Paddocks Pre-School

Paddocks Pre-School Laindon Recreation Ground, Pound Lane, Laindon, Basildon, SS15 5SP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/06/2014 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

 Children form close and affectionate relationships with the staff, who ensure that their well-being, safety and individual needs are met.  The quality of teaching is good. Children learn through a variety of interesting and exciting activities and experiences, provided by staff who effectively support and extend their learning.  Children are well protected as the staff fully understand and effectively meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Partnerships with parents are strong. This ensures that all children receive the support they need to progress and succeed in their learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Procedures for bringing children in from the garden are not consistently applied.  There is scope to enhance the monitoring of staff practice to ensure that procedures are consistently followed.

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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 engaged in activities indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke with the owner, manager, staff and children.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took account of parents' views by speaking with them on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled policies and procedures, staff suitability records, risk assessments, children's development records and other relevant documentation.

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Information about the setting

The Paddocks Pre-school was registered, under new ownership, in 2013 and is one of three settings owned by the provider. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from the main hall of a community building in a recreation ground in Laindon, Essex. There are kitchen and toilet facilities, and a meeting room available to the staff. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs five staff, four of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9.15am until 12.15pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 9.15am until 3.15pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when a lunch club is provided. There are currently 42 children on roll who are in the early years age group. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school provides funded early education

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Information about the setting

for children aged two-, three- and four-years-old. It supports children who are learning to speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 embed arrangements for the checking of children as they come in from the garden, so they are consistent in methods of accounting for them

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

 enhance the already good monitoring of staff practice to ensure that all staff carry out procedures effectively.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of how children learn, and provide interesting and exciting activities that offer stimulation and challenge. Staff monitor children's development through the use of effective observations and assessments. They use these observations to accurately identify the next steps in children's learning. This knowledge, together with staff's understanding of children's interests, likes and dislikes, ensures accurate planning for individual children's progress. Key person discussions with parents mean that children's learning experiences at home are incorporated into planning; ensuring children are motivated to learn. As a result of careful observations and planning, any gaps in children's learning are quickly identified and supported. Parents provide information on children's development, supporting staff in assessing their starting points on entry to the pre-school. Children with special educational

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who attend

needs and/or disabilities receive good support from their key person, who works in partnership with other professionals and parents.

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who attend

Staff provide regular information to parents about their children's development, and they support parents with ideas and activities to continue their learning at home. Parents contribute to their children's development by providing information about their particular achievements or 'magic moments'. Key persons share with parents, the progress check for children aged between two and three years, to support their continued development. Children with additional needs are well supported, as key persons work in partnership with parents and other professionals, to ensure their individual needs are fulfilled and they make good progress. Children develop a love of books and reading, as they sit in the cosy book corner and choose from the good range available to them. This helps them to become prepared for school and they learn skills for the future. Their communication and language development is well promoted as staff engage them in conversation. They ask

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who attend

open questions to promote children's thinking skills and encourage problem solving. Labels around the room are written in several languages, so that children who are learning to speak English as an additional language can feel at home, and all children learn about some of the languages spoken in the local community.

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who attend

Children have access to a range of resources, promoting all the areas of learning indoors and outdoors. Staff encourage children to learn simple skills in mathematics, as they match pegs to the correct number of holes and learn to recognise written numerals. Children sing songs and rhymes that help them to remember numbers in sequence. Children learn to understand the world as they examine toys with buttons and find out how they work. They experience the wonders of technology, and learn to control a mouse and keyboard. Children's physical development is supported as they play in the garden, balancing on stepping stones and stilts. They kick footballs and chase imaginary butterflies with a net. They learn more about the world as they dig for worms, examining them with magnifying glasses. Children examine pretend insects from a display indoors to complement this area of learning.

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

Children develop close and affectionate attachments to their key persons and other staff. They are confident, friendly and happy. They make friends easily and their behaviour is good. Staff are good role models as they lead by example modelling politeness and kindness. They use frequent praise and encouragement to raise children's self-esteem and encourage positive behaviour, supporting their personal, social and emotional development. Children learn to understand and respect diversity, as books and other resources reflect positive images of people from a variety of backgrounds. Staff provide a stimulating environment where children are free to explore and use their imagination. All children enjoy playing in the home corner where they pretend to cook dinner or make sandwiches. They make a cosy den where they can chat to their friends. Play resources are of good quality and easily accessible to all children.

