Hampton in Arden Pre-School

Hampton in Arden Pre-School Scout & Guide HQ, Shadow Brook Lane, Hampton-in-Arden, SOLIHULL, West Midlands, B92 0DQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/07/2014 31/03/2011

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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 make good progress. This is because staff effectively assess children's starting points and monitor their learning and development in order to plan purposeful experiences and opportunities which support individual children well.  Children form positive attachments with their key person and other adults. This aids their confidence and helps them to settle into the pre-school well.  Children are kept safe because the pre-school staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding issues and understand what to do in the event of a child protection concern.  Staff work well with parents and other childcare professionals to ensure children receive consistent and complementary services across settings.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's independence and decision making skills are not maximised because staff do not use inventive ways to make all resources readily accessible.  The programme of professional development and staff supervision is not yet sharply focused and targeted to ensure that staff are consistently improving their already good skills and knowledge.

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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's activities and routines in the indoor and outdoor areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning records, planning documents and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of vetting and qualifications of the staff and discussed their programme of professional development and plans for the future.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of comments from parents and carers spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Hampton in Arden Pre-School group has been registered since 1993 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is based in the Scout and Guide premises, located in the village of Hampton-in-Arden. The group is a charitable organisation run by a committee. The group operates within one large hall and has access to a kitchen, toilets and an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The group employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The group opens for four sessions a week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday during term-times, from 9.30am to 12.15pm. A 'Stay and Play' session is offered on Thursday mornings from 9.30am until 11.30am. There are currently 28 children attending who are in the early years age group. The group provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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

 consider additional ways to help children to access resources more freely so that they make more regular choices in their play experiences

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

 develop further the programme of professional development for staff, by ensuring it is astute and targeted to their individual needs through regular supervision, to enhance their already good practice.

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who attend

The pre-school staff have good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Before children start, parents are asked to complete information regarding their child's developmental levels. Many of the children also attend the toddler group which is managed by pre-school staff and helps them to get to know the children well. This provides staff with information about children's starting points and interests which is used effectively to inform planning. Staff use a clear system of observation and assessment. This includes individual records and photographs of children in their play and shows the progress made in the activities they participate in. Staff complete further documentation which forms effective assessment to ensure all children are monitored and their progress tracked. Staff understand the requirement to complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. They use their records to write

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who attend

summaries of children's progress throughout their time at the pre-school. This ensures that they are able to seek specialist support if needed, in order to help children to make good progress in their learning and development. Staff share good information regarding children's day with parents and carers via noticeboards and through discussions. Children are also encouraged to bring in items from home to share with the group. For example, children have recently brought in their favourite books from home. Staff then planned a variety of opportunities for children to share these with their friends and based craft and role-play activities around the stories. Throughout the session, children enjoy listening to their favourite stories and staff help by using props and puppets to make the story come alive. This enhances children's early literacy skills because they recognise that print carries meaning. Staff interact well with

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who attend

the children, asking open-ended questions and allowing children to have a go at their own pace. They make good opportunities in the daily routines to encourage children's awareness of number, colour and shape.

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who attend

Children's individual age and stage is taken into consideration when staff plan group activities. For example, in preparation for moving on to nursery and school, older children are encouraged to sit for longer periods of time and share and take turns in more structured and adult-led games. Meanwhile, younger children have opportunities to investigate the sand and play-dough in small groups. Staff skilfully intervene, without taking over, by narrating what the children are doing and encouraging new vocabulary and conversations. There are plenty of experiences where all the children join in and learn from one another. For example, children watch and copy one another during singing, dancing, action rhymes and ring games. Children also socialise well with one another, leading their own play ideas, particularly in the role-play areas. They dress up in varied costumes and use props to act out real and imagined experiences. As a result, children

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who attend

enjoy a wide range of activities which are stimulating and challenging and help them to make good progress in all areas of learning and development.

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

Children and their families are warmly welcomed into this friendly pre-school. Staff set up the room at the beginning of each day so that children are involved in activities as soon as they come in. The resources are chosen by the staff to reflect the children's interests. There is a good range of resources, which depict positive images of diversity, resources are also safe and suitable. Children are able to ask a member of staff for a particular item or come to the cupboard door. However, it is not always clear to see what is inside and some children who are less confident are not aware of the options available. This means that some children are not given the opportunities to select or extend the possibilities in their play.

