The Learning Tree Pre School

The Learning Tree @ Timebridge Timebridge Centre, Fieldway, New Addington, CROYDON, CR0 9AZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/04/2013 26/01/2010

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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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are happy and settled as they develop warm and trusting relationships with their key person and other pre-school staff.  Staff are positive role models. They provide clear boundaries and explanations to help children to develop a secure understanding of how to behave appropriately.  Children play and learn in a safe and secure environment because staff routinely check the premises and equipment for potential hazards and promptly take any necessary action to protect children.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not use open-ended statements or questions consistently in daily activities to extend children's learning.  The organisation of adult-led group activities, such as circle time does not always meet the needs of all children.  Action taken to improve some weaknesses identified through monitoring the quality of the provision has not yet resulted in consistent improvement in staff practice.

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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 and the interaction between the staff and the children in the main play area, in the outdoor play space, at group times and at lunch time.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector shared discussions with the children, staff and the manager. Also a joint observation took place with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including children's records, learning and development information, the settings self evaluation form, staff records and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Information about the setting

The Learning Tree at Timebridge registered under the current provider in 2009. It is one of three committee-run pre-schools in the New Addington area within the London Borough of Croydon. The setting is based in Timebridge Community Centre and serves the local area.

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Information about the setting

The setting opens from 9.15am until 2.45pm, Monday to Friday, during school term times, with a lunch club from 11.45am until 12.15pm. The setting receives funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years. An enclosed area is available for outdoor play. The Learning Tree is registered on the Early Years Register. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language, There are currently 39 children on roll, who attend for a variety of sessions. There are six staff who work with the children, four of whom have a level 3 qualification in child care and two who are working towards a qualification. The setting receives support from the local authority through an early years advisor.

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must:

 improve the adults' role in supporting children's play and exploration by increasing the use of open-ended statements and questions to extend children's learning, particularly their vocabulary, their ability to talk about what they are doing and to make links in their learning.

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

 develop the organisation of group activities such as circle time to ensure that the needs of all children are met

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

 strengthen methods of coaching and professional development of staff to improve their understanding of how to use daily activities to support the planned next steps in children's learning.

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who attend

Children are making satisfactory progress as they take part in a variety of experiences that support their learning and development. For example, they express their imagination in the role play area where they dress up to organise a wedding, make cups of tea and care for dolls as they feed and change them. Children show confidence in using numbers to count as they independently use simple computer games. Some staff make good use of daily experiences and the activities that children choose for themselves to extend children's learning. For example, as they share books together adults engage children in conversations that build on their natural curiosity and support early reading skills, which are important for their future learning. However, this is not consistent across the staff team or through all activities. During some activities, such as outdoor play on climbing and balancing equipment, staff do not regularly introduce new words that link to and extend

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who attend

children's play. Some staff do not use open ended statements and questions to encourage children to talk about what they are doing, develop new ideas and work out how to solve problems.

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who attend

Staff collect useful information from parents about children's starting points during settling- in visits and as children start attending the pre-school. Each child's key person observes and, assesses children's learning and uses this information to plan activities to meet children's individual needs. This system works well to guide overall practice, but is not consistently used effectively by all staff to support the identified steps during children's play.

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who attend

Staff complete the two-year old progress check which helps them to identify when children may need additional support and plan for the next stage in children's learning. They regularly talk to parents about their children's progress and provide some ideas for them to support their children's learning at home. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported appropriately. During the settling-in period parents are encouraged to share everyday words in the child's home language, such as 'hello', 'drink' and 'toilet' with staff. This helps each child to settle because staff are able to meet their personal needs.

