Early Learners Centre Pre-School

The Early Learners Centre Pre- School TRINITY U R C, 58 Orford Road, London, E17 9QL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/05/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff complete precise assessments of children's learning and plan for their next steps and, therefore, children make good progress in their learning and development.  The quality of teaching is good and sometimes outstanding and staff use good questioning techniques to encourage children to think critically and develop their own ideas. The management team make good use of self-evaluation and monitoring staff practice to identify priorities for improving practice, improving outcomes for children and driving continual improvement.  The effective key-person system is helps staff and children build secure and trusting relationships with each other.  Staff are skilled in helping children to overcome behavioural difficulties and, therefore, children behave well and have established firm friendships with each other.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not currently consistently involve older Children in setting their own learning and development targets and goals to fully engage them in shaping their future learning.

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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 children as they played in the various rooms at the pre- school.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documents including children's records, safeguarding policies, the settings self-evaluation, parent and child questionnaire responses, risk assessments and settling in policies.  The inspector obtained the views of parents by asking them questions.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to members of staff throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The Early Learning Centre Pre-school registered in 2013 and it is run by a private provider. It operates from a church hall in Walthamstow, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest close to shops, parks and local transport links. There is access to a secure outdoor play area. The nursery provides a service for children from the local community. It is open each weekday from 8.45am to 11.45am and 12 noon to 3.45pm term-time only. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Systems are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning to speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs nine staff. Of these, eight staff hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 increase further older children's involvement in guiding their own learning and development, for example, by continually seeking children's views, involving them in reviewing their own learning journey and helping to set their own goals.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of how to promote children's learning and development and what children are expected to achieve for their age. Staff consult with parents when children first start to gather information on what children can do. Staff use ongoing observational assessments to track children's progress and to identify play and learning plans for each child, in partnership with parents. This ensures children make continuous progress and promotes a cohesive approach to their learning and development. Staff know children well and provide challenge in their learning. For example, staff encourage children, who on entry are already able to recognise and name alphabet letters, to learn to link letters to sounds. Staff complete the progress checks for two-year-old children and share these with parents to link with their health check. Gaps in achievement are clearly noted and action is taken to close these in readiness for school. Children with special

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who attend

educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by the pre-school. Staff work closely with parents and external agencies to secure the necessary additional support.

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who attend

Staff plan and provide a broad range of activities that challenge and interest the children. These cover all areas of learning and consistently link with children's individual interests, and often to a topic, for example, 'people who help us'. Children's learning is brought to life when visitors, such as the fire service, come to the nursery. Children have great fun dressing-up as fire officers, exploring the inside of the fire engine and discovering how the different appliances work. They enjoy outings and regular walks to the local shops and playground. Indoor and outdoor activities link with the topic. For example, children transform the role-play area to fit with the topic of the month. This currently links with cooking activities. Staff encourage children to listen to related stories and to draw or write about their experiences to reinforce their learning.

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who attend

Children have enormous fun searching for toy dinosaurs in the moist sand during a small group session. They fearlessly pick up the sand and examine what they find closely, sometimes using a magnifier. Children spend ages talking about the differences between them, for instance, 'why do some have stripes?' They have good access to pencils and other tools to develop their skills in drawing, pre-writing skills and making marks. By the time children leave for school most can recognise and write their own names. Staff make the most of practical routines and activities, such as, cooking and building with construction to teach children how to apply mathematical skills. For example, children use scales, jugs and spoons to weigh and measure ingredients. Therefore, children are developing their literacy and numeracy skills and their awareness of numbers, letters, weight and size.

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who attend

Staff skilfully judge when to join in children's play and when to leave children to develop their own ideas. They use open-ended questions to challenge children's thinking and reasoning skills, and to describe what they see and think. For example, children debate what types of animals roar or eat straw. When children comment that 'dinosaurs eat other dinosaurs' they are challenged to consider the difference between dinosaurs teeth for those that eat plants and those that eat meat. Staff use toys and objects as props to support stories. Staff's use of specialist strategies to support children's communication and language is well implemented throughout the morning and afternoon sessions. For instance, staff use pictures and symbols to support communication with children who are learning English as an additional language or with special educational needs. Staff learn key words and phrases in children's other languages and make good use of this to praise

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who attend

children for their efforts and achievements.

