Sunshine Pre-School

Sunshine Pre-School 34 High Street, Burton Latimer, KETTERING, Northamptonshire, NN15 5LB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/07/2014 13/10/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Children's welfare is not safeguarded because the managers allow unvetted staff to have unsupervised contact with the children. This significantly compromises children's safety.

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It has the following strengths

 The staff have good teaching skills and a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan purposeful play that takes account of the children's varied interests and learning styles which supports them to make good progress in their learning given their individual capabilities and starting points.  Partnerships with parents and with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage are strong. Therefore, children have their individual needs met and are well prepared for their move on to school when the time comes.  Children's development is promoted because the staff encourage them to lead the planning and allow them time to think about how to solve problems during craft activities and when completing jigsaw puzzles.

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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 playroom and in the outside play area.  The inspector held meetings with both the managers.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector spoke with the children at times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the practitioners working with the children and discussed the provider's self-evaluation and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers who were spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Sunshine Pre-School was re-registered in 2011 on the Early Years Register and has been owned jointly by the two managers since 2004. It is situated in refurbished ex-retail premises on the High Street in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon and from 12 noon until 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 42 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 who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or

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must:

 ensure that people whose suitability has not been checked do not have unsupervised contact with the children being cared for.

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

 extend children's opportunities to learn about the natural world and the changing seasons in the outside play area, for example, by planting trees and shrubs that change colour and lose their leaves in winter.

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who attend

The staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how young children learn. As a result, each child is making good progress because the staff know them well and respond through effective planning to their unique interests and learning styles. For example, children are encouraged to follow their own ideas for the extension of their activities. When they play in the water tray, they ask for a range of sea creature models to add to this. Later this interest extends to spiders because they find a model of a spider on a web. The member of staff talks with them about the web. This prompts the children to ask for string in order to make their own web. They work together to wrap the string around the climbing frame, watching the pattern develop and become more intricate. The use of the outside play area is effective. However, there is scope to extend children's learning about the natural world and the changing seasons, for example, by being involved in planting

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who attend

some trees and shrubs that change according to which season it is. Children thoroughly enjoy a junk modelling activity. The member of staff is skilled in her teaching during this activity. She provides them with a variety of resources to enhance the range of boxes and cardboard tubes, such as glitter, sticky labels and swatches of fabric. She comments on what the children are creating and this promotes their growing self-esteem because they broadly smile back at her. When children come across a problem sticking two parts of their model together, the member of staff encourages them through carefully chosen comments to think about the best solution and successfully enables the child to use sticky labels to complete their model. This interaction supports children to think about solutions to problems that arise.

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who attend

Parents' input into their child's learning is valued by the staff. They are asked before their child starts attending about their interests and progress at home and this continues throughout the child's time at the provision. Parents attend regular coffee afternoons where they can look at their child's observation and progress records and they are encouraged to share their child's achievements at home. Children are very well prepared for their move onto school. The pre-school staff have developed close links with the local schools and invite the reception teachers to visit the children at the pre-school. The children's preparation is consolidated because the school provides a large photograph book with images of a range of aspects of the school. The children are very interested in this and regularly return to look at it again. They have also provided some items of school uniform that the staff have added to the home corner which enables the children to

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who attend

develop their self-care skills in relation to getting dressed. Children's personal, social and emotional development is well supported because their ideas and suggestions are valued by the staff and included in the planning of activities. The children show enthusiasm and interest in all the activities that are planned by the staff because they know them well, and the planning is pitched correctly which results in children learning and making progress. For example, children's emerging numeracy is promoted when they explore the retractable measuring tapes. The staff work with them, looking at the numbers shown when the child pulls their tape out to measure a variety of objects in the garden. A series of cards that pose questions for the children to think about in relation to mathematical language, such as 'longer than' and 'shorter than' are used by the staff alongside their teaching which supports the children to be able to learn.

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who attend

Children work well together. They regularly cooperate during their play, sharing items and taking turns. They become fully engaged in the large group time that takes place towards the end of each session. The staff are skilled in involving children in the stories and tell them from memory as well as from books. Children become enthralled in the stories and songs, enthusiastically joining in with the actions and familiar refrains. This results in their confidence and listening skills being enhanced. The staff team work to higher than required ratios and this enables them to spend time with children individually. This results in them having a strong knowledge of each child; they quickly develop an understanding of their starting points and identify entirely appropriate next steps in learning for them. The observations demonstrate their progress in learning and the staff make effective use of the progress check completed for children between the ages of two and three years to

