Little John's Pre-school

Little John's Pre-school St John the Baptist Church, Clarendon Park Road, Leicester, LE2 3AD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/03/2014 06/05/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff have formed lovely relationships with children and have a good understanding of each child's care and learning needs and how to provide effective teaching so they make good progress. Children's self-esteem and confidence is continually encouraged through the praise and encouragement they receive. As a result, behaviour is good.  Partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals are strong and as a result, children make good progress in their learning and development.  Good safety measures are in place to ensure children cannot leave the premises unsupervised, are kept safe in the event of a fire and children practice the emergency evacuation drill, raising their awareness and understanding of how to stay safe. Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and as a result, keep children safe.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The accessibility to the outside area does not consistently include opportunities to explore and investigate all seven areas of learning and development.  Some aspects of partnership working within the pre-school are not fully robust as the committee has yet to build effective communication links with all staff members.

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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 had a tour of the pre-school and looked at documentation.  The inspector observed children and looked at their learning journeys.  The inspector held a meeting with the nominated person, staff and parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Information about the setting

Little John's Pre-school was registered in 1993 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in the church parish centre in the Clarendon Park area of Leicester and is managed by a committee. The setting serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a church hall and they have access to the nearby school playground for outdoor play. The setting employs three members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including one with Early Years Professional Status. The setting opens Monday to Thursday during term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 21 children attending, who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 extend the accessibility to a greater range of resources in the outdoor environment, so that children can continually explore, build and role play

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

 review and evaluate the methods of communication between the committee and the staff team.

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who attend

Children are welcomed into the pre-school. This starts with short settling-in sessions with their parents, during which time staff find out about each child. Staff are interested to know what they like, their interests and any learning they do at home. This information is used to help children settle and to determine their starting points. Staff carry out their own observations and link these to ages and stages of learning to make sure that they provide a truly focused curriculum for all children. The planning cycle ensures that children continue to make good progress and it is linked to their interests and their next steps in their learning and development. Staff meet weekly to plan for the fortnight after on a two weekly cycle and they discuss what worked well and what all children's next steps are. Staff are knowledgeable about the different styles of children's learning and uses this when planning the breadth and depth to the curriculum. The pre-school provides

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who attend

experiences that cover all seven areas of learning and development and there is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities. However, due to staffing levels, the pre- school do not consistently plan children's outdoor play around the seven areas of learning and development, which limits children's opportunities to explore and investigate. Teaching is good and staff have high expectations of children. They provide resources and areas of learning, but allow children to use their critical thinking skills to determine what to do with the resources. For example, children ask to make cards for their parents so staff provide a range of craft items, blank paper and card, which allows children to create their own, unique creation. Some children carefully glue individual pieces of shiny craft materials onto a folded piece of card and carefully write their name inside, while younger children draw over the card, making marks which they explain to the member of staff.

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who attend

Staff complete regular assessments, including the progress check at age two to share with parents about their child's progress. This helps parents to support their child's learning at home. As a result, children are making good progress and gaining the necessary skills to support their future learning. The pre-school supports children's communication and language. Staff use open-ended questions and pause to give children time to think and answer. They use simple sentences and single words with younger children and repeat key words that they use. As a result, children engage in lovely conversation and are confident communicators. Visual timetables are used to support children with English as an additional language, which help children to understand the routines of the setting and to feel included.

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who attend

Staff have appropriate training to help children with special educational need and/or disabilities and this is shared with the whole staff at regular meetings. Staff enhance children's learning by introducing mathematical language in the pasta play, such as quantity and measure and challenge children by asking good open questions. Children are engaged with the activity and as a result, they enjoy learning new skills and language. Parents are very involved in their children's learning. They share information from home and staff tell them daily what children enjoy and learn. Parents receive a report once a year and attend parents' evenings. As a result, parents are able to support the continued learning at home. Children are well supported for their transition to school. The setting is located opposite to a primary school where children use the playground. As a result, children are familiar with the teachers and make friends with children in the reception

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

The key persons are very knowledgeable about their children and are focused on ensuring they make good progress at the pre-school. They have strong bonds with children and gather good information from parents to ensure their child's needs are met. Children are happy and settled and parents value and praise the care that staff take with their children and the information that they share with them. Children's self-esteem is promoted at the pre-school. They are all happy and confident and have strong emotional bonds with staff. Children display their artwork on a picture board and share it with their friends at group time. Staff praise each piece of artwork and children's self-esteem and confidence is promoted. As a result, children are proud of their achievements and keen to learn. Children are all engaged in playful activities and are active learners in their environment, which is thoughtfully laid out. There are opportunities for daily exercise outside in the

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

school playground. Resources are accessible to children and are set out to make them inviting. For example, there is a threading activity with cotton reels; however, a child struggles to successfully attach them because their string is too thick. The member of staff questions the problem and questions the child about what they could do differently. As a result, children's independence is promoted as they try to thread the reels.