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who attend

Staff complete initial assessments and detail progress well. Staff sharply focus planning on the individual needs of the children. However, for the older and more able children staff do not generally involve, or challenge children further, by encouraging them to be actively involved in reviewing their progress and setting their own goals.

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

Children settle quickly in the pre-school and make good relationships with staff and each other. Young children form strong bonds with their consistent carers. Staff are careful to follow younger children's familiar home routines where relevant and possible, which helps them feel secure. Staff have a caring approach and are sensitive to children's individual needs, adapting care and the learning environment where necessary. This effectively supports children's emotional and physical well-being. Staff provide consistent support and guidance that helps children behave well. They remind children to share and take turns, and encourage them to be kind to each other. This is most evident during show and tell moments. For example, children are actively listening to one another and are turn taking effectively during the process of show and tell. Children are genuinely interested in one another. Children quickly become familiar with routines. For example, they confidently use

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

the self-registration system, when it's time to use the snack bar, group times or sitting quietly on the carpet for a story.

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

The pre-school is bright and welcoming. A wide range of age-appropriate resources are available to meet individual children's needs. Children grow in confidence and independence as they select a variety of easily accessible play materials. Staff are vigilant in promoting children's safety. They make daily checks of the play environment and outdoor space to ensure children can play safely. Children are also encouraged to risk assess their play and learning environment and actively carry out checks, ticking if things are safe and detailing a cross if something is judged to be a risk. Staff supervise children closely at all times, for instance, they make sure that enough staff are present when children are in the outdoor area or the 'Thomas' room. They take appropriate action when children have accidents. In addition, they use accident records as part of their risk assessment process to identify any areas where they can further reduce risks. Children

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

take part in regular fire drills so that everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

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

Children's good health is promoted well. Staff follow careful procedures for changing nappies, such as wearing aprons and gloves, which help minimise the risk of cross- contamination. They encourage children's understanding of good hygiene practices. Children learn to manage their own personal needs when they wash their hands before they eat. They benefit from well-balanced, nutritious snacks. Pre-school children help themselves to fruit from the bowl throughout the session when the snack bar is available. Pre-school children grow in independence as they serve their own snacks, and older children pour their own drinks when they are thirsty. Children play outside every day as part of a healthy lifestyle. They also carry out basic stretches and physical fun at the start of each session They have fun practising their physical skills. For example, they enjoy riding the bicycles outside and engage during letter and sound time by changing

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

movements in accordance with a sound. For example, when a bell rings they have to hop or when the tambourine sounds they have to run. This develops their coordination and physical skills.

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provision

Staff effectively safeguard children's welfare and well-being. They consistently implement a comprehensive range of written policies and procedures and share these with parents. Child protection training is mandatory for all staff and management. Staff demonstrate they are aware of what to do if they have a concern about a child. Recruitment and vetting procedures are robust for all staff and apprentices and ensure that adults working with the children are suitable to do so. The management team uses effective methods to monitor the quality of the educational programmes, staff practice and planning for children's individual learning. This ensures that any welfare concerns, or gaps in achievement, are promptly identified and addressed. Performance management procedures, including procedures for dealing with any underperformance, are implemented well. For example, staff receive regular one-to-one supervision and appraisals are carried out annually. Staff are supported and encouraged to

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provision

gain higher level qualifications. Lead roles and responsibilities, such as, safeguarding, behaviour management and special educational needs and/or disabilities, are delegated to individuals who receive specialist training. The management team works closely together to drive continual improvement. The senior management team involves staff, parents, children and local authority early years advisors in the pre-schools self-evaluation process. Team meetings are held regularly and are used well to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision and continually improve outcomes for children.

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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 EY468617 Local authority Waltham Forest Inspection number 938673 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 68 Name of provider Early Learners Centre Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07572504852

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Setting details

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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