Poppins Pre-School

Poppins Pre School and Nursery Lampard Centre, Sally Port Gardens, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5BU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/05/2014 04/11/2010

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff promote a healthy lifestyle for children through the provision of daily outdoor play and healthy options for snack time.  Staff provide children with opportunities to use a range of resources to support sensorial play and promote their creativity.  Partnership working with outside agencies is well supported, to provide targeted support for individual children.

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It is not yet good because

 Weaknesses in the planning and teaching result in some areas of learning not being given equal consideration, such as mathematics and literacy.  Staff do not always deploy themselves effectively outside to ensure all children receive appropriate support and guidance to promote their safety.  Staff do not use all situations and activities to fully support and extend children's communication and language skills.

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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 spent the majority of the inspection observing the interaction between the staff and the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with a member of the management team.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the staff and management team throughout the inspection.  The inspector sought parents' views through discussion.  The inspector reviewed documentation including children's assessment files.

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Information about the setting

Poppins Pre-school and Nursery opened in 1996. It is run by a committee and occupies its own room in a community centre on a housing estate for army personnel. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. It is open each weekday from 9.00am to 4.00pm during school term time.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 70 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery caters for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for those children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are thirteen members of staff, two of these being office personnel, with eleven staff who work in the nursery. Ten of these hold a relevant early years qualification.

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must:

 ensure staff are deployed effectively at all times to promote children's safety and well-being

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must:

 use children's next steps in their learning to inform the planning and ensure that all seven areas are given equal consideration

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

 improve opportunities for children to be encouraged to communicate and speak both in their home language and English, through open-ended questioning, gestures and good interaction from staff

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

 make additional resources accessible to children to promote choice and self- selection.

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who attend

Children make sound progress in their learning and development because staff provide a range of activities for the children. Staff act as key people for groups of children and carry out regular observations of children's learning. They obtain useful information from parents at the initial settling-in sessions, to identify the child's individual needs. This enables them to record children's starting points in their learning and development and to track their progress from the outset. Observations are linked to the areas of learning, and staff note what children need to learn next. However, this process is not sufficiently robust to ensure all areas of learning are given equal consideration, resulting in weaknesses in mathematics and communication and language.

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who attend

Staff are more secure in adult-led activities to support children's learning because of the specific aim involved, but feel less secure in child-initiated play, resulting in occasions when children's learning is not fully extended. Parents contribute to the assessment process by informing staff about their child's achievements from home, and they meet staff three times a year for a formal meeting to discuss their child's development.

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who attend

Staff plan adult-led activities in addition to the opportunities for child-initiated play. Children move around the nursery, both indoors and outside, finding resources or activities that interest them. Staff encourage children's participation in activities but they do not always develop children's language skills through asking open questions that encourage children to think and to join in with conversation. For example, during snack time children are not encouraged to talk about the fruit, or why it is healthy.

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who attend

Children are confident learners and keen to experiment with the different resources around the nursery. Staff provide a good range of activities to promote children's sensory play, such as foam, dough and collage activities, with children particularly enjoying the glitter. Sand and water are firm favourites and engage children's attention well, especially those children with additional needs.

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who attend

Children show a love of books, and staff make sure books are used around the nursery in different areas, including outside, supporting children's enjoyment. Some children have favourite stories and they carry the book around with them, often requesting a member of staff to read to them. Occasionally, outside agencies come into read to the children, using props to facilitate the story telling and to add a new dimension. Mark-making materials, such as cornflour, are used during messy play and provide some opportunities for children to experiment using their hands and fingers. However, planning for mark-making is weak and, as a result, children show limited interest in the basic resources available, such as chubby crayons and paper. This is also reflected in the lack of quality signs and labels around the room, to encourage children to begin to recognise familiar letters or words.

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who attend

Staff understand the benefit of physical play for all children and provide some wheeled toys and large play equipment, such as slides, during daily outdoor play. However, there are few opportunities for children to be challenged physically, due to the resources and weaknesses in the planning. Children show developing hand and eye coordination as they use spoons in the sand to fill the pots or post pasta into plastic bottles. Staff provide tweezers and children enjoy trying to pick up objects out of the sand and water. Some children choose to find numbers in the water and link this to their age. However, there is a general weakness around mathematics teaching. Staff do not plan effectively, to make the best use of resources and to extend children's knowledge and mathematical language as they play, through thoughtful discussion and questioning. Children move confidently around the nursery, often choosing to play with a special friend,

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who attend

demonstrating developing friendships. Staff sit alongside children, talking to them about the activity and showing an interest in them. Children show increasing independence, washing hands and making choices of activities. Children play alongside others and accept each other's differences. However, staff do not fully reflect children's different cultural needs or language through resources around the nursery, to foster a respect for their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people.

