Kingswood Pre-School

Kingswood Pre-School Clay Hill Road, Basildon, Essex, SS16 5AD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/04/2014 17/09/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 are safe and well cared for because all staff have a good understanding of how to safeguard children and the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child. Children are happy and secure because of the trusting relationships that they share with adults.  Children make good gains in all areas of their learning and development. This is due to the exceptional systems for observing and assessing children's progress, which enable staff to plan thoroughly to meet children's individual needs.  A strong partnership with parents and the highly effective key person system means that parents are fully engaged in their children's education. Parents value the quality of care and education provided for their children.  Accurate self-evaluation at all levels identifies improvements needed to the quality of the provision, in order to accelerate outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Transition arrangements for children moving to schools are not yet firmly established.  There are few opportunities to extend already good literacy skills of the more able older children.

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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 toured the setting both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke to the manager and other members of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation relating to safeguarding, self-evaluation, staff records and children's learning and development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed a range of activities planned for the children and adult interaction with them.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers.

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Information about the setting

Kingswood Pre-School was registered in 1970 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in Kingswood Pre-school Hall in the Basildon area of Essex and is managed by a partnership. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a large hall and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications, two at level 2, five at level 3, one at level and one with Early Years Professional Status and a BA (Honours) degree. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 8.30am until 3pm, Mondays to Thursdays and from 8.30am to 11.45am on Fridays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 60 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children

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Information about the setting

who 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:

 strengthen links with receiver schools and pass on consistently high quality information about children's individual learning to facilitate a smooth transition

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

 provide more learning opportunities to challenge and extend the already good literacy skills of the more able older children to promote their use and understanding of phonics.

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who attend

Teaching and learning is good because staff have a thorough understanding of the learning and development requirements. They provide a wide range stimulating activities, which engage and sustain children's interest. For example, children have fun as they investigate the properties of flour and begin to use scientific vocabulary to describe changes when water is added to the flour. Robust systems for observation and assessment enable staff to plan effectively to support children's learning and development needs. Planning is thorough and takes into consideration children's interests and needs. As a result, all groups of children make good progress from their various starting points.

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who attend

Children's communication and language skills are well promoted as staff are skilful in modelling correct pronunciation and use of language which helps extends children's vocabulary. As a result, children are becoming more confident in verbalising their personal experiences and their actions as they play. They are enthused by a story about dogs, join in with songs and rhymes and participate in role-play activities. For example, during role play at the 'hairdresser's', staff role model language well to extend children's vocabulary. As a result, children talk about 'long' and 'short' hair, hair colour, 'straight' and 'curly' hair. They count the number of brushes and experiment with different size brushes. There are good opportunities for mark making and for developing children's listening skills. However, there are few opportunities to challenge and extend literacy skills of the more able older children to more effectively support their understanding of letter sounds. Circle-times, role

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who attend

play activities, story sacks and puppets provide plenty of opportunities to develop children's language. The 'Sharing Rabbit' provides good opportunities for children to talk about their personal experiences.

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who attend

Number rhymes, counting, sorting and matching activities support children's mathematical development well. Children use mathematical vocabulary as they build their train track and make decisions on whether they will need 'straight' or 'curved' or 'long' or 'short' tracks. Effective questioning challenges children's thinking and provides good opportunities for problem-solving as they work out how many tracks will be needed to run the track under the bridge. Children have access to a wide range of information and communication technology. They engage in sorting, matching and number recognition activities on the computer, which support their mathematical development. Regular walks in the local area provide good opportunities for the children to observe seasonal changes and materials in the natural world. This contributes to their knowledge and understanding of the wider world. The key person system is highly effective in sharing information and engaging

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who attend

parents in their children's education. Parents contribute to their children's initial assessments and are kept well informed of their children's progress. Learning journey records are very well documented and can be accessed on-line by parents. The progress checks at age two years are firmly in place and completed with parents.

