Murdishaw West Pre-School Playgroup

Murdishaw West Pre-School Playgroup Murdishaw West Cp School, Barnfield Avenue, Murdishaw, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 6EP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/04/2014 10/12/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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 are happy and enjoy attending this friendly pre-school as they are secure in the presence of staff who have built warm and positive relationships with them.  Staff undertake observations of children and plan activities that support children's learning and development. As a result, children make good progress in their learning.  The staff know their children well and are able to recognise when children need challenge and support, to make good progress.  The staff work closely with parents to support children's ongoing development.

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It is not yet good because

 The provider has failed to notify Ofsted of all changes to its committee members.  Staff do not always use everyday care routines to promote the increasing independence of children.  There are fewer opportunities for children to explore and investigate their natural environment outdoors.  The presentation and storage of books does not enable children to freely access and make best use of these resources to support their early literacy skills.

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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 toured the premises and viewed equipment and resources available for children.  The inspector observed practice both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke with all staff.  The inspector held discussions with parents.  The inspector looked at policies and documentation.

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Information about the setting

Murdishaw West Pre-School Playgroup was registered 1993 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is run by a voluntary management committee and operates from a mobile building situated in the grounds of Murdishaw West Community Primary School in Runcorn.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs four members of staff, all of whom hold early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school receives support from the Early Years Foundation Stage Consultant Teacher Support Service.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 11.30am and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm during term time only. There are currently 22 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as those who speak English as an additional language. The pre- school is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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must:

 inform Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and contact telephone numbers of all committee members.

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

 develop the use of everyday routines to enhance opportunities for children to extend their independence further

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

 review the presentation and storage of books so that they are more easily accessible and able to be utilised by children more effectively

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

 maximise opportunities for children to explore and investigate the natural world around them and in the outdoor area.

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who attend

Children are happy, enthusiastic learners who enjoy attending this welcoming pre-school. They are supported in making good progress as the staff have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how to engage and motivate children through play. A good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities effectively support and promote children's learning. As a result, children make good progress and are developing the necessary skills in readiness for school. Staff know the children they care for well and plan and monitor each child's learning accurately. Staff use regular observations of children's achievements and closely monitor the overall rate of progress in partnership with parents. This helps to keep parents fully involved in their child's learning. Personalised learning plans clearly identify targets for children and highlight the strategies to be used to support them in making progress. The quality of teaching is good. Staff are enthusiastic as they

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who attend

interact with the children and plan interesting experiences for them, which encourage their curiosity and, consequently, children show good levels of interest in what they do.

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who attend

Overall, staff promote children's communication and language skills well. Children benefit from lots of commentary from staff in their play to help them understand what they are doing. Staff encourage children to use their language skills by asking simple, open-ended questions. This encourages children to reflect on their experiences and use their developing language to express themselves and their ideas effectively. Children with English as an additional language and those attending speech and language therapy are particularly well supported and develop trusting relationships with their key person and all staff. Staff work closely with parents and a range of health professionals so that children's needs are fully met. This promotes children's progress in communication and language and parents comment on the rapid progress that children have made. However, the presentation of books does not encourage children to select for their own pleasure as they

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who attend

are crammed together and difficult to see. Children develop their physical skills through outside play where they are able to climb, run and participate in physical activities, such as running games and balancing challenges. While the outdoor area supports all areas of learning, there are fewer opportunities to enable children to explore and investigate the natural world around them.

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who attend

Staff help children develop their personal, social and emotional development through good role modelling. They encourage children to be nice to each other and remind them about the importance of sharing and taking turns. Older children support those younger than them to put on their coats for outdoor play and fill buckets in the sand tray. Children's behaviour is managed well by staff. They have high expectations of the children, both in the way they behave and how they apply themselves. As a result, children are busy and engaged in activities; they persevere with tasks and respond positively to praise and encouragement. Positive relationships, friendships and behaviour ensure this is a happy and fun place to be and that all children make good progress in their learning and development.

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

The key person arrangements work well to help children form strong relationships that contribute to their happiness in the pre-school. Children have strong bonds with their key person, which enables them to settle quickly and grow in confidence. This is supported even further through regular praise for their achievements, such as joining in activities, painting a beautiful picture and writing their own name. However, children have a false sense of security as Ofsted have not been informed of current committee members and this is a breach of a safeguarding and welfare requirement. Staff are consistently positive and cheerful in their approach. For example, they take time to understand the children and involve themselves in activities and routines to support them, including attending meetings with parents and providing support to the family as a whole. All of this results in children behaving well and enjoying the time they spend at the pre-school.

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

Children are developing an understanding of healthy lifestyles through regular outdoor activities that promote exercise. Specialist physical activity fun with an outside provider is scheduled fortnightly. This means that all children participate in physical activities that promote their large muscle skills as they learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies. Staff encourage children to wash their hands before snack and after using the bathroom. Children understand why they need to wash their hands and remind their friends to do so before sitting at the table. Throughout the pre-school children have free access to toys and most resources of their choice, resulting in the promotion of their independence skills. Children self-help skills are developing well as they are encouraged to take responsibility for this self-care through some routine activities. For example, in preparation for outdoor play, they put on their own coats. However, there are fewer

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

opportunities offered at snack and mealtimes, for example, to encourage children to prepare snacks and lay the table for breakfast themselves.

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

Staff show an appropriate understanding of risk management. Daily checks are made of all areas accessible to children in order to minimise risk. For example, staff check the outdoor area before children access the outdoor provision. Staff consider all aspects of potential risk. For example, staff always open the door to all visitors, ensure that visitors use a signing in book and do not allow maintenance work to be carried out when children are present.

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provision

Staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding procedures. They attend safeguarding training and are aware of the procedures to follow should they have a safeguarding concern or be concerned about a child's welfare. There are effective processes for selection and safe recruitment of new staff. However, the provider has breached a legal requirement by failing to notify Ofsted of changes to the management committee. This is also a breach of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. However, the breaches have minimum impact on children's safety as those adults do not have unsupervised contact with the children.

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provision

The manager demonstrates a clear understanding about her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. Staff demonstrate they know their children well and work closely with parents to highlight children's next steps in learning. Parents receive detailed information about their child's progress and the activities they have enjoyed that day. Parent's views are regularly requested and they are invited to contribute to all aspects of the pre-school. Parents speak highly of the pre-school; they feel included and are happy with the progress that children are making. The manager regularly monitors and audits staff practice. This ensures that there is a continuous professional development program in place that promotes positive outcomes for both staff and children. The staff are dedicated to provide good quality childcare and work well as a team. All staff are able to contribute to the evaluation of the pre-school and the setting of targets and priorities

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provision

for improvement. Clear action plans are developed to help the pre-school improve and they are supported by the local authority and Preschool Learning Alliance in achieving their focused priorities. This means that the pre-school demonstrates its capacity to improve, which impacts positively on the children that attend.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

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

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 inform Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and contact telephone numbers of all committee members. (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)

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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 303477 Local authority Halton Inspection number 870665

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 22 Name of provider Murdishaw West Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 10/12/2009 Telephone number 01928751753

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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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