Pumpkins Pre-School

Pumpkins Pre-School Champney Hall, Stanwell Road, Horton, Slough, SL3 9PA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/04/2014 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

 Staff have positive relationships with children, which result in children developing a sense of belonging.  The educational programme for literacy is very well promoted.  Children are happy and well motivated to play and explore, and freely access a wealth of resources in a welcoming child-friendly environment. Staff effectively organise play spaces and rooms to enable children to make good progress overall in all areas of development.  Staff develop successful partnerships with parents. Information is exchanged on a daily basis. This allows the staff to be fully aware of the children's individual needs, which are consistently met.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The key-person system is not consistent to ensure all children have a 'buddy' worker to support them if their usual key person is absent.

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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 inspectors observed activities and quality of teaching in the playroom and outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors spoke with staff working in the pre-school and recorded observations of their interactions with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors looked at policies, procedures, progress records and planning documents and discussed these with staff.  The inspectors took account of the views of parents.  The inspectors undertook a joint observation with the deputy manager.

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Information about the setting

Pumpkins Pre-school re-registered in 2013. It is a privately owned pre-school and is one of two settings. The pre-school is located in the village of Horton, Slough. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 26 children on roll attending on a full- and part- time basis. This includes two-, three- and four-year-old children who receive funding for early education. The setting is open each week day between 9am and 3pm term time only. All children share access to a secure, enclosed outdoor play area. The setting employs seven full- and part-time staff. Six of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 extend the partnership with parents by introducing a 'buddy system' so that another staff member knows the child's family and how to help the child learn and develop best in the absence of the member of staff who usually takes responsibility for them.

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who attend

Children throughout the pre-school are making good progress overall in their learning and development. This is due to good quality of teaching and the staff's effective implementation of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, they are able to provide children with a range of activities based on accurate assessments of what each child knows and understands, which helps them do well.

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who attend

Staff consistently support children's communication and literacy development throughout all activities. Staff talk to children continuously. They model language well by showing, explaining, and exploring ideas which challenge children to think. For example, when exploring the dough a child calls out, 'Look I have made a curly C'. The staff member praises the child and says, 'Yes a C'. She then shows this to the group of children at the table and then asks, 'What begins with C', the children reply, 'Cat'. 'That's correct', the staff member comments and then engages the children further by showing them what happens if you turn the letter upside down. The children watch with interest and then call out, 'It turns into a U'. All staff support the children's development in literacy skills very well as they make links to sounds and letters. For example, they call out the phonic sounds and recognise the letters of the alphabet which they link to their names. Staff also

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who attend

give them ample opportunities to ignite their reading interest. For example, exploring written materials, such as labels, magnetic words, songs and reading materials. These experiences, along with good social and independent skills, mean that children are extremely well prepared to move to school.

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who attend

Staff support children who learn English as an additional language well. Staff gain key words from parents and use these alongside English. This values children's home languages and encourages their developing understanding of English. Staff gain support for children with any additional needs and link closely with outside agencies and parents to gain any advice. They implement extra activities which help all children to reach their full potential.

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who attend

Children enjoy exploring a variety of activities that enable them to make good progress in the different areas of learning. These include activities outside where staff effectively support children to develop their moving and handling skills as they build constructions with the blocks and explore the ride-on toys. Children develop positive social skills as they interact with each other, play together and take turns. Mathematics is interwoven very well into the daily routines and activities for all ages of children. Staff count with children, and name shapes and colours through play and circle times. In addition children enjoy singing number rhymes and songs in the garden and staff include subtraction songs, to develop children's early mathematical skills. Children's imagination and creativity is competently built-into the children's day as they explore in the sand looking for treasure and use the play kitchen to bake their cakes made from dough.

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who attend

Staff monitor children's progress regularly as they observe them during their play. This helps staff gain a clear picture of what children are learning and where they may need additional support. Staff effectively share information about what children are learning which builds on the information they gather when children first start. This also helps them to effectively identify and work towards children's next steps in their learning in the activities they provide. Additionally, this promotes a shared approach to children's learning and development between the pre-school and home.

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

Children are confident, happy and build good relationships with their friends and staff at the pre-school. All arrive eager to explore the wide range of activities available. Children develop a sense of belonging as their artwork is displayed throughout the environment. The pre-school's management operate a key-person system and staff implement this well to meet children's needs. However, there is no 'buddy' system to act as a back up when the key person is absent to make sure the individual child's needs are known and met as well as possible.

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

Children successfully develop a strong understanding of good hygiene. The staff follow a robust nappy changing procedure to ensure cross infection is minimised, such as by using aprons and gloves. All children wash their hands before eating and cooking and older children confidently carry out self-care skills as they independently wipe their own noses and take themselves to the toilet. Staff support children's independence well, as they encourage children to put on their coats and serve themselves at snack and mealtimes. Children benefit from a varied, balanced and nutritious food at snack time, and staff aid children's awareness that fruit is good for them at lunch time, by offering top up fruit from sharing platters. This contributes positively to children's health and well-being. Staff work well in partnership with parents to promote children's understanding of healthy eating; for example, parents are encouraged to provide healthy lunchboxes.

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

All children play in a clean and warm environment. They have free flow access to the outside area, which allows them fresh air and exercise as they play. Bikes and cars are readily available and games such as hide and seek promote the children's social skills and physical development. Children develop good understanding of how to be safe with timely reminders from staff. For example, they are asked to walk slowly in the main play room and very well supported when using knives to cut the fruit for snack. Staff give clear explanations of risks, helping children understand why they must take care not to get sand in others' eyes. This helps children think about their actions and understand the consequences.

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

Children demonstrate good behaviour in relation to their age, and know the rules and boundaries of the pre-school. Older children help one another and sharing is very well supported by the staff. For example, children divide the dough equally between them when another child joins the table to play.

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provision

The leadership and management team's arrangements for promoting the safeguarding and welfare of children are good. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their responsibilities to children's welfare. They have undertaken relevant training and have a very secure understanding of the steps to take in the event of concerns arising about children's welfare or staff practice. The management team complete a robust recruitment and vetting procedure before new staff commence at the pre-school and unvetted staff are never left alone with children. New staff undertake an induction programme, so they are aware of the nursery's policies and procedures. Staff work extremely well together as a team and show a strong commitment to the pre-school, such as attending further training. They benefit from regular meetings and ongoing training opportunities to support their professional development, both in-house and externally.

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provision

Children feel safe in an environment where risks have been minimised. The staff undertake thorough risk assessments and daily checks to ensure the provision is suitable prior to children accessing the areas. Visitors to the premises sign a visitors' record documenting time of arrival and departure. The manager and staff have an extremely good understanding of the pre-school's strengths and identify further improvements.

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provision

Parents benefit from good communication and secure range of information. For example, there is a notice board with information about the Early Years Foundation Stage, events and the pre-school policies and procedures. Parents receive ongoing feedback about their children's time and progress at pre-school. Parents spoken to at the inspection spoke highly about the pre-school and staff, which shows that they highly value the service that the pre-school provide. Staff demonstrate they fully understand the importance of working with other professionals to support children's progress when needed. This promotes a consistent approach to meeting children's care and learning needs.

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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 EY470287 Local authority Windsor & Maidenhead Inspection number 938528 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 26 Name of provider Kellie Louise Fairhall Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07500224115

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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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