showing their good capacity to maintain ongoing improvements in quality for children.

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provision

The pre-school use a wide range of data and information to review the quality of teaching and progress children make. The manager works with local schools to analyse performance data of children who previously attended the pre-school. This highlights any areas where children did not achieve so well when in the first year of schooling. The pre- school then places focus upon these areas to make sure that children are well-prepared for school. The manager reviews children's files and tests the rigor of staff assessments to confirm their accuracy. The pre-school has yet to need to complete the progress check for children at age two because of the ages of those who attend. However, the manager has plans in place to implement this now there are two year olds on roll. She works with the local authority development worker to devise a suitable format and to monitor the quality of care at the pre-school. Staff work closely with local childrens centres to support families

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provision

and children, they exchange information and the pre-school refers families for additional support. Parents feel happy with the care staff provide and find them to be friendly and approachable.

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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 155768 Local authority Luton Inspection number 874982

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 63 Name of provider Bushmead Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 30/03/2009 Telephone number 01582 485505

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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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