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who attend

plan for their next steps. The time the staff spend with individual children is very beneficial to their learning. For example, children persist with a jigsaw puzzle that shows the letters of the alphabet. The skills of the member of staff enable the child to become aware of the order of the letters and to recognise the animal pictures that represent each letter. She concludes the successful completion of the puzzle by displaying a 'wow' sticker on the wall. The child's early literacy and their self-esteem are boosted significantly through her positive teaching. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported because the staff work closely with their parents. A number of signs and pictures that show translations of useful words and phrases are displayed around the room and the children refer to these as required. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are equally supported through the effective partnership working and this results

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

The care practices in this provision are inadequate because the managers are not always vigilant enough to ensure that children are safeguarded, in relation to being supervised at all times by staff that have the required checks in place. In spite of this, children are confident and happy in the provision. They initiate conversations with the staff and ask for items that they want in order to enhance their play. The staff respond positively to this and are always willing to provide them with the resources they want. When children start attending, the staff work closely with their parents to manage their individual needs for settling in. Parents are asked to provide information from home about their child's care routines and any individual needs and these are fully taken account of by the staff. Children are learning to be independent. For example, they know the routine for washing their hands and finding their name card before sitting down to have their snack. They

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

enjoy pouring their own drinks and selecting the fillings for their pitta breads. They confidently move between their chosen activities in the inside and outside play areas.

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

Children behave very well. They have been involved in setting the boundaries for behaviour at the pre-school and this consistent approach results in them being more aware of the reasons why certain behaviour is unacceptable. Children respond positively to the staff when they gently remind them to be careful or to think of others because they always take time to explain clearly the expectations. The children show care and concern for each other and for the staff. For example, they quickly notice when a member of staff has left the room and ask where they have gone. They check where their friends are during the session and offer them the opportunity to have a turn with specific resources, such as listening to music through headphones on the compact disc player and to use an remote-controlled dinosaur toy.

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

Children benefit from the opportunity to choose whether they play inside or outside for the majority of the session. The staff make effective use of the small outside play area to ensure children are able to enjoy the fresh air every day. They provide equipment, such as a climbing frame, bikes and balls which contribute to children's developing physical skills. There are playing fields and parks close by that the staff walk to with the children which results in them having space to run around. Children are learning to take sensible risks in their play because the staff talk to them, encouraging them to think about what might happen if they take a particular course of action. Children are provided with a good range of healthy snacks and a daily lunch at the pre-school. The staff who prepare the food have completed training in food hygiene and they plan meals that are varied and nutritious. They engage the children in discussions about the food when the children are eating

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

which contributes to their learning about how to make healthy choices.

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provision

Children attending this provision do not always have their welfare safeguarded because the managers do not always ensure that unchecked members of staff do not have unsupervised contact with the children. Although the managers state that this is not normal practice, on the day of the inspection one member of staff who does not yet have a Disclosure and Barring Service clearance was caring for children unsupervised in the outside play area for a significant period of time. This is a breach of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The managers complete risk assessments of the premises and for the outings they take the children on and they closely monitor the exit when children are arriving and departing to ensure they are not able to leave the premises without their parents or carers.

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provision

The managers follow appropriate recruitment procedures and staff are supported to attend training in first aid, food hygiene and child protection. Annual appraisals are used to acknowledge the staff's strengths and to identify any further training needs. The managers encourage them to work towards childcare qualifications. The staff team demonstrate a good understanding of how to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage for each of the children attending. The managers effectively monitor the staff's practice and provide support for them to reflect and continually improve their activity with the children. For example, they carry out peer-on-peer observations that are subsequently discussed to identify any required enhancements to their practice. Children's progress is monitored through the cohort tracking. The managers report that this monitoring has been successful in identifying minor gaps in areas, such as mathematics. This knowledge

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provision

of the gap enables the staff team to make adjustments to their planning and to identify any required additions to the resources. This in turn promotes individual children's learning and enables the identified gap to be closed.

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provision

Children benefit from the effective partnership working in this provision. The staff have developed close working relationships with the local schools which contributes to children being prepared for the move onto school. They also work closely with the children's centre and this partnership continues to be developed. Parents report complimentary comments about their own and their children's experience at the pre-school. They say how the staff help their children to settle in, to overcome their shyness and that the range of activities and experiences on offer have helped them to make good progress in their learning. The provision has developed reflective practice and work well together as a team to ensure that the required tasks are completed during the day. For example, they have rotas in place for preparing the snacks and lunch and for the large group times at the end of each session. The managers have addressed the issues raised at the previous inspection and

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provision

continue to identify their priorities for the future development of the pre-school.

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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 EY426226 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 875833

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Sunshine Pre-School Partnership Date of previous inspection 13/10/2011 Telephone number 07847823137

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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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