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Early years · Early years inspection (CIF)

Sydenham Road Under Fives

Inspected 19 Jun 2014 · published 25 Jul 2014 · URN 107078

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Summary

Inadequate

Julie Swann

What we read, and from where

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  • Inspection datesingle source

    19 Jun 2014

  • Inspectors verified

    Julie Swann

  • Overall effectiveness verified

    Inadequate

  • Postcode verified

    BS4 3DF

  • Name on report verified

    Sydenham Road Under Fives

  • URN verified

    107078

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

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Grade profile

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  • OverallInadequate

Tone of the report

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−40Criticalmore positive than 53% of reports of this type graded Inadequate
OutstandingGoodMetRINot metInadequate

In line with other reports of this type graded Inadequate.

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Praiseenjoyeffectivehappypositivevery wellsafestrengthsbreaches
Criticisminadequatefailedfailuresrequires improvementcompromisedpoorlybreachnot met

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FindingsAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings214w−75
  • What needs to improve1773w−30

Strengths

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No standout praise found.

Concerns

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Next steps

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Anatomy of the report

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Pages
11
Words of findings
1,936
longer than usual (typical 907)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 47, typical 48
Average sentence
18 words
Next steps
8
typical 7
Hedged sentences
6%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 7%What needs to improve 57%About the inspection 36%

Full report text

Sydenham Road Under Fives Jarman Hall, Sydenham Road, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 3DF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/06/2014 04/03/2010

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early years provision

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

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This provision is inadequate

 Children's safety is compromised. The committee has failed to notify ofsted of the change of name and address of the provider and new committee members, resulting in full suitability checks not being carried out.  The provider has not implemented a robust procedure to ensure the ongoing suitability of all staff or any person who regularly has contact with children. These failures compromise children's safety.  The provider has not completed the required progress check for children aged two years. Parents are not provided with information about their child's progress. This means that there is not a collaborative approach to children's learning and development.  The educational programme to support children's learning opportunities outdoors does not challenge the most able children in readiness for the move to school. This significantly limits the progress children can make.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 Children serve themselves at snack time. This promotes children's independence skills.

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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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 . The inspector observed activities in the playrooms, the outdoor play area and on a short walk outdoors.  The inspector held a meeting and discussions with the manager throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of a variety of documentation, including children's development records, risk assessments, policies and procedures and evidence of staff suitability.  The inspector invited the manager to undertake a joint observation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents and carers, parent questionnaires and children spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Sydenham Road Under Fives Pre-School is a registered charity which is managed by a voluntary management committee, made up of parents of children at the pre-school and members of the local community. It opened in 1957 and operates from a hall and a side room at church premises in Totterdown, Bristol. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9.15am to 12.15pm during school term time. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register There are currently 31 children in the early years age range on roll. The pre- school currently supports a number of children learning English as an additional language. There are six members of staff; of these, three hold early years qualifications at Level 3 and one is working towards a Level 3 qualification. The pre-school operates in line with aspects of the HighScope educational philosophy and provides funded early education for

p.3

must:

 develop systems that ensure Ofsted is notified of any change of name or address of the provider or registered person

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must:

 implement a procedure that ensures staff are aware that they are expected to disclose any convictions, cautions, court orders, reprimands and warnings which may affect their suitability to work with children (whether received before or during their employment at the setting)

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must:

 ensure that parents are provided with a short written summary of their child's development in the prime areas when they are aged between two and three years, identifying the child's strengths and any areas where the child's progress is less than expected

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must:

 ensure all children have an opportunity to experience a challenging learning environment while outdoors.

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

 develop the use of resources and props during group times to allow children to act out favourite stories or songs imaginatively, to engage and interest them during group times.

p.3

who attend

The learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage are not fully met. The educational programmes do not cover all areas of learning in sufficient depth for those children who prefer to play and learn outdoors. This results in children not always enjoying their learning and receiving sufficient challenges. The play areas and activities outdoors are not exciting enough to stimulate children or to provide an enabling environment. For example, children regularly use an outdoor area that is poorly resourced and uninspiring. Children are not provided with any resources or challenge to support their learning other than a large climbing frame and at times wander aimlessly. This means that children are not supported to learn through physical activity. For example, they are not supported to develop their own ideas, or have choice and control, and time to develop their critical thinking, which are the skills required for effective learning in preparation for

p.4

who attend

school. As a result, the educational programme provided during these sessions does not adequately cover the areas of learning and children's progress. In addition, a legal requirement to carry out a progress check for children aged between two and three years old, to be shared with children's parents, has not been met. As a result, any gaps in children's learning and any need for intervention have not been appropriately assessed to ensure children achieve to their fullest potential.

p.4

who attend

An established key person system helps to enable the children to make relationships with adults. Staff undertake adequate observations of children. Children's key persons are responsible for the planning of what children need to learn next, based on what they already know and can do. All children have the opportunity to be creative. Children show an interest in painting and concentrate appropriately. They enjoy making dinosaur footprints with sponges and paint onto the paper. Children are encouraged to use language to name colours, such as pale blue and bright yellow. They discuss with staff what they are doing or seeing when they mix two colours together. Children for whom English is an additional language are generally, supported because staff ask parents for words in children's home language to help them with communication. Staff help children to develop early writing skills by encouraging them to write their own names on their

p.4

who attend

work. Children browse through books in the reading areas and also enjoy singing and listening to stories during group time. However, on occasion staff do not maximise the use of group time. For example, those children that want to act out their favourite stories or songs are not provided with the necessary props to support their play. As a result, some children disengage from group time easily.