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who attend

Staff use everyday experiences to help children develop many of the skills they will need as they move onto their next stage in learning. For instance, because staff give clear explanations children are able to follow instructions and gain confidence and increasing independence. They develop social skills as they learn to share, talk and listen to each other. As well as enjoying books, children learn to recognise their written names as they self-register using laminated name cards. Staff encourage children to make marks that support early writing, for example, to record orders in a 'florist shop'. Some older children have progressed to writing their name and use numbers confidently. However, in addition to some gaps in extending children's learning during their self-chosen play, the planned organisation of adult-led activities does not always match children's needs to ensure that all gain the most from the activity. For example, one member of staff led a group circle

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who attend

time which involved a large number of children of varying ages and abilities. Although other staff members sit with the group the activity is not pitched at the appropriate level for all and some younger children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities become easily distracted. As a result some children do not benefit from this time together.

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

Staff are warm and approachable, which helps all children feel settled and secure in their surroundings. They clearly benefit from the one-to-one interaction with their key person which supports their confidence and self-esteem. The key person system is used effectively to gather pertinent information from parents and share this with other staff to make sure all children are comfortable in the setting. Parents are positive about having a specific person to talk with about their child's development and achievements.

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

Staff organise the indoor and outdoor play space prior to each session. They set out a selection of resources from which children can make some independent choices and, within limited space, have provided storage equipment to make additional resources available for children. For example, children freely select vehicles and aeroplanes from drawers at a low level table in the middle of the play area. Children are aware of the consistent rules and boundaries, which are gently reinforced by staff, and as a result their behaviour is good. For example, they know they do not run around the indoor area and learn to share and take turns in their play.

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

Children develop positive attitudes towards developing a healthy lifestyle. They engage in physical exercise and outdoor play is available on a daily basis. Consequently, children receive plenty of fresh air and have time to practise their physical skills and increase their confidence. Children are encouraged to develop independence in taking responsibility for their personal care. For example, liquid soap and paper towels are in children's reach to make it possible for children to manage their personal hygiene. Staff are also on hand to provide support to children when necessary. Snacks are healthy and nutritious, which supports children's good health. Children pour their own drinks and at lunch time are encouraged to manage their own lunch boxes by unwrapping sandwiches and opening containers for themselves. Sensitive and hygienic nappy changing procedures for the youngest children prevent the risk of cross contamination, and also preserve the children's

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

Good links have been forged with local schools and other professionals involved in children's care and education. Some children attending the pre-school also attend a local nursery school and staff regularly exchange information regarding children's achievements and behaviour.

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provision

Children's welfare is protected because staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and regularly attend training to update their knowledge. Staff understand the procedures to be followed should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. A detailed policy is in place to ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities to make sure children are safe from harm. Appropriate recruitment systems are in place to ensure all staff are suitable to work with children and induction procedures support new staff to understand their role. Detailed risk assessments, daily checks and effective staff deployment ensure that staff minimise potential hazards, both inside the setting and in the outdoor play space. As a result, children are able to explore and learn how to manage potential risks to play safely in their environment.

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provision

The management team is aware of their responsibility in meeting the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They meet on a regular basis to review and reflect on their practice. These discussions support staff to improve aspects of their practice. For example, discussions about planning usefully highlight children's individual interests. As a result, children experience some activities matched to their interests and needs.

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provision

Professional development of all staff is supported through supervision and annual appraisals, where training needs are identified and encouraged. This provides the opportunity for members of staff to update their knowledge and understanding of effective practice. However, although the manager monitors staff practice and has identified aspects that require improvement, such as reinforcing children's vocabulary and using more open-ended statements and questions in daily activities to extend children's learning , the current methods of support have not yet been fully effective in ensuring that this is embedded in the practice of all staff.

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provision

Staff support children who have additional needs appropriately and share relevant information with other agencies and professionals to help all children to make progress in their learning and development. Staff have developed sound relationships with parents. They provide a range of information for parents and share news about their children, when parents arrive to drop off or collect their children at the end of the session. This ensures there is a two-way flow of information, which helps to support the children's progress. Parents confirm that they are happy with what the staff offer their children; saying 'I know who my child's key person is and they tell me about his progress', and 'My child is really happy and tells me about all the activities they have enjoyed'.

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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 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. 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 the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

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 EY396707 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 830753

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 39 Name of provider The Learning Tree Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 26/01/2010 Telephone number 01689 841 688

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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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