Hand In Hand Pre School

Hand In Hand Pre School Briardale Community Centre, Briardale Road, Blyth, NE24 5AN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/06/2014 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

 Teaching is good, the vast majority of practice is strong and staff are skilled in engaging children's interest and motivating them to learn. As a result, children make good progress in relation to their starting points.  The enthusiastic and caring staff team ensure that good relationships between children and themselves are well-established. Consequently, children form strong bonds and they are happy and settled.  Children are effectively safeguarded through the pre-school's robust policies and procedures. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and procedures, which protects children from potential harm.  Staff form strong relationships with parents and keep them well informed about their children's care and learning. This enables parents to continue to support children's development at home.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is room to increase staffs understanding of all learning intentions for activities and to join in with children's activities without over-directing children's play, so that all children have a go.  There is scope to enhance the resources available in the outdoor environment to provide further opportunities for children to explore and investigate.

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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 playroom and outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the management team, carried out a joint observation and spoke with staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's development records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of all staff working in the pre-school and a range of other records, policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussion at the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Hand In Hand Pre-School was registered in 2013 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in Briardale Community Centre in the Blyth area of Northumberland, and is managed by a partnership. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a room in the community centre and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs three members of child care staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above, including the manager who holds a Bachelor of Arts honours in Early Years Workforce Practice. The pre-school opens Monday from 1pm until 4pm, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9am until 3.30pm and Friday from 9am until 12 noon during term time. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 19 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded

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Information about the setting

early education for two and three-year-old children.

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

 increase staffs understanding of all learning intentions for activities to ensure they consistently join in with children's activities without over-directing children's play

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

 enhance the resources in the outdoor area to support children to explore and investigate, for example, at the play kitchen and work bench.

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who attend

The pre-school is a friendly, welcoming and lively setting. Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this to support children's learning and development. They observe children for the first two weeks when they start at the pre- school and then complete a baseline assessment. This helps them to plan appropriate learning opportunities and experiences, which are based on children's interests. Staff complete regular observations of the learning achieved by their key children, recorded in their Learning journey, to ensure all children's achievements are captured. Children's ongoing progress is tracked each term so that any gaps or delays in learning are quickly identified and supported. As a result, children are gaining the required skills to prepare them for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

Staff skilfully support children's communication and language development as they listen to children and encourage them to talk during activities. Staff repeat what less able children attempt to say, modelling the correct pronunciation, so that children learn how to say the words correctly. Some children use gestures to communicate, for example, they point to the wheels and a button on the toy lawn mower. Staff teach children new words by naming the parts as they do so. In the garden, staff play alongside children, observing what children are choosing to play with. Staff support children's imaginative play as they sit on the wooden tractor and trailer when children direct them and ask children, 'where are we going?' Children answer by saying 'the park'. When children say they have arrived, staff follow them to the climbing frame to continue their play. Staff use everyday opportunities to help children learn about the environment around them. They encourage

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who attend

children to recall what they have observed, such as a ladybird. Children show their understanding as they point to the tree. Staff interpret children's actions well by saying, 'the ladybird flew away into the tree'. Staff maintain children's focus most of the time by using an effective range of teaching strategies to skilfully support, challenge and extend children's learning. However, at times, such as during a painting activity, some staff focus on the end product rather than focussing on children's learning intentions. As a result, children are not always encouraged to develop their own ideas and some activities are too challenging for some children.

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who attend

Parents are successfully included in their children's learning. For example, staff discuss children's progress, activities and achievements with parents on a daily basis and listen to what parents tell them about children's learning observed at home. In addition, staff complete a home-links book daily that informs parents about their child's day. Parents have access to their children's Learning journey at any time and it is sent home at the end of each half term. Parents are invited to add their own comments and photographs of what children have been involved in at home, on a home links page. This enables staff to plan around children's interests from home.