p.4

who attend

Staff provide a maths area which contains toys and games that encourage children to count, compare numbers and recognise shapes. Children enjoy dressing up during role play and play together, acting out their own imaginary characters. For example, a young child dresses up as a princess and is happy to show this off to other children in the setting. Such role-play experiences help the children to develop early friendships and enhance early social skills, initiating conversation and cooperation skills. As a result, children are developing some skills to support their next stage of learning. All parents are invited to share their children's interests, learning needs and routines with the manager and their children's key person at the beginning of the placement. They also have daily conversations with staff about what their children have been doing each day.

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

Overall, the learning and development requirements are generally supported. However, the educational programme for physical development is not well planned to provide children with suitable physical challenges. This impacts adversely on children's well-being because they are insufficiently supported to develop physical skills that are appropriate for their age. Children relate generally well to staff and develop their social skills as they learn to interact and play cooperatively with their peers. Staff are suitable role models and use positive role-modelling techniques to manage children's behaviour in a consistent manner. Staff regularly praise children for completing tasks, for example during a writing activity. This raises children's self-esteem appropriately and, as a result, they are encouraged to maintain their involvement. Therefore, children behave well and gain a good grasp of boundaries and expectations for good conduct.

p.5

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

Staff generally promote children's independence well and encourage children to select toys and resources for themselves from low-level storage while indoors. They engage children in activities that promote their good health and, as a result, children help themselves to a selection of fruit at snack times and access individual beakers of water that are within reach. Children gain an awareness of personal hygiene practices in order to protect their own health. For example, they use tissues to blow their own nose and wash their own hands in the bathroom. Children are adequately supervised during the session and learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, they remind each other not to run indoors and they hold on to a walking rope when they go out, learning how to cross the road safely.

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

Satisfactory partnership working with other settings and outside agencies provides some consistency to children's care and learning, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The provider develops close links with the local schools to ease the transition process for children when they start school. Regular visits to the school before children start enable them to become familiar with the environment and help them to be emotionally ready for starting school.

p.5

provision

The inspection was carried out as a result of a notification to Ofsted regarding a child who was left outside the preschool unaccompanied after an outdoor play session. The committee and manager accept they were in breach of the welfare requirement to ensure children are adequately supervised. They reviewed the incident and action plans were put into place to ensure the requirement was met, in order to prevent this type of incident reoccurring. The preschool manager held a meeting with the parent regarding the incident. The preschool manager has implemented stronger procedures relating to entry and exit into the setting. For example, staff have attended training sessions on the entry and exit procedure provided and supervision of children. Two employed members of staff carry out head counts regularly, as well as being more vigilant to ensure children's safety. The outings policy and procedure has been updated and additional training for all staff has

p.5

provision

been received. Further to this, a risk assessment has been updated. Throughout the inspection, staffing ratios were adhered to at all times and extra staff were present when children played outside, and during entry and exit time. The premises are secure as the main doors are locked. This ensures that the environment is safe for children to play in.

p.6

provision

During the inspection, it was found that the committee has insufficient understanding of how to meet the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, arrangements for safeguarding children in the preschool are inadequate. The committee has not informed Ofsted of changes to the committee, as required. The registered provider and a number of committee members who have since left are still listed as active associates with the regulator and could still gain access to confidential information. This is a breach of requirements. The preschool safeguarding procedures are not secure because the committee has also failed to ensure that a vigorous procedure is in place to check the continuing suitability of the staff team. This is in regard to staff understanding their responsibility to disclose a change to their personal circumstances, in a timely way, that may affect their suitability to work with children. These failures to safeguard children

p.6

provision

mean that the preschool is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Register or the requirements of the Childcare Register.

p.6

provision

The manager demonstrates commitment to driving improvement and raising the standards of the provision, and is starting to identify and prioritise tasks to ensure these occur. Supervision, peer observations and appraisal sessions have been completed. As a result, the management team are beginning to foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement to support staff and fully identify further training needs. Staff have completed safeguarding training. A written policy is in place, which includes contact numbers for the relevant authorities, so staff know who to pass concerns on to. The manager maintains a record of all visitors to the preschool and children's attendance is recorded daily. Risk assessments are completed and effective steps are taken to ensure the premises are safe. Evacuation drills are practised regularly. Parents contribute to the self-evaluation of the nursery through questionnaires, and the management team are

p.6

provision

responsive to their suggestions for improvement. Policies and procedures are available in the nursery for parents to view and some of them are included in parent information packs. Relationships with parents are positive, with parents being happy with the pre- school.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure Ofsted is notified of any change of name or address of the provider or registered person  ensure Ofsted is notified of any change of name or address of the provider or registered person

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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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 107078 Local authority Bristol City Inspection number 978529 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 31 Name of provider Sydenham Road Under Fives Committee Date of previous inspection 04/03/2010 Telephone number 05603 429 473

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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.

p.9

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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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