Paint Pots Preschool @ St Marks

Paint Pots Pre-school & Nursery St. Marks C of E Junior School, Stafford Road, SOUTHAMPTON, SO15 5TE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/05/2014 26/04/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 2 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 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The quality and consistency of teaching is exceptional because staff have an excellent knowledge of how children learn. The management team effectively monitor the provision and support staff to ensure the very best outcomes for children's learning.  Partnerships with parents are highly effective. They are fully involved in the care and learning of the children, which ensures the children receive excellent support and continuity in their learning and development.  The key person system is firmly embedded and great care is taken to build strong attachments with all children, which ensures that they feel extremely confident and secure in the setting.  The inspirational manager and dedicated staff are committed to providing high quality care and learning for children. The rigorous monitoring of all aspects of the setting enables them to clearly target and strengthen practices.  Robust partnerships with other professionals are highly effective in providing for

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This provision is outstanding

children's needs. Children make excellent progress and transitions in and out of the setting are exceptionally well organised to promote continuity of care and 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 compulsory part 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 held meetings with the manager of the setting and the owner of the company.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with key members of staff and carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out observations of activities inside and also in the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation; evidence of suitability of practitioners working in the setting, the providers self - evaluation systems, complaints log and a range of other documentation.  The inspectors took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Paint Pots Pre-school and Nursery at St Mark's is one of seven settings owned and run by Paint Pots Pre-school and Nursery Ltd. It was registered in 2011 and operates from a room in St Mark's Church of England Junior School in Shirley, Southampton, in Hampshire. There is ramped disability access to the building. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area and have the use of the school field, playground and hall. There is provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. It is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The setting may care for no more than 32 children under eight years, of whom, not more than 32 may be in the early years age group. Of these, none may be under two years at any one time. There are currently 43 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. Of these, 36

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Information about the setting

three to four-year-olds receive funding. It is open each weekday from 8.45am to 3.15pm for 51 weeks of the year. Children attend for a variety of the sessions on offer, from the host school, the community in Shirley and surrounding areas. There are six members of staff who work with the children. Of these one has Early Years Professional Status; one holds a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 4; four hold NVQs at level 3 or the equivalent, one of whom holds a degree in Special Educational Needs. The pre-school receives support from the local authority.

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

 enhance outdoor play further by implementing the plans for development of this area.

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who attend

The Inspirational manager and staff have a very secure knowledge of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have an excellent understanding of how children learn through their play. Staff have high expectations of themselves and the children, and provide a wealth of challenging and imaginative play and learning experiences. For example, they provide excellent opportunities for children to develop their understanding of the world while using sand and water to create a fort surrounded by a river in the sand tray. The outstanding teaching and questioning skills used as the water disappears inspires children to become highly motivated and independent learners. The staff's excellent understanding of children's learning enables them to provide stimulating and highly innovative activities and environments which promote the children's interests. For example, children industriously create a wonderful train and track to carry animals to their

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who attend

zoo, exploring sizes and shapes as they develop their understanding of mathematical language. Staff creatively use the indoor and outdoor areas to engage children in their learning. They encourage exploration, imagination and autonomous play and independence in an exciting and motivating environment. For example, children participate in an exciting parachute game hiding underneath and crossing from one side to the other as their names are called out. Staff are reviewing how they can extend children's enjoyment of the outside area, with the use of the adjacent field, to further develop opportunities for outdoor play.

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who attend

The children revel in the homely environment where they test out their confidence and build very strong relationships with the adults. They delight in the songs and rhymes sung by staff, often spontaneously, and they join in with words and movements. Children are extensively encouraged to explore their environment and are beginning to problem solve. For example, when they build a town using bricks, they are encouraged to work as a team to build the highest tower they can. Staff ensure that parents are fully informed of the benefits of all activities in supporting young children's dexterity and co-ordination, particularly in preparation for their future literacy and mark making skills.

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who attend

Children's communication and language skills are exceptional as many engage in complex and mature conversations with their peers and adults. Staff are highly skilled in meeting the needs of children for whom English is an additional language and because of this children make rapid progress in their communication and language and are confident to express their opinions share their ideas and inventions with the adults around them.

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who attend

Children discover and appreciate different cultures and communities, such as the different ways in which people live. They discover and examine a range of artefacts and pictures from around the world, supported by staff who use excellent vocabulary with the children. Materials for making marks are widely available both indoors and out and presented in imaginative ways to capture the interest of all children who are encouraged through skilful teaching to begin to give meaning to marks. For example, they recognise their individual name cards and coat pegs and on arrival. Books and reading materials from many cultures are readily available and children enjoy the one-to-one experience of sharing them with practitioners who skilfully enhance story sharing time through the use of tone and intonation as they share picture books with children. The quality of teaching is excellent. Staff encourage children to use everyday objects to build and construct during imaginative

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who attend

play and enthusiastically provide them with opportunities to extend their thinking through their creativity and passion for children's development. For example, they build a large castle from boxes to enable the children to extend their imaginative play and create their own stories and worlds. This dynamic approach to learning contributes extremely well towards children's skills for the future and in preparation for their move on to full-time school.

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who attend

Staff use meticulous systems to assess children's starting points and on-going progress and these are well established, robust and include all those involved in their learning. Staff prepare very detailed plans that cover all of the areas of learning and reflect children's individual interests and next steps, including where a child may require additional support or benefit from a greater challenge. The needs of individual children are recognised and staff incorporate these into planned activities that inspire and motivate them. For example, quieter or newer children are sensitively drawn into playing with other children. As a consequence, all children enjoy a rich, varied and imaginative time and make excellent progress in their learning and development.

