Abacus @ Meadowbrook Primary School

Abacus Pre-School @ Meadowbrook Meadowbrook Primary School, Three Brooks Lane, Bristol, BS32 8TA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/05/2014 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff use positive behaviour strategies well which helps children to learn how to manage their own behaviour. Children behave well and staff teach positive behaviour strategies.  Staff work well with the parents to keep them informed, which enables them to support their children at home.  Key persons know their key children well including their individual needs and interests. This helps children to make good progress and be ready for the next stage in their learning.  Staff use good questioning techniques, which helps to develop children's communication and language skills.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff could further promote children's engagement with reading and writing activities outdoors.  Staff could further improve the cultural resources on offer to enhance the children's creative and imaginative play opportunities.

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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 main playroom and the outside learning environment including the pond.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including a sample of children's records, planning and records to check staff suitability.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents, staff and children spoken to on the day of the inspection and of the provider's self-evaluation.  The inspector held meetings with the directors and the manager of the setting.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the setting.

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Information about the setting

Abacus Pre-School @ Meadowbrook registered in 2014 and is one of four privately run pre-schools. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from an open plan, purpose- built, portable building, situated in the grounds of Meadowbrook Primary School, in Bradley Stoke, Bristol. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school is open each weekday from 8.30am to 3.30pm or 4pm depending on demand, term time only There are seven members of staff, both directors hold a qualification in early years management level 5. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications, including two members of staff who have early years degree's, one member of staff holds qualified teacher status and one member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status.

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

 provide a wider range of activities to help children develop their early writing and reading skills outdoors

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

 further support children's awareness of diversity through imaginative and creative activities.

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who attend

Children settle quickly at the pre-school and are keen to explore the interesting and stimulating play activities indoors and outdoors. Staff work with the parents to find about each child's interests and stages of development. Staff know children well and have a good understanding of how children learn and ways to promote their learning and development. Staff carry out ongoing observations and use this information to plan activities so that they are of interest and relevant to the children. This is helping children move on to the next step in their development. There are assessment systems in place that enable staff to identify children's strengths and areas to develop. These are successful as they enable staff to organise specific learning activities to best support children's learning and development. Parents receive regular information about their child's progress and are encouraged to share their thoughts of their children by writing

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who attend

'wow' moments for the staff. Parents are invited to meet their key person regularly to go through their child's learning journal. There are resources that parents can borrow such as story bags to read with their children. This enables parents to further support their child's learning at home. Strong partnerships with parents are well established. The staff are getting to know the local community and are working hard with parents to celebrate the diversity of the setting. For example, for their topic 'our world' they invite parents in to share information about their home countries, encouraging parents to lead cooking activities so that children can try a variety of foods from around the world. However, at times staff are not tailoring the imaginative and creative areas of the pre-school enough to fully promote multi-cultural play and learning opportunities.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good and as a result children are making good progress in all areas of their learning and development. Children take part in a wide range of activities, staff are particularly skilled in promoting children's communication and language development. For example, while at the pond they promote children's critical thinking as they give them time to explore and talk about the natural area. Children talk about the creatures living there and the plants that grow, staff extend their thinking further by asking additional questions. Children have great fun joining in a music and movement activity, the children giggle in excitement and join in with the songs and movements happily. Staff skilfully engage all children of different ages and this supports children's social skills successfully.

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who attend

Children have 'treasure boxes' containing objects and pictures of things that are important to them., They make these with their parents at home and bring them into the pre-school can share them with their friends. Children shares photographs of their families and pictures of things which interest them. For example, tractors. Children learn to take turns in conversation and listen to each other. Staff skilfully extend the older children by questioning them to encourage them to think deeper for example, 'I wonder what colour this tractor is' and 'can you see any other green things?' Staff are teaching children a good range of mathematical skills that will aid them in their future development., For example, they encourage them to count the number of children walking to the pond and comment on the size, shape and colour of things as children play. All children have access to sensory play activities. Some children investigate shaving foam with pine cones and others

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who attend

make bubbles in water. Older children explore dough and are given choices of different smells and colours to add to it. This allows children to be creative and make their own independent choices, which also develops their self-esteem.