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

Staff act as key people from the initial settling-in visit. Parents are encouraged to come in with their child to support the separation process and enable the child to build secure attachments with the key person. Staff show a caring approach to the children, providing cuddles when required and valuing them as individuals. Consequently, children are settled and confident within the setting. Staff often provide praise and encouragement to the children, building children's self esteem and making children feel welcome. Children generally behave well, with staff intervening and helping children to resolve minor disputes over toys.

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

Children benefit from the staff's understanding about promoting a healthy lifestyle. For example, children have access to daily, active outdoor play and fresh air, where they can run around, climb the steps on the slide or carry the full watering cans to water the plants. Hygiene procedures are implemented well by the staff who act as role models. Staff prepare the table for snack time using antibacterial spray and implement sound procedures for nappy changing to prevent cross infection. Children are given a choice of healthy snacks with whole pieces of fresh fruit. This provides the opportunity to see the fruit before it is cut or peeled and further supports children's personal independence.

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

Staff promote children's safety through daily risk assessments and suitable long term risk assessment to identify hazards within the environment. Staff are alert to hazards, but allow children to take some risks to develop their awareness. For example, when children build a platform with the large wooden bricks, staff explain why it is unsafe to walk on and they show children how to change it so they can walk on it. However, although staff ratios are maintained throughout the day, staff do not always deploy themselves effectively outside, leaving some areas of the garden without an adult supervising. Consequently, although all children can be seen, children receive less support and interaction on occasions, to extend and support their play and safety. Children begin to develop spatial awareness as they use the tricycles on the hard standing and manoeuvre around each other. All staff hold a first aid certificate and documentation is in place and used to record

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

all accidents with parental signatures obtained. Consequently, children play in a safe environment.

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

Children can access an appropriate range of resources from those selected by the staff on the various tables around the room and outside. However, children have limited opportunities to make alternative choices because additional resources are kept in a large locked cupboard that children do not enter. Consequently, new children, or the youngest children, are not aware of possible options available to them on request. A weakness in the planning results in some areas of learning not being well reflected within the environment or resources, minimising choices for children.

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

Staff have a sound understanding about the skills children need to develop to support the transition to school. Children are encouraged to be independent in personal self-care, such as putting on shoes and jumpers, or toileting. They make choices about what to play with and work in small and large groups, developing their social skills and turn taking. Staff encourage children to develop their listening and concentration skills, for example, at group story time, and to gain confidence in speaking in front of others. Links with local schools are being further established, to encourage teachers in to the nursery to meet the children before they start school. Consequently, children are developing some skills in readiness for school.

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provision

Safeguarding is given importance throughout the nursery. All staff receive training regularly, enabling them to implement the written policy and procedure. All staff show a competence in their knowledge about how to protect children and they understand the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about children in their care. All staff are aware of the whistle-blowing policy and the relevant contact details for outside agencies, should the need arise. Children's security is further enhanced by the robust procedures to check that all staff are suitably qualified and appropriately vetted. Once employed, staff receive an induction, probationary period, and regular supervisions and appraisals, to check their ongoing suitability and professional development.

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provision

The management team has recently changed, with the addition of a new staff member. They are enthusiastic in their approach and are working together to develop systems to make improvements to the nursery. They have carried out self-evaluation and are constantly reviewing and monitoring the provision, with support from the staff. Consequently, management has identified areas for improvement and, although not fully embedded, an action plan is in place to make the changes required.

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provision

Partnerships with outside agencies and parents are well supported and encouraged. Staff invite local professionals and outside agencies into the nursery to support them to meet children's individual needs. Targeted support is planned through individual educational programmes which are devised and overseen by the nursery's special educational needs coordinator, in liaison with the key person, parents and other professionals working with the child. As a result, systems to support individual children are developing and improving.

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provision

Parents feel welcome in the setting; they are encouraged to share their views verbally and are involved in contributing to their child's assessment records. All the policies and procedures are shared with the parents and written consent obtained for aspects of care. Consequently, children's well-being is well supported.

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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 103725 Local authority Medway Towns Inspection number 968702 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 70 Name of provider Poppins Nursery Committee Date of previous inspection 04/11/2010 Telephone number 01634 817852

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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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