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

Children feel safe in a calm, caring and stimulating learning environment because of the trusting relationships that they share with the adults. They happily move around the room confidently and are highly engaged in purposeful interesting activities. Children are given time to explore at their own pace. They are becoming increasingly independent as they make their own choices and access the continuous provision provided both indoors and outdoors. Children identify their name cards and self-register on arrival at the setting. Staff have high expectations of behaviour and apply a consistent approach to managing children's behaviour. Picture cues remind children of what is expected. They know the rules and understand that there are clear boundaries. As a result, children's behaviour is exemplary. Children's efforts are valued and praise is used effectively to acknowledge and reinforce positive behaviour and their achievements. This enriches their confidence and

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

self-worth. All groups of children play safely together and the older children support the younger children. They share toys and take turns.

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

Children develop good self-help skills as they wash their hands before meals, help themselves to healthy snacks of breadsticks, pieces of fruit and a drink of milk or water. They hang up their coats on arrival and put them on before going outside. Tidy-up time is a team effort as this is done swiftly, contributing positively to children's moving and handling skills. Key persons work closely with parents to help children settle into the pre- school. Children's medical and dietary needs are taken in consideration when preparing snacks. Children's physical development is well promoted through daily outdoor play. For example, children enjoy running around in the fresh air and ride wheeled toys and play with hoops, bats, balls and bean bags. Children also participate in music and movement sessions throughout the week. Visits from the school crossing patrol officer, fire officers, the ambulance service and community police officers enhance children's understanding of

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

how to keep themselves safe. Children's understanding of people and communities is well promoted as they celebrate various festivals throughout the year.

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

Staff are well deployed to ensure that children are well supervised and are at hand to extend their learning and guide them towards safe practices. Children are taught how keep themselves safe from strangers, handle scissors safely and pick up toys that are in the way to avoid tripping up. Children are well prepared emotionally for transition into other settings because of the good arrangements that exist. Contact books are in place for those children who attend other settings to provide consistency and continuity of care between settings. However, transition arrangements with the receiving schools are not yet fully developed to consistently share high quality information about children's learning experiences.

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provision

All required policies are fully in place and reviewed regularly to ensure that children are kept safe. Staff have a thorough understanding of their responsibilities for safeguarding children in their care. They understand the procedures for reporting concerns about a child. All members of staff have had recent safeguarding training and hold current first aid qualifications. Good recruitment and selection procedures means that staff are thoroughly vetted to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Robust risk assessments and daily checks are conducted to ensure that the learning environment, tools and equipment are safe. Accident and medication records are well maintained and parents are informed of all accidents and medication administered. Regular fire practices ensure that children understand how to vacate the building and are protected in the event of an emergency.

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provision

Staff development is of high priority and they are encouraged to improve their qualifications. Staff performance is monitored through regular supervision meetings and yearly appraisals, which provide good opportunities to identify future staff training needs. This has resulted in a well-qualified and motivated team. The highly experienced manager provides good forward leadership for a highly effective team of enthusiastic and highly skilled staff who are eager to improve outcomes for the children. They are very reflective of their practice and together with parents and children, engage in ongoing self-evaluation of the provision. This enables them to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. Recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed. Staff work very closely with other professionals to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points. Children for whom English is an

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provision

additional language are successfully integrated into the setting and settle-in well. This is because they are very well supported and as a result, make good gains in their learning and development, particularly in the acquisition of the English language and in their social skills.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are particularly strong. They are actively involved in their children's learning and development. Parents are kept well informed about their children's progress and the setting's activities through regular newsletters and daily informal conversations with the staff. Parents' views are sought through questionnaires. Parents are delighted with the new opportunities to track their child's progress on-line and to contribute to their learning journey records. They value the quality of education and care provided for their children. Parents comment that, 'I feel completely secure leaving him there' and 'The staff always have time for parents'.

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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 EY297879 Local authority Essex Inspection number 861631

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 60 Name of provider Vanessa Matthews, Tina McCrea, and Lorraine Porter Partnership Date of previous inspection 17/09/2008 Telephone number 01268 533 478

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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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