Bolton Under 5's Preschool

Bolton Under 5's Preschool Beddington Centre, Riley Lane, Old Basing, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 7DH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/06/2014 17/03/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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 make good progress in their learning because they are supported by caring and skilled staff who have high expectations for them.  Staff place a high priority on helping children develop very good personal, social and emotional skills and as a result children tend to learn very positive behaviour.  Staff consistently give the highest priority to the safety of children and support their growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy.  Partnership working with parents and local agencies is strong, with high levels of commitment and support from the voluntary committee members.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The preschool does not always evaluate what impact their new ideas and teaching strategies have on strengthening achievements for specific individuals or small groups of children.

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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 a wide range of activities across all areas of the preschool and talked with staff and children about what they were doing.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documents and procedures relating to safeguarding, staffing, supervision, risk assessment, equal opportunities and health and safety, and checked a selection of other policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of children's records, the preschool's systems for planning, evaluation and exchanging information with parents and external professionals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and reviewed written communication from parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the leadership team and conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Bolton Under 5's Preschool registered in 1983. It is a voluntary organisation and managed by a committee of parents. The preschool operates from the Beddington Centre in the village of Old Basing, near Basingstoke in Hampshire. It has use of a large enclosed garden for outdoor play and is situated on the edge of extensive recreational grounds. The preschool is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Information about the setting

The preschool is open from 8.30am each weekday during school term times. It closes at 2.45pm on Mondays to Thursdays and at 1pm on a Friday. Children may attend for a variety of full-time or part-time sessions. There are currently 41 children on roll in the early years age group. The preschool is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. Staff welcome children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The preschool currently employs nine members of staff who work directly with the children. Seven of the team hold recognised early years qualifications at level 3 and two are unqualified. The preschool also employs a part-time administrator and a lunch-time assistant.

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

 tighten systems to evaluate the impact of specific teaching strategies and new initiatives, and assess their benefit to drive improvement in the outcomes for children further.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in their learning and development in this caring and lively preschool. This is due to the effective management of well-chosen, capable staff who are supported by an active and strong committee of parents. Staff are good role models; they play alongside the children observing and guiding their development of personal and social skills. Staff use picture prompts to help children stop and recognise their emotions. They help children understand that it is all right to feel different emotions, but that sometimes it helps to stop and think about good ways of expressing them. Staff nurture children as they talk through ways to behave in a positive, friendly, and trusting manner. They do so routinely using small everyday opportunities to guide children. Children are already learning to think through their actions and the impact they have on other people. For example, when a child hovers on the edge of an activity, another child

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who attend

walks over to them, offers to share a tool and invites them into the group's activity. This is confident, kind and caring behaviour for children who are four years of age. Staff's keen focus on developing children's personal, social, and emotional development and communication skills promotes a harmonious pre-school where children flourish.

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who attend

Staff also model how to be a good listener by stopping and attending respectfully to children as they try to express their own requests and ideas. Children know they are valued and that listening and negotiating form the basis of successful communication. Staff equip cosy corners indoors and outdoors with a wide range of books, which captivate children's interest and desire to explore books independently. They build on opportunities to sit and read with children individually and in small groups. Story and rhyme times occur frequently with staff and children bringing tales to life with animated voices, puppets, and props. Consequently, children develop good listening skills. This gives them a secure foundation for the acquisition of subsequent skills in communication and language, speaking and performing, reading and writing.

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who attend

Attentive staff routinely observe and reflect on children's achievements. This provides them with a basis for planning activities that entice and excite children's natural thirst for learning. For example, children catch up with a new film over the holidays and raise the concept of things freezing. Staff build on this interest by planning activities to extend children's understanding of freezing and melting water the following week. Children learn about freezing model penguins in three-dimensional shapes, and compare how long they take to melt in and out of the sun. Staff add their notes and photographs to a computer- based record with ideas for the next steps to further challenge each child's thinking and learning. Parents have passwords to access these observations so they can link in with children's activities and talk about or extend new concepts at home. For example, parents and staff pool ideas as they raise children's awareness of how cold and ice affect different

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who attend

animals, countries, and lifestyles. This is a rich learning environment where all children make good progress in their learning because staff know them well and know how to inspire them further. Staff clearly match their observations to the expectations of the early learning goals and children make very good progress towards them.

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who attend

Staff effectively engage and include parents in their children's preschool life through a range of strategies and communication networks. Parents' information and progress evenings each term provide a further opportunity to share ideas and discuss areas of concern or strength, which may require an additional focus or request for specialist intervention. Prompt responses to gaps in learning, specific interventions or raising expectations result in all children making very good progress in their learning, relative to their individual starting points.

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

Staff are skilled and sensitive in helping children to form the secure emotional attachments they need to gain confidence and independence. Each child has a key person who is aware of their individual needs and likes and dislikes; as a result, children feel happy and secure in the setting. Parents confirm their children enjoy coming to preschool, they settle quickly at drop off times as they choose between intriguing or familiar activities.

