Grange Pre-School

The Grange Pre-School The Grange Free Church, Circuit Lane, Southcote, Reading, Berkshire, RG30 3HD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/05/2014 06/12/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

 The pre-school has made very good progress since their last inspection. The pre-school is welcoming and inclusive.  The leadership and management are strong and staff work well with one another.  Children enjoy a broad range of activities and resources in and outdoors. Staff have a very good understanding of children's starting points and through the effective key person system are planning well for children's next steps. Consequently, in respect of children's individual starting points; all children are making good progress.  Children behave well and demonstrate awareness of their own health and safety; and an understanding of staff expectations.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are fewer opportunities for children to see both the written word and symbol for a number; and some staff are less confident to extend children's learning by using mathematical language in their discussions.  Although it is part of the pre-school action plan, systems to further promote how parents can develop learning at home by extending activities children enjoy at pre- school are not firmly established.

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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 observed activities in both indoor classrooms and the outdoor garden.  The inspector spoke with staff, children and parents.  The inspector took part in a joint observation with the manager and deputy.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled the pre-school's documentation and children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the leadership and management team to discuss the progress made since the last inspection and monitoring visit; and to discuss the pre- school's self-evaluation process and action plan.

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Information about the setting

The Grange Pre-School registered in 1989. It operates from two rooms in the Grange Free Church at Southcote in Reading, Berkshire. There is an enclosed area for the children's outdoor play. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register only. Currently there are 59 children on roll aged from two years old to the end of the early years age range. The pre-school is open weekdays during school term times. Sessions are from 8.50am until 11.50am and then from 12.20 pm until 3.20 pm. There is a lunch club available each day which operates from 11.50 am to 12.35 pm. The pre-school provides funded free early education for three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are 12 members of staff that work with the children; and all of these apart from one staff member have relevant qualifications at level three. The setting receives support from the

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

 model mathematical language as children play to extend this language and understanding; and provide more opportunities for children to see both the written number word and the number symbol at the same time

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

 extend the ways in which parents can reflect on topics and learning children enjoy and be provided with ideas of how to further extend this learning at home.

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who attend

The pre-school provides a stimulating environment for children and offers a wide variety of learning opportunities that span all seven areas of learning. Children have fun, engage enthusiastically in their play, and are eager to join in. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have embarked on a wide selection of training since their last inspection and have confidently put this knowledge and understanding into practice to promote the outcomes for children. This knowledge has included adapting the environment as a learning resource to better suit the needs of the children attending.

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who attend

Staff are confident in their teaching and interaction skills and therefore promote children's learning well. For example, during story time staff encourage children to anticipate the endings and recognise familiar points of the story. Children help turn the pages and the staff member asks children questions such as 'what is happening here' to extend children's thinking skills. Children are confident to choose and then join in with action rhyming songs. They are eager to take part. These activities promote children's self-awareness, confidence and language skills. Outdoors children make marks using water to paint and decorate surfaces. They play with physical apparatus such as slides or roll about on soft matting that promotes their physical development well.

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who attend

Boys and girls play with dolls and prams, while others role-play at being builders. They wear hardhats and carry toolboxes with a range of play tools that extend their play and engagement. Children pretend to bang in nails with hammers and make minor repairs to their environment, working together with one another as they do. Unfortunately, some staff miss opportunities to extend mathematical language, for example as child build with construction blocks outdoors. Some opportunities are also missed indoors to enhance how children see written number words or figures to put in to context that meaning. This is evident during snack time when children are reminded how many of each produce they should choose. Nevertheless, children benefit from a very broad range of resources that they freely choose and are confident to do so. Indoors and outside there are lots of displays for example 'people who help us' and 'what is happening in your garden'. Freely

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who attend

chosen technology resources, for example, binoculars, cameras, maps, compasses, walkie- talkies, magnifying glasses all extend how children play and learn. As a result, children are developing the very important skills that they need to promote their readiness for the next stage of their learning.

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who attend

Staff have a secure understanding of children's progress because they are aware of children's starting points. They make thorough and accurate observations, track children's achievements and making precise assessments of children's learning. Staff regularly share this progress with parents. Overall, children are making good progress in their learning in relation to their starting points. Parents are starting to contribute to children's development records, for example by offering observations of their children during holiday periods. This further supports home-setting partnerships and consistency in children's learning.