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

Children's emotional well-being is effectively promoted in the pre-school. A programme of settling-in visits based on individual children's needs, helps children make a smooth move from home into the pre-school. There is a key person system in place based on staff observing which adults children make a connection with. This ensures children make secure emotional attachments and feel safe and secure. It gives children a strong base, develops their confidence and self-esteem to progress and supports their move to school. Staff are very good role models. They treat children with kindness, respect and speak calmly to them. Children are well-supported by staff to learn how to manage their own behaviour. Staff give them timely reminders to keep them safe, such as not to run around the playroom. Staff give children lots of praise for their efforts, which builds their self- esteem.

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

Staff ensure the playroom is welcoming, stimulating and inviting, by setting resources out prior to children's arrival. This means children can make their own choices about what they want to play with. Children have access to a large garden area where they learn to move in a wide variety of ways. They practice their emerging skills as they push themselves round on bicycles. Staff closely support them as they learn to independently climb the steps on the climbing frame and come down the slide. However, some areas outdoors are not as well-resourced as indoors. For example, staff do not provide additional resources in the play kitchen or at the work bench. This hinders the ability for children to use their imagination and make their own decisions. Children's health is promoted well and there are clear and consistently applied systems in place to protect children from infection. The food provided to children at snack time promotes their health and meets

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

any special dietary requirements of individual children. For example, children enjoy fresh fruit and a bread stick, they are offered a drink of milk or their own bottle of drink they bring in from home. Children learn about good hygiene procedures as staff explain why they should wash their hands before eating and after toileting. Staff plant items, such as beans with children and help children to learn how things grow and how to care for them. Children are fascinated as they observe how tall the beans are growing and show their proficiency as they the beans to keep them alive. Children's self-care skills develop and they become aware about when they need to go to the bathroom and let staff know when they need taking.

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

Staff are aware of their responsibility to prepare children emotionally for their move to other settings or school. They contact local schools in the area and plan to take children for a visit before they start. A transition summary of children's learning and development is completed and passed on to the new setting to help staff understand where children are in their development.

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provision

The management team have a very good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and their responsibility to meet the requirements. Safeguarding arrangements are strong. Staff understand their role in protecting children from harm and are aware of what to do should they have a concern about a child's welfare. Recruitment and induction procedures are robust and ensure that all those working with children are suitable to do so. New staff benefit from a full induction, which ensures they are quickly aware of the routines, policies and procedures that apply to the pre-school. Senior management hold regular supervision meetings with staff to discuss performance and to set targets for their future development. This ensures staffs ongoing suitability. Staff are well qualified and continue to up-date their knowledge of good quality childcare. For example, they have all completed safeguarding training and the deputy manager has attended training for

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provision

completing the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. Risk assessments are thorough, as a result, children are cared for in a safe environment.

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provision

Managers monitor the teaching and children's learning well. For example, they observe staff in their work and meet with them weekly to discuss planning and children's progress. Managers check children's baseline assessments and look at their Learning journeys. This ensures children are making good progress and identifies if staff need professional help and guidance. Self-evaluation is used to good effect and future goals are identified to continually improve the pre-school, for the benefit of the children. Self-evaluation reflects timescales for the completion of goals and identifies who is responsible. Parents feel very comfortable in sharing their views about the pre-school and have written positive comments in children's Learning journeys. There are further plans to seek parent's views about the pre-school by using questionnaires. Close, trusting and respectful relationships between staff and parents successfully support

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provision

children's welfare, learning and development. Parents receive a prospectus about the setting at the beginning of the placement. This clearly explains how the pre-school is run and the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Newsletters are sent out to parents to keep them informed about what is happening in the pre-school and what children are currently learning, such as under the sea. Parents spoken to on the day of inspection comment on how they particularly value the friendly and approachable nature of the staff team and the effective way staff help their children settle and learn.

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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 EY472727 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 949007 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 19 Number of children on roll 19 Name of provider Hand In Hand Pre School Partnership Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01670359135

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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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