Lark Lane Family Pre-School

Lark Lane Family Pre-School St. Michaels & Lark Lane Community Centre, 80 Lark Lane, LIVERPOOL, L17 8UU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/06/2014 03/10/2011

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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 form secure emotional attachments with their key person and other staff because they work closely with all families, gathering clear information about each child. This results in children feeling emotionally secure and confident in their surroundings.  Staff provide a welcoming and stimulating environment with an extensive range of resources that children can select independently.  Safeguarding is given high priority as staff are very aware of safeguarding requirements, which means children are kept safe.  The quality of teaching is effective and consistent because there is strong leadership and good teamwork. Staff consistently engage with children's play, showing high levels of knowledge about children's individual learning and progress.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasions, the organisation of group activities in the pre-school room is not used to maximum effect so that all children are fully engaged in activities.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the pre-school and outside.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the Early Years Professional.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager of the pre-school, children and the staff.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the pre-school's improvement plan.

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Information about the setting

Lark Lane Family Pre-School was registered in 2002 and is on the Early Years Register. It operates from a hall within the St. Michaels and Lark Lane Community Centre in Liverpool. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 4pm during school term time only. It is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. There are currently 35 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The pre-school cares for children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school employs four members of childcare staff and has a regular volunteer who works with the children. Of these, one holds Early Years Professional status, one has a degree, one holds a foundation degree, one holds a level 3 qualification and one holds level 2.

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

 review the organisation of group times in the pre-school room, so that all children are fully engaged in activities, for example, by providing opportunities for younger children to learn in smaller groups.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at the pre-school. Staff provide a welcoming and stimulating environment where children learn through play and exploration. Staff arrange the room and play equipment effectively to support all areas of learning. There are an extensive range of resources that staff store at low level and label with words and pictures. Therefore, children can easily identify what is available and choose what they want to play with. Staff plan a broad range of interesting learning experiences with a good balance of adult-led and self-chosen activities. They value children's ideas and use spontaneous situations to extend children's learning according to their interests. For example, children build train tracks, staff extend their thinking and question them about the names and locations of local train stations. As a result, this instigates their interest further and conversations are prolonged. Adults expertly join in children's play as they observe and

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who attend

support children's ideas when children experiment and explore with different tools. For example, children adjust the height of a large tube to manipulate the speed a ball will roll down it. Staff extend children's thinking further by asking 'If a red ball is at the top, what colour ball will come out of the bottom?' Teaching is rooted in a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and a comprehensive understanding of how children learn. As a result, children's individual needs are well met and they make consistently good progress in relation to their starting points. Staff are enthusiastic and full of fun, and this is reflected in the motivation and enthusiasm of children as they learn and play. However, on occasions, group activities do not always fully support all children's interests. For example, during creative activities, younger children are less involved and are not always supported with the use of tools provided. In addition to this, sometimes activities are

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who attend

carried out and the group size is too big. Consequently, some children become distracted and lose interest.

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who attend

Staff make good use of accurate and precise observations across all areas of learning to help them plan for children's individual learning and effectively monitor their progress. As a result, gaps in learning are quickly identified and effective support put in place, including the involvement of external professionals if necessary. This means that no child is disadvantaged and all children can achieve their full potential. Parents are encouraged to provide information when their child starts by filling in a 'look what I can do' form. This gives a detailed picture of children's starting points. Staff plan for the development needs of each child based on their unique interests, which has a significant impact on their progress. The environment is enhanced through the implementation of resources that meet children's needs. As a result, children consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning. Children's learning journeys are maintained to a good standard and

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who attend

contain observations, ongoing assessments and photographs to evidence their learning and progress.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are strong and make a significant contribution to meeting all children's needs. Staff value parents' input and share information on how they can be involved in the help their child's learning through simple activities at home. Parents are involved in projects and attend regular stay and play sessions. They make different types of books with their children and are given tips how to gain their interest in stories. Therefore, children are given opportunities to explore books and develop their early reading skills. Children and parents learn further as they attend forest school sessions and take trips to local shops and farms. Parents are given information about their children's learning. For example, verbal feedback, regular written summaries of children's progress and opportunities to review children's learning journey at any time. Staff complete the progress check for children aged between two and three years, and this is shared with

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who attend

parents. As a result, these systems in place support children to develop the key skills for next steps in their learning, including school.