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

Children show that they are very happy at pre-school. They enjoy a broad range of play resources and activities, which promote their learning both in and outdoors. They can access their toys and resources easily from wheeled trolleys with labels, to promote how they make these choices. Children behave very well. They understand the routines of their day and staff expectations. Staff give timely reminders to promote children's awareness of their own safety. When playing outdoors children know to wait their turn on the slide and not to slide down until their friends have moved out of the way. Children understand the importance of listening to one another, for example during group times and story times. This promotes their respect for one another, while enhancing their learning as they can hear the suggestions that their friends make.

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

Children have warm relationships with staff and with one another. They play happily together. The key person system is now well established. Staff know the children well and understand their individual needs, which consequently means that children feel safe and content in the care of those looking after them. Effective staff interactions help children to feel emotionally secure. Children are confident in their self-care routines. They inform staff when they are going to the toilet and understand the importance of washing their hands after this and also prior to eating.

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

Children have regular opportunities to play outdoors in an environment that is very stimulating and promotes learning in all seven areas. As a result, children benefit from fresh air and physical exercise and their physical, social and emotional development is promoted well. Children enjoy healthy snacks at pre-school. They demonstrate their independence and confidence by finding their name cards and choosing their seat, pouring their drinks and then serving themselves from the selection of vegetables and fruits provided. Children carefully set out their napkin and use tongs to make their selections of what to eat. Staff offer parents the opportunities for their children to stay for lunch club. Parents provide lunches but a healthy eating policy is in place to promote how children learn to make informed choices and receive a balanced diet. Staff are aware of and adhere to children's dietary needs and preferences.

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provision

The pre-school has made very good progress since its last inspection. They have reflected effectively on their practice and have met all the actions that were set. The leadership and management team are hardworking and proactive in bringing about this improvement. The management team are confident to highlight their strengths and have clear priorities for their ongoing development. These priorities include a covered area for the outdoors for example.

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provision

The manager, deputy, chair of committee and the nominated person have a solid understanding of their roles and responsibilities in order to promote the welfare of the children attending. Recruitment and induction procedures and the systems for the ongoing supervision and training of staff are robust. This means that the adults working with the children are suitable to do so. Staff are deployed very well throughout the day and supervise children appropriately, in order to keep them safe and support their learning and development. Staff morale is high. Staff at the pre-school demonstrate a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements for the Statutory Framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff have completed safeguarding children training as part of their induction and most have completed additional training. They are aware of the procedures to take should they have a concern about a child in their care.

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provision

The pre-school implements robust policies and procedures, which staff adhere to in their daily practice. These policies are shared with parents and therefore they understand the procedures that support children's health and well-being. Staff work consistently with one another and offer strategies for parents at home to help children understand expectations and to promote positive behaviour. Risk assessments of the environment, and ongoing daily checks both indoors and outside promote children's safety. Systems for recording children's attendance, accidents and medication are secure.

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provision

Since the last inspection the pre-school has strengthened the key person system. Key person staff work in a buddy system. This gives them support and opportunities for coaching and development through peer monitoring and sharing planning systems, but also supports the relationships that children have with the key people involved in their development. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. They have a secure knowledge of children's starting points and interests, through their home visits and initial discussions with parents to find out about children's backgrounds and development so far. The practice for recording children's achievements and progress has been adapted and reviewed since the last inspection and has resulted in a more consistent approach overall. Therefore, staff are confident to make timely interventions to support children's development if needed and plan well for children's next

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provision

The pre-school has been part of a pilot scheme through the local authority to support children's transitions on to school. This has been very effective. As a result staff have a very good understanding of school expectations and staff can therefore, pass this on to parents to enable them to make an informed decision about their choice of school. Partnerships with all local feeder schools, local authority and other professionals working with the children needing additional support are well established. Consequently, overall, children are making good progress in relation to their starting points.

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provision

Staff have a positive relationship with parents, who are happy with the care their children receive. Parents comment that they are keen to attend consultation meetings to find out about the progress their children make. They look forward to taking home children's development journals each half term. Parents add that children are very happy and staff supportive of children's needs. Parents benefit from regular newsletters and informative handover discussions. The management team keep parents up-to-date about the progress the pre-school is making in relation to their action plan. Although, part of the pre-school action plan however, the pre-school has not fully implemented systems to support parents' understanding of topics at the pre-school and how these can be extended and adapted for play ideas at home. Nevertheless, the proactive pre-school staff have recently embarked on new practice to use questionnaire responses from parents as part of their reflection

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provision

and self-evaluation procedures. The management team is also introducing a new website.

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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 116829 Local authority Reading Inspection number 963173 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 59 Name of provider The Grange Playgroup Association Committee Date of previous inspection 06/12/2013 Telephone number 0118 956 8528

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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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