Arc Pre-School

Arc Pre-School Britwell Youth & Community Project, Wentworth Avenue, SLOUGH, SL2 2DH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/06/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding to keep children safe.  Educational programmes cover the seven areas of learning and support children's development. Children enjoy the range of activities available.  Staff provide sensitive support to encourage children to manage their personal care routines and to gain a positive attitude to playing outside in the fresh air.

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It is not yet good because

 The provider's monitoring and performance management systems do not focus sufficiently on the quality of teaching in order to identify weaknesses.  The quality of teaching is variable; staff do not always effectively plan for children's learning or give children sufficient time to respond to their observations and develop their own ideas.  Behaviour management strategies are inconsistent and staff do not always use positive reinforcement or manage group times well.

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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 outside area.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager of the pre-school.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and spoke to staff.

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Information about the setting

Arc Pre-School registered in 2013. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school operates from Britwell Youth & Community Project, in Slough, Berkshire. They have access to the sports hall and two further playrooms as well as an outdoor area. The pre-school opens term time only. The opening times are Monday to Thursday from 9am to 3pm as a core day. On Fridays, the pre-school opens from 9am to 12 noon only. Children may attend for a variety of sessions. There are plans for a holiday club for children from two- to-eight-years-old running in the holidays with prior arrangement. There are 25 children on roll in the early years range. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-

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Information about the setting

school employs five members of staff, three of whom hold appropriate childcare qualifications.

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must:

 use the staff's knowledge of children's development and their interests to plan effectively for each child's next stage in learning

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must:

 improve the systems to monitor children's development to ensure every child makes progress over time

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must:

 strengthen the monitoring of staff performance management to improve the effectiveness of teaching.

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

 improve behaviour management strategies to help children respond to appropriate boundaries and enable them to participate fully in their learning.

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who attend

Staff plan an environment that provides children with activities that cover the seven areas of learning. Children enjoy the range of activities available, which support their learning and, overall, enable them to make progress within the typical range of development in relation to their starting points. However, the quality of teaching is variable because staff do not give children sufficient time to respond with their ideas and the group activities do not always engage children's interests. Consequently, this means children do not fully participate in all the planned learning activities. This prevents them from good progress. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language appropriately. The children's key person gains the necessary advice from other professionals to support children's learning. Staff understand how to promote learning and can identify their key children's interests and next steps in

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who attend

learning. However, staff do not effectively use this information to plan activities to enhance the children's learning. This means that children do not always receive the help to accelerate their learning.

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who attend

Staff teach children early mathematics and literacy skills. The staff introduce younger children to counting, using songs and rhymes. Older children are learning to count to ten and recognise numerals as they play with number tiles. Staff encourage children to count objects in their play. For example, staff sound the initial letters in words to help children to say the number name and to count. Children enjoy listening to stories, turning pages and lifting flaps. They enjoy joining in with the familiar words and phrases in the story.

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who attend

Children are active learners, they solve problems and achieve what they set out to do. Staff recognised the children's interest in water and turned on the tap in the garden. The children delighted in the feeling of the water running through their fingers. Staff supported children's developing vocabulary by introducing words such as, 'splash', 'running', 'fast', 'sprinkle', and 'waterfall.' Children tried to scoop water up from a large bowl on the floor. They used a range of different size containers but the water was not quite deep enough. They tipped the bowl up so one of the children could collect the water from the corner of the bowl. Staff introduced a block of ice for children to investigate. They showed an interest in the ice as it began to melt. Staff provided additional props in response to children's requests to break the ice. Children enjoyed tapping the ice and looking at the patterns forming when coloured water was added. Despite these activities, staff do not

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who attend

always extend children's learning effectively. They do not give children sufficient time to comment on what they can see or to respond to the questions that staff ask during play.

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who attend

Staff provide a range of resources and activities to support children's developing skills for writing. Children hold chalk, pens and paintbrushes to make marks during their play. For example, during the inspection, two children painted side by side and talked about the marks they made saying, 'I'm covering the paper' and 'I'm painting the pot'. These experiences underpin early writing and aid learning in preparation for school.

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

All children have a key person to help them to become confident, and feel safe and secure in the pre-school. On arrival there are a few tears but children quickly settle to play, with sensitive support and cuddles from their key person. This means that children are happy to explore their learning environment. However, the key persons do not fully plan for, or tailor learning, to their key children's individual needs, therefore, limiting their progress.

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

Staff support children's developing independence to manage their self-care. In the bathroom, children help others to wash and dry their hands before snack. Staff sing a song about washing hands which encourages children 'to wash away the germs and make them nice and clean.' As a result, children learn good personal hygiene practices quickly. Staff provide children with a healthy snack. Children pour their own drinks, they spread their cracker with butter and choose from a healthy platter of fruit and vegetables. Staff talk to the children about the selection of foods, helping them to develop an understanding of why it is important to have a healthy diet.

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

Staff manage children's behaviour by introducing boundaries for children to keep themselves safe and to get along with each other. However, behaviour management strategies are inconsistent because staff do not always use positive reinforcement or manage group times well. Some children become restless during group activities because the teaching does not fully engage all their interests. Therefore, this leads to the disruption of some children's learning and prevent them from making good progress.

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

Staff plan a range of activities to support children to develop good physical health and have a positive attitude to being outdoors. Children move freely, with pleasure and with confidence in a range of ways. They climb and slide, ride bicycles and scooters, run, walk and balance on stepping-stones. Staff teach children to understand about why they must wear hats and sunscreen to keep safe in the sun.

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provision

The management implements the safeguarding and welfare requirements appropriately. The team provides a safe and secure environment, which includes managing complex systems for the building to keep children safe in the pre-school, and reviewing policies and procedures to make appropriate amendments for the safe management of the pre-school. The staff team implements relevant policies and procedures which support the smooth running of the pre-school. The staff and students have a good knowledge and understanding of child protection. They have attended safeguarding training and can confidently identify behaviours that may cause concern, and know how to report these concerns.

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provision

The provider has good systems for safe recruitment. Recruitment processes ensure all references and vetting record checks are in place and up to date. New staff receive an induction. There are systems for staff monthly supervision and weekly staff meetings. The management encourages staff attendance at training for their professional development. The management has started to complete self-evaluation and can provide an overview of the pre-school's strengths and weaknesses. However, these do not focus sufficiently on the quality of teaching and the impact that this has on children's progress in learning. This means that the management's monitoring of children's learning and development and of the planning for children's next stages in learning is not yet thorough enough to improve children's achievements.

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provision

Parent say that the staff are friendly and their children are happy and settled. Staff chat with parents at the beginning and end of each session, providing regular feedback. Staff share activities with parents that children can do at home. This shows staff are working in partnership with parents to promote learning at home. Staff work with parents and outside professionals to secure additional support for children when required.

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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 EY469542 Local authority Slough Inspection number 950497 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Charmaine Veneta Wattley Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07443575910

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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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