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

Staff deploy themselves and supervise children well across the free-flow environment. This enables children to move safely between the indoors and outdoors as they choose easily accessible resources that promote and challenge their development. Children have plenty to investigate in the large, well-resourced outdoor play area. Two extensive garden plots separate areas for construction vehicles, digging and building projects from the children's vegetable garden. Children learn to handle and sow small seeds, nurture and measure the growth of young plants, and take responsibility for watering and weeding their plot. When they need inspiration or specialist guidance, the village allotments are a short walk away. Enthusiastic staff are ready to share recipes for vegetable dishes from around the world. They are also quick to accept offers from parents of different cultures who help bring to life celebrations with special dishes, customs, and greetings. Children learn about the rich

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

diversity of different languages, countries and lifestyles. They begin to make comparisons and identify similarities as well as differences between themselves and others. In doing so, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals.

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

Staff help children gather the resources they need for chosen activities within the garden. Some children use swathes of material to act out favourite stories, others use them for playing tag or making dens under the trees. There are ample picnic benches and small tables to accommodate snack time, water play, craft, and pre-literacy activities. Children strengthen muscles as the play on small climbing frames, trampolines, and tricycles. As they gather crates, hoops, cones and wooden cubes to make an obstacle course, staff naturally model appropriate vocabulary. Hearing words repeated in meaningful contexts gives children the confidence to try out the words for themselves as they tell friends where to place the next obstacle. Staff are very safety conscious and use every opportunity to teach children how to keep themselves safe. As they talk through potential hazards, children begin to risk assess and adapt their plans to make the course safer for

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

younger children. Staff also encourage the children to work as a team and tidy up after themselves. They give children plenty of praise as they stack crates back by the wall and take sports equipment back to the outdoor shed. Children learn to take responsibility for their actions, their environment, and their place in the team.

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

In the summer months, staff create extra activities to ensure the older children become more independent in managing their own needs prior to starting school. Staff encourage children to turn a role-play area into a classroom where they place tables, chairs, pens, paper, glue and scissors. Staff add some exercise books, reading books and a rail of local school uniforms. Children become familiar with the feel, texture, and shared identity of their new uniform. They have time to practise doing up the small buttons, and learn how to leave their clothes neatly in their own pile. Children are very well prepared for school as staff foster close links with the local primary schools and review how well children adapt to their new environment.

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provision

The preschool is led by a voluntary committee of parents who work closely with the preschool manager and her team to evaluate practice and identify aims for improvement. The inspection took place within a month of a new manager taking up position, but as an existing member of the team, she has been part of the self-evaluation process. There is a strong drive to improve achievement for all children across the preschool. The new manager is very capable and has many ideas for improvement. With her strong team behind her, she is in a very good position to strive for excellence and has already made some decisive moves in that direction to improve outcomes for children.

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provision

The new manager has already sought guidance from local authority services for the early years. As a result, she is tightening up areas of safeguarding and welfare to include new equipment for the computer-based monitoring system. Parents are generally delighted with this form of monitoring as they share in their children's activities and progress promptly through regular updates and photographs. Unfortunately, the wireless connection at the pre-school is unreliable, making it difficult for the manager to access, monitor and moderate the work of her staff on a routine basis. Overviews indicate children are making very good progress in all areas of learning and development. What is not clearly evaluated is the impact of different teaching strategies and targets on specific groups of children. For example, the special educational needs co-ordinator is currently working closely with local speech and language therapists to carry over intervention

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provision

programmes at the preschool. However, the preschool does not evaluate such new practices effectively to identify further areas for improvement to help them to support other children's needs.

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provision

The leadership and management team have a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Systems for vetting, recruiting and inducting new staff are robust. Regular supervisions, annual appraisals and professional development ensure staff remain suitable to work with young children. Good systems are in place to prevent unauthorised access and to ensure children are collected at the appropriate time by named individuals so they remain safe. All staff routinely update their training in safeguarding children, first aid, and food hygiene to support them in their care of the children. Individual staff also attend training to support specific responsibilities such as health and safety, working with two-year-olds, and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children benefit from staff that are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and who share their skills across the team.

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provision

The preschool has clear and well-understood policies and procedures for assessing any risks to children's safety. Staff consistently complete routine procedures for risk assessments in all indoor and outdoor areas of the preschool. Individual assessments are also prepared for specific outings to various parts of the village. This helps to ensure that staff do everything possible to make and keep the environment safe for children. All the mandatory documentation for the safe management of the preschool is in place and accurately maintained. First aid kits are accessible in case of accident or injury. The preschool keeps written records of accidents, injuries and first aid treatment, including evidence of when parents are informed. The preschool issues parents and staff with clear guidance on the best ways to prevent the spread of infection, which helps to reduce the incidence of children spreading germs across the preschool. Staff and children practise

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provision

evacuation drills frequently to ensure all children know and feel calm about the routine. Children also benefit from visits from the fire services and act out what they have learnt and how they would behave safely.

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provision

Parents and carers are particularly supportive of their village preschool and willingly offer their time to enhance children's learning. For example, children's role play and imaginations have been greatly enhanced following visits from parents who are dentists or anaesthetists. Another parent brought in his tractor to help prepare children for a forthcoming visit of farm animals. Staff also work effectively with local schools and agencies. The preschool works well with the early years advisory teacher and area inclusion coordinator to enhance practice. A recent audit of the pre-school noted staff's interaction with the children was at the highest level on the scale.

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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 109651 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 816961 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Bolton Under 5's Preschool Committee Date of previous inspection 17/03/2010 Telephone number 07881920709

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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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