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who attend

Staff organise activities to help promote children's reading and writing skills, such as, 'carpet time' where all children look at books and listen to stories after lunch. However, at times, staff do not tailor planning enough to ensure that reading and writing activities are more freely available in the outdoor environment. Consequently, children that prefer to play outdoors do not always have the same opportunities to develop their reading and writing skills. Staff interact positively with children introducing vocabulary to build on children's language development and have additional strategies in place to that are effectively supporting children learning English as an additional language. For example, some staff use sign language which uses gesture alongside speech to help children understand the words being spoken. Staff also use pictures to help children follow the routine and they have these clipped to them so that they have them readily available to

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who attend

use. This helps children that are learning English to be included. Consequently, children are confident communicators and they chat to their friends and confidently join in with group conversations.

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

Children build friendships with one another and play together well. Children are interested and occupied in play and as a result, they behave well. Staff are good role models for children, they use consistent teaching strategies which promotes children's well-being and children have good relationships with staff. The key person system is well established and works well to ensure that there is ongoing exchange of information between home and pre-school to help ensure that children's individual needs are met. Parents have a good understanding of the role of the key person and they feel well supported and informed by their child's key person. The manager uses staff from other sites run by the same company to cover staff absence. This is an effective way of ensuring that there is continuity for the children and ensures that there is consistent practice from staff. As a result children's emotional needs are being well met.

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

Settling in sessions before children start helps them to feel confident in the pre-school. Children spend time in the pre-school with just their parents and key person to help them to become familiar with the environment and build their confidence. Staff interact in a warm way with children, they always take time to listen and they provide cuddles and reassurance when children feel unwell or unsettled. They recognise when children are not feeling themselves and work with parents to support the child to feel better. Children understand the importance of sharing and turn taking such as, waiting for their turn to play with a toy. Staff regularly praise children which builds their self-confidence. At mealtimes staff sit with children which makes it a social time as they talk to them about their morning, which develops children's conversational skills. Children bring packed lunches. Staff provide ideas for parents to help them provide packed meals that their

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

meals are healthy and well balanced. Staff encourage children to be independent. For example, they wash their own hands before meals and put their own coats on. This helps children to be ready for school and helps them to develop good personal hygiene routines.

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

Children are safe as staff are clear of their roles and responsibilities in order to keep a safe and secure environment. They have a range of policies and procedures in place and carry out regular risk assessments of the areas use by children. This significantly minimises hazards to children. Children move safely between different areas indoors and outdoors and are well supervised by staff. Staff use the outdoor areas well to ensure that children getting fresh air and regular exercise which benefits their health and well-being. Staff and children take part in regular fire drills and have effective strategies for gathering children by using an evacuation rope which they all hold and walk with as a group. As a result staff and children are clear of how to evacuate the premises safely.

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

The pre-school environment is well resourced and provides children with a wide range of good quality resources and play equipment. Toys and resources are organised well, clearly labelled and are stored in furniture at children's height, which means that they can access them freely and independently.

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provision

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage safeguarding and welfare requirements. Staff are familiar with the pre-schools safeguarding policy and have had training to help them identify any child protection issues promptly. All staff are clear about the procedures they must follow if they have any concerns about children in their care. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures help to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Parents are well informed of the pre-schools policies and procedures and all of the required documentation is in place and well maintained to ensure that children are safe and secure.

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provision

Staff have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. There are comprehensive systems in place which include observation, assessment and planning to support the staff in monitoring children's progress effectively. Key persons plan for their key children as they know them best and can ensure that planning activities meet their interests and individual needs most effectively. The manager of the pre-school is the curriculum leader and has responsibility for monitoring the delivery of the educational programme which she does effectively. This means that children are well supported to make good progress. The staff team are well trained and highly enthusiastic and they work well together to ensure consistency for children.

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provision

The directors, manager and staff team all demonstrate a drive for improvement. There are effective self-evaluation tools in place that allow the staff team to reflect on what is going well and what they want to develop further. The manger and directors support staff well to ensure that they have regular opportunities to enhance their professional development. Staff receive regular and effective supervision, which provides them with opportunities to listen to feedback about their performance. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and are well updated of current issues. Many staff are studying to gain higher level qualifications. The pre-school have completed detailed improvement plans which prioritise areas of development such as plans to develop their resources. They regularly review systems to ensure that they are fit for purpose.

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provision

Strong partnerships with parents and others involved in children's care helps staff meet children's needs effectively. Staff have good links with the local school and organise regular activities and visits to prepare the older children for the transition into school. The ongoing partnerships with parents is valued by all, they welcome this and use this as an opportunity to link children's experiences at home to those things they enjoy at pre- school.

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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 EY473474 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 947921 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 65 Name of provider Learning Through Play Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07595465980

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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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