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

Children settle well because staff take time to find out about each child's interests, preferences and family before they start. New children and their parents are invited into the pre-school to visit and spend some time with staff and other children and to familiarise themselves with the daily activities. This means that staff work closely with parents to ensure consistency and that individual needs are met. Strong attachments with key persons are established because the children are linked to the member of staff they are drawn to from the beginning. This means that, although children feel comfortable with all staff, their emotional well-being is continually supported. As a result, children are happy and feel safe in the pre-school. Staff are very aware of the importance of preparing children for their movements on to nursery or school. Children are helped to become independent learners and to build on the skills gained at pre-school. For example, children

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

learn to recognise their name on coat pegs, watch when staff write their names and are encouraged to have a go. Children also get to meet their class teacher who comes to visit them at nursery so that they are confident and in a familiar environment. This also provides an ideal opportunity for staff to inform the teacher about individual children, as well as sharing the transfer documents. This provides consistency for the children and means that teachers are aware of children's individual starting points.

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

Children's behaviour is good. They learn simple rules and boundaries and why they need to share, be kind and develop empathy towards others. This is because staff use consistent, positive reinforcement in order to promote children's confidence and self- esteem. Children's individual dietary needs are adhered to and staff take into account the wishes of parents. For example, activities, such as making play-dough, are adapted by using rice flour and the snacks available are specially selected because of children's varying allergies. Children complete self-care tasks well and develop their independence effectively. For example, they follow appropriate hygiene routines, such as washing their hands, in order to minimise the risk of infection. Children have daily access to the outside play spaces for fresh air and enjoy being physically active. The outside environment has been identified by staff as an area to improve. They have exciting plans in place which

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

they hope will provide more opportunities for children to choose between indoor and outdoor activities more freely. In the meantime, children are developing an understanding of safety. This is because they very aware that they wait at the door for a member of staff to check the tennis courts or recreational grounds before they go out. Once outside, children enjoy a variety of activities and resources, such as learning to balance an egg on the spoon, as they practise for sports day. Children also go for walks around the grounds and into the local woodland throughout the year. This helps children to notice the changes to their environment throughout the seasons.

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provision

The pre-school staff understand their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. All staff are knowledgeable in procedures to help keep children safe. Contact details for the Local Safeguarding Children Board are clearly on display for staff and parents, and key policies are available for all to review. All adults working on the premises have undergone suitability checks in order to protect children and the manager understands the importance of notifying Ofsted of any changes. The manager ensures there are staff in each session who hold relevant first-aid certificates and have attended training courses to keep their childcare knowledge up-to-date. She is effective in the deployment of staff so that children are never left unsupervised throughout the session. The premises and outside play areas are made secure and risks of accidental injury are minimised as staff supervise children well. Staff carry out regular risk assessments of all

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provision

aspects of the pre-school. For example, the front door is kept locked at all times, during the session and sole access to the tennis courts is assured because staff padlock the entrance once they are inside. The manager conducts annual appraisals with all members of staff and any practice issues are discussed at regular team meetings. However, staff's training plans are not yet tailored to their individual needs and interests, or sharply enough focused to ensure that they continue to improve their already good practice. Staff assess and monitor the activities planned for children. This is to ensure that children benefit from a good balance of stimulating and challenging experiences. As a result, children's ongoing development is promoted well because the planning of activities is focused on children's precise learning needs. The manager and staff demonstrate a good commitment to continuous improvement. For example, the pre-school's self-evaluation form is updated on a regular

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provision

basis and demonstrates a willingness to continue to improve their practice. Staff have considered the views of parents, carers and children, which enables them to focus on areas for future improvement that will have the most impact on children and their learning.

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provision

Staff value the importance of building close links with parents and carers. For children who attend other settings, such as those collected by childminders, open dialogue ensures that there are good working relationships. This means that children's individual needs are consistently met because information is shared effectively. Staff forge good partnerships with other childcare professionals. They actively seek support and guidance from their local authority advisors and are happy to visit other settings to share best practice. There is a range of appropriate policies and procedures to support the management of the provision. These are clearly understood by staff and the committee members. Parents and carers hold the pre-school in high regard and are delighted at the progress their children have made during their time here. Furthermore, they are very complementary of the friendly, helpful and professional staff, and are pleased and confident to recommend the

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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 250053 Local authority Solihull Inspection number 866428

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider Hampton in Arden Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 31/03/2011 Telephone number 07527006386

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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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