Over Puddleducks Preschool

Over Puddleducks Pre-School Over Community Centre, Drings Close, Over, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 5NZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/03/2014 07/05/2009

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

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This provision is good

 Children are very well-behaved. They display both high levels of involvement and well- being demonstrating strong attachments and a strong sense of belonging.  Staff have both high and realistic expectations of children. They know the children very well and are able to differentiate their teaching methods accordingly so that all children make good progress.  Safeguarding children is given a high priority. They are cared for by suitably qualified and experienced staff who effectively support and encourage children in understanding how to keep themselves safe and healthy.  Partnerships with parents are highly valued. Staff are committed to working together to promote the best interests of their children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasion, the resourcing of the continuous provision, particularly outside, lacks detail and as a result, children's learning is not fully maximised.

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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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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the two rooms and the outside area.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager of the provision and spoke to staff throughout the inspection when appropriate.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of documentation including evidence of staff checks, some policies and children's development and assessment records.  The inspector took account of the views of parents/carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Over Puddleducks Pre-school first opened in 1998 and operates from two rooms in Over Community Centre. The premises are situated in the centre of the village of Over, in Cambridgeshire. Opening times are 9am until 3pm, Monday to Friday. The setting is registered on both the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. All children share an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school has appropriate systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The premises are accessible and have a disabled toilet. The pre-school employs nine members of staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications and one relief member of staff is unqualified. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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

 maximise children's learning by enhancing the range of activities outside to further develop their understanding of their outdoor environment and the world around them. For example, using gauges and charts to measure rain fall, creating habitats for insects and providing literacy resources to record information.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of both child development and the Early Years Foundation Stage. Subsequently, they create an environment where children are happy and demonstrate enthusiasm to take part in a varied range of adult-led activities and their own chosen play. Children have good opportunities to develop their communication and language skills. Children who require additional support are given this by the staff who are all committed to children's learning and development. Children take pride in their achievements and politely chat to visitors throughout the session. For example, they say 'excuse me', show their work and explain 'it's a treasure map.' The quality of teaching is good and in some instances very good. Staff demonstrate skilled interactions and have high expectations of what children can achieve. For example, children choose to, and enjoy listening to, a story because staff demonstrate their enthusiasm and knowledge of

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who attend

how children learn and make themselves available to share books with children. As a result, children enthusiastically and spontaneously join in by completing the missing word in a sentence, name a 'meteorite' as another name for a star, make calculations by adding six and four to count to 10 and use their knowledge to explain that a 'butterfly was a caterpillar'. In an adult-led group activity children demonstrate their ability of understanding the task, are confident to use new vocabulary, demonstrate thinking critically and, in some instances, set challenge for themselves to test their individual ideas. The provision is well-resourced and children are able to select from a variety resources independently. They are confident to ask for resources out of reach and request help. For example, children request assistance from an adult when a musical toy of choice is out of reach and when it is not working. However, some areas of provision lack detail to enhance

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who attend

experiences, and the range of continuous provision for children to explore their natural world is not always maximised. For example, first-hand opportunities within the outdoor area for children to explore the weather, insects and growing are limited, which does not help children to extend their knowledge in this aspect of learning.

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who attend

Staff observe and assess their key children and effectively plan for individual children. As a result, their learning needs are met and all children make good progress in relation to their starting points. Parents are kept informed about their children's learning and development and comment positively about the progress their children have made since attending the pre-school. For instance, they say that their children are developing 'life skills' and 'learning letters and sounds.' They attend parent's evenings, receive newsletters and are aware of the board, which explains what the children will be doing.

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

The key person and buddy system helps children form secure attachments. Settling-in programmes are individually tailored to meet children's needs and children benefit from information obtained through discussions with parents and observations made during this period. The children are extremely well-behaved and benefit from consistent praise and encouragement from the staff. Children know the established routine very well and therefore feel secure and self-assured. They happily arrive, know where to leave their belongings and settle immediately into their play. A strong feature of this pre-school is how throughout the session children learn about keeping themselves safe. Children are able to make informed decisions about their safety, for example, risk assessing and helping to set up the outdoor area. They are confident to remind adults about their role and are praised by staff for taking responsibility. The rolling snack session is specifically

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

organised to help children become independent while acknowledging their capabilities. Children help to prepare the variety of fresh fruit, which they bring in from home. At lunch time children find their name cards and staff and children sit together in small groups to eat their 'packed lunches'. Healthy eating is encouraged by the provision sharing a leaflet with the parents and as a result, children and staff chat about their healthy food. Children quite confidently chat about their home experiences with their peers and adults, creating a sociable environment. Children manage their own hygiene needs and seek adult advice around healthy practices. For example, a child asks if they need to wash their hands again after interrupting lunch to go the toilet.

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

Children further demonstrate their strong emotional well-being and sense of belonging through their confidence and ability to choose an activity and persevere with concentration on what they want to do. For example, children make choices about how they wish to explore the water play outside. Some children choose to successfully fill and pour and make investigations as the water runs through tubes. Others choose to explore splashing in puddles formed and observe their footprints. Children are happy content and play well with each other, demonstrating friendly behaviour. For example, a child gets a boat for their peer and children take turns to access the computer. Children enjoy fresh air and exercise every day having access to an enclosed outdoor environment with climbing apparatus. On occasions, they also use the large shared open spaces attached to the provision, for example, to collect twigs and feathers for use in the mud kitchen. The

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

children's self confidence and self-esteem is enhanced by home and pre-school links celebrating their successes and key events. Parents share their children's accomplishments through achievement displays. The staff then use these alongside their observations to assess children's progress and share children's interests.

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provision

The management team have a very good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare and learning and development requirements. Safeguarding children is given a high priority. They are cared for by suitably qualified and experienced staff who effectively support and encourage children in understanding how to keep themselves safe and healthy. The strong management team show a commitment to achieving quality and maintaining continuous improvement. Self-evaluation is good because staff, children and parents are involved in the provision's improvement plans. There is an effective system in place to support the ongoing professional development of staff. The manager and provider actively encourage staff to increase their knowledge and skills by attending further courses. Staff appraisals are taken up with the provider and staff, the manager and provider together regularly identify training needs. This is

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provision

identified either through the provision's detailed Quality Improvement Plan, or staffs interests and needs. In this way, successful training needs are identified and practice is kept informed and continuously developed. For example, the 'Every Child A Talker' training programme attended has improved staff interactions and as a result, teaching and learning has been improved.

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provision

All staff are involved in overseeing the educational programmes to make sure they are meeting the individual needs of the children. They use a 'Development book' to identify improvements which are mostly effectively addressed, for example, enhancing the mud kitchen. Teaching practices are monitored through observation. Management review children's learning and development records and effectively monitor children's progress by identifying any gaps in children's learning. Staff are then able to collate more evidence or plan next steps in learning, ensuring all children make progress.

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provision

The pre-school has strong community links which contribute to its success. Children, their families and staff take part in the local carnival. The provision has links with another local setting and plan community events to fund raise. Children's transitions to the local catchment school are enhanced by regular visits from the reception class teacher and the detailed sharing of information.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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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 221787 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 865970

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 52 Name of provider Over Puddleducks Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 07/05/2009 Telephone number 07866 096825

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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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