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who attend

Staff make thorough observations to identify the next steps in children's development. They set realistic targets for children that support them exceptionally well in their progress towards the early learning goals. Parents receive regular highly comprehensive feedback which helps them to feel included in their child's learning. For example, they are provided with both daily feedback and more detailed periodic written reports to show them what their children have achieved. They are invited to attend parents meetings with their child's key person on a regular basis. In addition, they have easy access to a broad range of information about activities and learning objectives within the setting. Consequently, they are fully included in their children's time at the setting and are helped to understand how to support their children's learning at home.

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

A calm and caring atmosphere creates a positive learning environment for all and where children are highly valued as individuals. Careful consideration is made to the allocation of each child's key person. This supports extremely close bonds between children and staff and provides a strong base for children to develop their independence and explore. In addition, parents acknowledge and appreciate the warm welcome and ongoing support that they receive. All children show a strong sense of belonging within the setting and settle well because staff have an excellent knowledge of their individual likes, needs and routines. They work very closely with parents from the outset to gather all the relevant information and ensure that this is regularly updated to reflect any changes. Transitions from one setting to another are exceedingly well managed as staff have established very positive partnerships with parents, other providers, and local pre-schools and schools.

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

Staff give the utmost regard to the safety of children and ensure that resources and equipment are appropriate to their individual needs. Extreme care and consideration is made to the presentation of activities both indoors and out to provide a consistently highly stimulating learning environment for children. Children are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyles and learn about the importance of exercise using the indoor play space and outdoor areas. Outdoor learning and activities are available every day regardless of the weather conditions so that children can enjoy play in all its guises. Children show a clear knowledge of how to keep themselves healthy. They are encouraged to make choices about the food they eat and are able to recognise that some food choices are healthier than others. Children enjoy the social experiences of meal times as staff ensure that these are opportunities to engage with children in social conversation and use good manners as

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

Staff diligently reinforce safe practice with equipment and toys to teach children how to play safely while taking controlled risks in a safe environment. Rigorous risk assessments are recorded and are in place and daily checks to minimise risks to children are carried out across the setting. Children are cared for appropriately following any minor accidents and staff deal sensitively with any bumps they have received. Comprehensive records are kept of any accidents with records of medicines given and these are shared with parents. Children develop excellent self-help skills. For example, before playing outside they find their own coats and shoes, which they put on with minimal help from staff. At snack time children pour their own drinks.

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

A calm and harmonious atmosphere supports children's learning and any minor disputes are diffused very quickly. Children get on well together. They know what is expected of them, learn to take turns and value one another. Staff skilfully support children to understand the potential impact of their actions on others. Positive behaviour is consistently acknowledged and children's achievements, no matter how big or small are enthusiastically celebrated. For example, staff thank children for their 'good counting and good listening' during a planned activity and reward charts and stickers are used to promote children's sense of self-esteem and confidence.

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provision

Safeguarding of children is exceptionally secure throughout the setting. All staff have an extremely high level of knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and are confident in the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child in their care. Regular training of all staff, including the senior management team and the registered provider ensures this level of skill is continuously up to date. Arrangements for the recruitment and selection of new staff members are thorough and robust. Well- established recruitment and vetting procedures mean that staff undergo robust suitability checks and have completed training or are willing to do so. All staff complete a thorough induction process to help them understand their roles and responsibilities. A broad range of monitoring and performance management tools help managers to effectively support staff. As a result, any practice or training issues are quickly identified and addressed. Staff

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provision

speak in glowing terms of the support and mentoring they receive in order to extend their skills and knowledge base of early years education, childcare and development. In addition, managers and staff work incredibly well together and pay high regard to each other's strengths and areas of expertise. Therefore, they create a very supportive and positive environment for children to play and learn.

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provision

Highly skilled staff have formed very strong partnerships with parents who value the service. Comments from parents are extremely positive. They state that they feel fully informed and included in their child's care and learning at all times and benefit from regular verbal and written feedback. Parents are invited to attend meetings about their children's progress on a regular basis and to participate in the future development of the setting. An extensive range of information is made readily available to parents and they routinely have access to policy updates to keep them informed about current practice. The setting has excellent strategies in place and has established effective partnerships with other agencies in order to give consistently high levels of support for individual children.

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provision

Managers and staff are passionate and committed to the service they provide. They work incredibly hard to keep up to date and maintain the outstanding practice within the setting. They share the same vision for continued development and systems for on-going self-evaluation are effective in identifying a detailed plan for future developments. Managers have an excellent overview of the curriculum through the meticulous monitoring of the educational programmes. Planning and assessment are checked to make sure they are consistent and precise. The manager consistently takes account of children's and parents' views, thoughts and feelings, to guide and inform practice. They are encouraged to share their comments through regular questionnaires and on-going discussion. As a result, they are fully involved in affecting change in this exemplary setting. The registered provider and inspirational management team pursue excellence in all areas and provide

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provision

dynamic leadership for the setting. They have consistently high expectations for the quality of care learning and development offered to all children. Procedures and documentation are robustly reviewed and updated to ensure that all requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are exceptionally well met.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY427548 Local authority Southampton Inspection number 759016 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 39 Name of provider Paint Pots Pre-School & Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 26/04/2012 Telephone number 023 8077 2968

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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

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’.

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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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