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

Children select their own resources and lead their own play. They choose other resources from a photographic display, and staff use their planning from children's interests and identified next steps to provide interesting structured activities, promoting their development. Children have the opportunity to play outside every day, and staff take them on outings. Staff make a list of children going outside to the attached garden to ensure they are accounted for. However, there is scope to improve how they count them back into the pre-school to double check that none are left behind. The outside play area is enclosed and safe for children to play. The staff carry out risk assessments of the outside area before children go out to make sure any hazards are reduced. Healthy eating is promoted by the provision of fruit at snack time. Staff use snack time as a social and learning experience. Children are encouraged to count their pieces of fruit, and they

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

discuss which foods are healthy or unhealthy for them to eat. Children are supported to learn good table manners providing them with skills for the future. Information is gathered from parents about children's individual medical or dietary needs, and careful steps are taken to ensure children do not come into contact with foods that might harm them. Children manage their own personal care needs according to their age and stage of development. They learn the importance of washing their hands before eating, after messy play and after using the bathroom.

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

Children's safety is of paramount importance to the management and staff. All visitors are required to sign in and out, and their attendance is monitored. External doors are kept locked and only opened by senior staff. Children are well supervised as staff interact with them at all times. Children are always within sight and hearing of staff in all areas of the pre-school. Children learn to keep themselves safe, as they are reminded about the rules of the pre-school through discussion and visual notices. Children who have minor accidents are comforted and receive appropriate first aid treatment. Accidents are recorded and signed by parents at the end of the session. Regular fire drills are carried out to ensure that all children and adults know what to do should an emergency occur. Staff support children well when it is time for them to move to another setting or school by discussion and role play.

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provision

All staff have a clear understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are appropriately qualified and are skilled in promoting good outcomes for children. All the necessary documentation for the safe and efficient management of the pre-school is in place. Staff carry out robust risk assessments of the premises and equipment to minimise hazards, and make sure the children's environment is safe and secure. As a result, children can play and learn in safety. There is a clear safeguarding policy, including a policy on the use of mobile telephones and cameras, to ensure staff protect children. There is a clear whistle blowing policy to ensure staff feel confident in addressing any concerns should they arise. Children are effectively protected because staff undertake regular training. They have a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they have concerns about a child's well-

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provision

Recruitment procedures are good and all staff have undergone the necessary background vetting checks, ensuring they are suitable to work with children. The manager ensures that correct ratios of adults to children are always maintained. Staff keep up to date with their first aid training, so they can deal effectively with minor injuries if necessary. Staff's professional development is encouraged and they undertake frequent training, in order to continue to develop their knowledge and skills. Staff track children's developmental progress to ensure that any identified gaps in children's learning are quickly closed. Any concerns regarding children's development are discussed with their parents, and suitable measures for intervention put in place through close links with other professional agencies. Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are invited to give regular feedback on the activities provided for their children. Staff meet with parents frequently to

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provision

discuss children's progress. Parents speak highly of the pre-school and say they are happy with the care their children receive. Parents know they are welcome in the pre-school to speak to the manager or key persons if they have any concerns or want to talk about their children's development.

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provision

Staff are supported by the manager, who monitors their practice and the effectiveness of the educational programmes by observing activities. Staff also carry out observations of each other's practice and give each other constructive feedback. However, monitoring is not yet sufficiently frequent or structured which causes some errors in practice to be missed. Children's progress records are checked by the manager and planning is reviewed, ensuring all children's needs are effectively met. Staff meetings are held regularly to discuss planning, training and evaluation. Continuous self-evaluation identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-school, demonstrating clear targets for improvement. Parents and children are encouraged to complete questionnaires to support evaluation of the pre-school. The manager welcomes all feedback and quickly responds to suggestions for improvement. Children are well-prepared for the next stage in their learning and

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provision

moving on to new settings, as staff help them to learn the skills they will need.

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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 EY469367 Local authority Essex Inspection number 948345 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Serendipity Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01268559633

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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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