Bare Necessities Preschool

Bare Necessities Pre-School Playgroup Bare Methodist Church Hall, St Margarets Road, Bare, Morecambe, Lancashire, LA4 6EF

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/05/2014 27/03/2012

p.1

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

p.1

This provision requires improvement

 The learning environment is organised to afford children access to a range of stimulating, good quality, age-appropriate resources that cover all areas of learning.  Children develop independence and learn to care for themselves as they pour their own drinks and need little reminding to wash their hands at appropriate times.  Staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding and risk assessments are in place. As a result, risk to children is minimised. The management implements robust systems for staff recruitment and training. This means that children are cared for by suitably qualified and vetted staff.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 Planning is not based on the observation, assessment and identified next steps in learning for children and is, therefore, not sufficiently focussed on the individual needs of each child.  Parents do not have access to up-to-date policies and procedures or information about the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure they can make informed decisions about their children's care.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and children at play throughout the session.  The inspector spoke with children and staff throughout the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation to ascertain children's progress towards the early learning goals.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the pre-school's self-evaluation processes and ensured appropriate suitability checks are in place for all staff.

p.2

Information about the setting

Bare Necessities Pre-School Playgroup was registered in 1978 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a church hall in the Bare area of Morecambe, Lancashire and is managed by a committee. The pre- school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three playrooms and there is an enclosed area for outdoor play. The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.15am until 1pm and on Tuesday from 12noon until 3.45pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 27 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.3

must:

 improve the educational programme to ensure that the activities and opportunities planned for children are based upon the individual next steps, interests and stage of development of each child

p.3

must:

 improve the partnership with parents, so that up-to-date information about the provider's policies and procedures is made available. This should include accurate information about how the Early Years Foundation Stage is being delivered in the setting and how to make a complaint if required.

p.3

who attend

Staff have a satisfactory knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and plan activities based on children's interests and abilities. Educational programmes cover the seven areas of learning and as a result, most children satisfactorily gain the necessary skills in readiness for school. Staff regularly observe children as they play. This allows them to become aware of children's likes and dislikes and identify areas of development, which require additional support. However, information gained from the observations and clear assessment of children's development does not always translate into targeted next steps in their learning. Therefore, planned activities are mostly generic and do not always reflect or shape challenging learning experiences for all children. This results in learning experiences that sometimes lack consistent challenge and are not always precisely matched to children's individual learning needs. As a result, learning and teaching is

p.3

who attend

satisfactory and children make satisfactory, rather than good progress. The playrooms are stimulating and interesting and children lead their own play as they freely explore and investigate. For example, children explore the farm play area. Acting out characters and invite other children to be a part of their game. Children's early writing skills are well supported as they have mark-making opportunities across both rooms. Staff support children through role modelling resources and providing hands-on support when required. For example, children who are struggling to use the scissors are given support through stepped instructions as they learn to control the tools. Staff foster a love of reading as they make books exciting by reading outdoors as the children act out the story. They extend opportunities for children to communicate. For example, vocabulary is extended with words, such as 'swish' and 'splash' as they talk about earlier activities. This

p.3

who attend

helps children to develop the language to describe what they see and do. Staff skilfully substitute the names of the pre-school's pet birds in the song to make the learning more personal for children. Outside, children have opportunities to hone their physical skills as they bounce on the balloon hoppers and kick balls into the goal, counting as they do so.

p.4

who attend

Partnerships with parents are friendly and supportive. Staff work with parents to offer a consistent approach to support children's needs, for example, by providing ideas for continuing their learning at home, such as communication and listening techniques to help parents manage behaviour concerns. Effective communication methods are in place, such as daily verbal feedback and scheduled 'parent chats' to ensure they are kept informed of children's progress. Parents are invited to be part of the assessment process. For example, parents' contribute to baseline assessments and the progress check at age two, so that any gaps in learning can be identified early. However, information provided to parents about the Early Years Foundation Stage has not been updated to ensure they are fully informed about children's care.

