Puffins at Beer Pre-School

Puffins at Beer Pre-School Mare Lane, Beer, Nr Seaton, Devon, EX12 3NB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/04/2014 12/09/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are well cared for by staff who have a good understanding of how children learn through play and exploration.  Staff provide a welcoming and stimulating environment with an extensive range of resources that children can select independently.  Staff use a clear assessment system which helps them promote children's good progress in their overall development.  Excellent partnerships with parents and professionals enable staff to meet individual needs well.  Staff help to prepare children very well for school by encouraging their independent skills and through effective links with school staff.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff are not always consistent in encouraging children's speech, using familiar terms, rather than using correct words.  Staff sometimes miss opportunities for extending children's understanding of shape through general conversation.

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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's activities, inside and outside.  The inspector spoke to staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, which included children's progress records, policies and procedures.  The inspector took into account parents' views, obtained in person.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Puffins at Beer Pre-School registered in 2002. It is a committee-run setting, which is situated in a building adjacent to the Church of England Primary School, in Beer, Devon. There is one main playroom, with adjoining toilet and kitchen facilities, and outdoor hard- surfaced and grassed areas. In addition, the pre-school also has access to the school hall, football field and playground. The pre-school is open every weekday during term time only from 9am until 3.30pm. A lunchtime club operates between 12pm and 1pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. There are currently 36 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The pre-school cares for children who learn English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are seven members of staff employed, of which six work directly with the children. These staff hold relevant early years qualifications.

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

 develop consistency in supporting children's language skills by always using the correct version of words

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

 extend opportunities for children to hear reference to names of shapes during everyday activities.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at the pre-school. Staff provide a welcoming and stimulating environment where children learn through play and exploration. Staff arrange the room and play equipment effectively to support all areas of learning. There is an extensive range of resources that staff store at low-level and label with words and pictures. Therefore, children can easily identify what is available and choose what they want to play with. Staff plan a broad range of interesting learning experiences with a good balance of adult-led and self-chosen activities. They value children's ideas and use spontaneous situations to extend children's learning according to their interests. For example, during a number game involving pictures of bottles on a wall, children notice the images of insects on the brickwork. This instigates their interest in finding creatures and they request to go outside on a bug-hunt. Staff respond positively and find appropriate resources for them to

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who attend

use. Children are excited and interested in their findings. They use magnifiers to inspect the creature and look through books to help identify what they have found.

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who attend

Overall, staff promote children's language skills well. They talk with children as they join in their activities, modelling words to help them describe actions, concepts and emotions. Staff use sign language effectively to help children communicate when children have limited speech. They use open-ended questions to help children think, recall and solve problems. However, occasionally, staff use simplified words. For example, they say 'horsey', 'lambies' and 'doggies' when referring to animals. Therefore, children are not learning the correct words to develop their vocabulary. Staff supply a good range of books from which children can easily select independently. They read stories to children, which helps develop children's listening skills. Staff encourage children's understanding of counting and number well. They use children's play and everyday activities to encourage children to count, recognise numerals and think about weight and measure. However,

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who attend

they sometimes miss opportunities to talk about shape names in their conversation, to extend children's understanding of shape and mathematical language.

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who attend

Staff plan various activities that develop children's understanding of the world around them. This includes walks in the woods, visits to the beach, planting and nurturing seeds. and visiting a farm. For example, children enjoy the experience of helping to feed lambs with milk from a bottle. Staff teach children about the importance of recycling through everyday routines at meal times. They extend children's understanding through games, both electronic and board games. This all helps to encourage children to have a caring attitude about the natural environment.

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who attend

Staff use a clear assessment system, which helps them promote children's good progress. They complete individual files that include dated, annotated observations and photographs of children's play and achievements. They use this information effectively to plot children's stage of development and identify clear next steps in their learning. Staff have a good understanding of their responsibility to complete progress checks for children aged between two and three years. Staff value information from parents about children's achievements at home to use in their assessments. They have recently introduced Key Books, which encourage children's input and contributions from their family. This promotes good partnership working with parents to provide a full picture of children's overall development.

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

Children are happy and settled. They make good relationships with adults and one another. Staff encourage children's sense of belonging by displaying photographs of them and their art work in the setting. Staff seek information from parents about children's interests and families when children start attending. This enables them to get to know about children's interests and preferences in order to help them feel secure. Staff have exceptionally good links with the school. Children become familiar with the school environment as they meet staff and join in activities with the Reception class. Staff are mindful of school routines and mirror these to teach children what to expect in the new situation. Consequently, children are confident and independent when they start school and move on to their next stage of learning.

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

Familiar routines and clear explanations mean that children know what staff expect of them. Staff encourage children to take turns and share resources. Children respond well to tasks of responsibility, such as helping to pack away play equipment. Staff help children to recognise their emotions and are consistent in managing any challenging behaviour with a positive approach. Staff regularly praise children's efforts and achievements, which helps boost their confidence and self-esteem. Staff help children learn about their own safety. They teach children how to use equipment sensibly and practise safe routines for crossing roads when on outings.

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

Staff promote children's healthy lifestyles well. Children practise good routines for personal hygiene and develop increasing independence as they use toilet and hand washing facilities unaided. They make choices from healthy options at meal times. Staff extend children's understanding of the importance of healthy eating through discussion and planning activities, for example cooking and growing their own vegetables. Staff provide daily opportunities for children to have fresh air and exercise. They confidently use a range of large apparatus to practise climbing, sliding, and manoeuvring wheeled vehicles.

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provision

The staff work well together as a team to ensure that the setting operates smoothly on a day-to-day basis. They have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements. Staff implement clear policies and procedures that promote children's welfare and safety. Staff have a good understanding of how to protect children from harm. This includes recognising signs and symptoms that would cause concern. They keep their knowledge up to date through regular training. There are clear procedures to follow in the event of any complaints and allegations and the provider is clear about the timescales in which to notify Ofsted. Clear recruitment procedures mean that staff are checked for their suitability to work with children. There are methods in place to monitor the ongoing suitability of staff. Staff complete risk assessments and daily checks so that they provide a safe environment for

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provision

children to play. Effective staff deployment means that children are well supervised, in order to keep them safe and to support their learning. There are effective methods for monitoring children's progress and identifying any gaps in their learning.

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provision

Staff promote extremely effective partnerships with parents and professionals. They provide parents with useful information about the pre-school by way of written policies, displays and regular newsletters. Staff make themselves available to exchange information on a daily basis through conversation, and invite parents in to share their skills. Staff work closely with outside agencies to gain ideas of how to support children with specific needs and their families. Staff meet regularly with school staff to share information and organise joint activities. This results in a smooth move for the children from pre-school to school. Parents say that their children are very happy at the pre-school. Parents find staff approachable and supportive. They appreciate how well staff prepare children for their move on to school.

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provision

Staff have successfully addressed the recommendation set at the last inspection, which has improved aspects of children's learning. There are good systems for monitoring staff effectiveness. Regular supervision and appraisals help identify any training needs. Self- evaluation includes views of staff, parents and children and leads to clear targets for development and continuous improvement. For example, staff have included children in developing a 'bug hotel'. They have collected natural resources in preparation for the construction, in order to extend their interest in the natural world.

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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 EY217314 Local authority Devon Inspection number 965443

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 36 Name of provider Puffins at Beer Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 12/09/2013 Telephone number 01297 20403

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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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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