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

Children enter the pre-school with great enthusiasm and are welcomed by caring, loving and enthusiastic staff. As a result of this, children settle very quickly and have no problems separating from their parents or carers. The key-person system is very well embedded and children have formed appropriate and secure bonds with the adults who care for them. Staff further facilitate the key-person system through allowing children time to familiarise themselves with all staff members. For example, integrated learning takes place, where all children and staff have the opportunity to play with one another and socialise. As a result, children are still emotionally secure if a particular key person is absent. Information is obtained upon entry for each child and meetings are held with parents to ascertain individual requirements and interests. Staff fully use this information to ensure children's emotional well-being is fully supported. This helps them to feel safe

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

and secure as they move from home to the pre-school.

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

Staff provide continual variety throughout the day and often introduce fresh resources at times to motivate and stimulate children. Children have freedom to choose activities and move between indoors and outdoors. This clearly develops their growing independence and increases their confidence. Children develop very positive behaviour because staff encourage sharing, taking turns and using 'kind hands'. Staff carefully explain and remind children to consider each other's needs. They readily offer praise to raise children's self- esteem. Children respond well to staff requests for tidying their play equipment. The high levels of engagement between staff and children fully promote positive relationships and enable all children to gain an understanding of how to manage their own behaviour.

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

Children actively develop an understanding of being healthy through regular daily opportunities for physical exercise. For example, children learn to make big movements with their arms and move different parts of their body. Children are keen and energetic, and staff encourage them to feel their chest for their heart beating. There are low-level posters of body parts, healthy foods and vegetables, which they discuss to support their knowledge further. Children choose when to have snack time and they learn to serve themselves. They use knives and forks at lunchtime and they help themselves to drinks. This increases children's understanding of making healthy choices. All children clearly follow regular routines of hand washing, and this demonstrates that they learn the importance of maintaining personal levels of hygiene. Staff strongly promote safety throughout all activities and routines, and they encourage children to understand about

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

risks and hazards. For example, children are reminded that they cannot play football while other activities are taking place outdoors because of the space. Consequently, staff are good role models and build children's knowledge of hazards and how to avoid accidents through their actions.

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provision

Staff have a very good knowledge and understanding of how to protect and safeguard children, and policies and procedures are known by all staff and are implemented consistently. Staff are fully aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and know what to do and who to contact in the event of a child protection concern. They place a very strong focus on keeping children safe and this is successfully translated into practice. All required documentation is maintained and kept securely on site. Daily checks of the indoor and outdoor environment and consistent maintenance ensures that children can play and learn in safety. Staff are vigilant regarding security measures to ensure children are protected from unwanted visitors and cannot leave the premises unsupervised. For example, they verify the identity of visitors and a closed circuit television camera is situated outside the main entrance. Detailed procedures for vetting and assessing the suitability of staff are in

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provision

place. Clear induction procedures help new staff to be confident in implementing the pre- school's policies and procedures effectively.

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provision

The performance of all staff is closely monitored and their ongoing professional development is actively promoted. This ensures that staff maintain their commitment to good teaching, which promotes good learning outcomes for children. Self-evaluation is a particular strength in the pre-school. It is evident that staff frequently review the environment and their practice and they discuss how to make improvements. Action plans identify the areas that they want to develop further, such as delivering training on supporting children's language and development and developing peer-on-peer observations to encourage staff to become more reflective in their practice. Parents, children and staff are all involved in evaluation. Good monitoring systems ensure that children have access to a broad range of experiences that help them to progress towards the early learning goals.

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provision

Partnerships with other professionals and parents are good and positive relationships ensure children's needs are met. Parents receive newsletters that keep them informed about the pre-school, with information about activities, events or the latest theme they are focusing on. Parents state that it is 'a fabulous pre-school and is well organised'. Overall, this is a good quality and friendly pre-school where children receive a positive early years experience, which lays a solid foundation on which to support their future learning.

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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 322461 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 877094

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider St Michael and Lark Lane Community Association Date of previous inspection 03/10/2011 Telephone number 0151 728 7884

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Type of provision

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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