p.4

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

Children are generally happy and settled in the pre-school. The key person system helps children to form secure bonds with the staff, which builds their self-esteem and confidence. Staff find out good information from parents about their child, in order to meet their individual needs. Children enjoy snuggling up to the staff as they read a book outdoors and enjoy the company of adults and their peers. Resources are stored, so the children can self-select them and the rooms are set out well with opportunities across all areas of learning. This promotes further the children's independence skills. Resources are of good quality and clearly promote the children's learning by appealing to their interests.

p.4

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

Children learn how to keep safe as they receive gentle reminders about how to play and use the equipment safely, such as sitting on the wheeled toys rather than standing because they may fall. This helps them to understand the risks involved in their activities. They understand how to respond in the event of an emergency because they practise the evacuation routine very regularly. Staff are positive in their approach to behaviour management and deal with children's behaviour well. They get down to the children's level and talk to them about their behaviour and the importance of being kind to each other. This means that children learn to manage their own feelings and behaviour. Children need little reminding of the importance of hand washing after messy activities and before they eat. Staff teach children how to be independent and about healthy lifestyles by encouraging them to become involved in their own care through daily

p.4

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

routines. For example, even the youngest children pour their own drinks. Snacks of fruit and milk are prepared onsite, helping children to make healthy lifestyle choices. Staff are good role models as they sit with children and encourage conversation about their home life and the activities they have recently taken part in. This means that mealtimes are a well-established social routine. Children also have daily opportunities for exercise in the fresh air as they play outside at the local church garden. Such experiences promote the children's health and well-being and help them to gain the skills necessary for their eventual move to school.

p.5

provision

Children are safeguarded because they are cared for by staff who understand safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they have concerns about a child in their care. The required adult to child ratios are always met and sometimes exceeded. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to check the suitability of all staff working with the children. All staff are appropriately vetted and the relevant details are recorded and logged to show when checks were carried out. New staff undergo an induction process to ensure they are familiar with the setting and the policies that govern it. They work a probationary period to ensure they are fully suited to the job. Staff benefit from the appraisal system, which identifies their development and training needs. During appraisals carried out recently by the manager and new chair of the committee, staff were given targets to continue their professional development and the responsibility for specific roles was

p.5

provision

allocated. Regular team meetings with the committee ensure that the staff are well supported in their new roles. Staff attend regular training to enhance practice and promote children's learning and welfare. Consequently, children benefit from the growing skills and organisation of the staff.

p.5

provision

Most necessary documents are in place for the smooth running of the setting, however, some of these have not been updated to ensure they are still relevant. For example, the complaints procedure contains out dated contact details for Ofsted as required on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Also, parents are not provided with clear information about how Early Years Foundation Stage is delivered at the pre-school to help them to make informed decisions about their children's care. Risk assessments are in place to enable children to play in a safe, well organised and healthy learning environment. The manager and committee are formulating a clear vision for improvement in the pre-school and have been implementing changes, such as the new observation, assessment, planning and tracking procedures. This demonstrates a sound understanding of the learning and development requirements and

p.5

provision

is beginning to monitor children's progress across all areas of learning to secure overall improvement for the children.

p.5

provision

The pre-school's self-evaluation of their practice is adequate. This is currently developing further as the staff and management meet with the new committee monthly to assess the needs for continued improvement. The management has also sought support from the local authority and incorporated all this information into realistic development plans. Consequently, the setting has made steady progress since the last inspection and all previous actions and recommendations have been addressed. The pre-school works closely with the nearby children's centre, taking up training offered and sharing resources. Partnership working with the local school teachers aids a smooth transition. This is because the staff personally discuss children's needs and teachers are invited into the pre- school to meet the children. This helps to prepare children for the next stage of their learning.

p.5

The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

p.6

actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

p.6

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

 make the following information available to parents; Ofsted's address (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  make the following information available to parents; Ofsted's address (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number 309226 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 818849

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 27 Name of provider Bare Necessities Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 27/03/2012 Telephone number 01524 415 975

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.10

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10