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

Children are taught how to stay safe by staff, they learn to use scissors and bread knifes when they make their sandwiches. They use a rope for walking between the pre-school and the playground and children know to hold and walk sensibly. They tell staff to listen for the cars and cross safely using the zebra crossing. Children have daily exercise in the school playground and local parks. They take appropriate risks on the play equipment and climb the steps to the slide with support. Behaviour management is effective as staff use effective, age-appropriate strategies, so that children learn about sharing and taking turns and they play happily together. Children are rewarded with 'shinys' when they behave well, that they use to fill a jar. Once full, children choose a special activity, such as cooking as a treat. As a result, good behaviour is encouraged.

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

Children's independence is promoted. They use the toilets on their own but under supervision and most children dress and undress for the outdoors. Staff understand the importance of allowing children time to learn these new skills, so the more able children are given a special mat to play on with self-selected toys, while all children practice putting on their coats and shoes in their own time. As a result, all children are supported and taught how to operate zips and buttons. Independence is further promoted at snack time, which is healthy and offers children the chance to make an informed choice each day. Children choose their own fruits and cereals, pour their own drinks and tidy away after themselves, which is good preparation for school.

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provision

All staff are very knowledgeable about safeguarding policies and procedures and know how to report any concerns to ensure children's safety and welfare. The acting manager has had appropriate training in relation to her legal responsibilities to respond to any concerns about children's safety. As a result, children are kept safe at the pre-school. The premises are secure and the internal door to the larger church room cannot be accessed by children unsupervised. Fire equipment, risk assessments, procedures and evacuation drills all raise children's awareness and as a result, children are kept safe. The setting is clean, tidy and attractively presented with clear risk assessments to support the smooth operation, while keeping children safe. Recruitment and suitability is treated seriously. There is a thorough recruitment process that involves the views and opinions of several different people, including staff and a representative from the Pre-school Learning

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provision

Alliance. Thorough suitability checks are carried out on all staff. This is monitored with an effective induction process and staff advise the manager of any changes to their suitability or health that may affect their ability to work with children.

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provision

Annual appraisals and regular supervision help to target staff's professional development and to inform relevant training to attend. All staff value staff training and share any information they gain at regular staff meetings and are encouraged to implement any new ideas. This has a positive impact on children's learning. All staff have had first aid, safeguarding and food hygiene training, which means they all understand how to keep children safe and how to respond in an emergency. Parents, staff and children are involved in the self-evaluation and help to inform clear developmental plans. For example, the manager has identified that the outdoor area does not always offer all seven areas of learning and development and she had implemented new behavioural management strategies which are seen working. Staff are fully committed to the care and teaching of children, they are passionate about the care they provide and as a result, the staff team

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provision

work very effectively together. Policies and procedures are well-written, regularly reviewed by the committee and implemented well by all staff. The manager oversees the monitoring and planning of the educational programme to ensure children's needs are met and to identify any gaps in learning. Staff are knowledgeable and have a broad range of strategies to support children with English as an additional language and special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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provision

Staff support children who share their care with other settings and share information about children's learning. This ensures that children have continuity in their learning. Parents' information boards contain support, links to other professionals and information about the activities children do. The committee are dedicated to improving the provision; however, they do not always communicate their ideas or information to the staff team, which means that staff cannot always keep parents informed of significant changes. All parents are happy with the pre-school and are pleased at how well their children enjoy attending and the improvements they have made in their learning. Partnership with schools and parents are extremely strong and staff have a positive attitude to sharing practice and teaching to promote continuity in children's learning and development.

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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 226940 Local authority Leicester City Inspection number 955007

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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 21 Name of provider Little John's Pre-school Committee Date of previous inspection 06/05/2009 Telephone number 07939132440

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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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