Bishops Hull Preschool

Bishops Hull Pre-School Bishops Hull Primary School, Bishops Hull Hill, Bishops Hull, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 5EB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/09/2014 07/07/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are happy in this welcoming setting, which provides them with good quality play opportunities both inside and outdoors.  Staff know the children well and are committed to their welfare, learning and development so children make good progress.  Staff encourage children to make their own choices and become independent, which helps them prepare for their transfer to school.  A positive partnership with parents means that information is shared, helping staff meet children's individual care and learning needs.  Leadership and management is good, with a range of up-to-date robust policies and procedures. There is a positive vision and a clear quality improvement ethos within the staff team and parent committee.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always successfully extend children's learning by asking open-ended questions that further challenge their thinking and exploration.  Staff do not always provide additional support and encouragement, with access to a wider range of tools and resources, for children to explore their ideas in more depth.

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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 spoke to parents, children and committee members.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of policies and procedures, children's records and other documentation including planning for children's learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children during periods of free play and in adult-directed activities both inside and outdoors.  The inspector had discussions with the manager and other members of staff.  The inspector invited the manager to carry out a joint observation.

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Information about the setting

Bishop's Hull Pre-school is a committee run pre-school which opened in 1992. It operates from Bishop's Hull Primary School, within a small village on the outskirts of Taunton. The pre-school accommodates a large classroom with store cupboard. It has use of the school kitchen and toilets. There is an outdoor play area available during pre-school opening hours without restriction, although the school use the area at other times. The pre-school is open from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday term times only. They are registered on the Early Years Register. The pre-school receives funding for free early education for three and four-year-olds. There are five staff employed, all of whom have at least level 3 childcare qualifications. Some staff are working towards higher level qualifications.

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

 extend use of open-ended questions during children's play to further challenge their thinking and exploration

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

 provide additional support and encouragement, with access to a wider range of tools and resources, for children to explore in more depth their own ideas for learning.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, including the characteristics of effective learning. They provide resources and activities which stimulate children to explore, discover and face challenge across all areas of learning, both in the indoors and outside environment. Resources are easily accessible and children make choices about their own play or are involved in adult-led activities with staff. Staff focus on planning for individual needs, which allows children to make progress as activities are geared to their interests and are appropriate to their capabilities and aspirations. Children also learn through the introduction of themed planning, for example, currently they are learning about colour.

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who attend

Children are very happy at this welcoming setting. They talk freely with each other and with staff as they engage in painting activities, doing puzzles, water play and mark making. Free flow activities offer time and space for children to engage in sustained periods of imaginative and creative play and make connections in their learning. For example, children played with small dinosaurs in a shallow water tray and learnt about similarities and differences, balance and quantity. Children learn by experimentation, for instance, by mixing paint colours, and by trying out different ways to send small vehicles down large bamboo tubes in the garden. Staff sensitively intervene when children need guidance or assistance, but allow them to find their own challenges and work out things for themselves, for example when doing puzzles. Staff challenge children's physical skills as they encourage them to use the climbing nets and the large slide or when they need to try

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who attend

hard to get a bike up the slope. Children think about their own risks as they negotiate a safe route for their bikes. Children were excited to find a spider in the bushes and staff provided magnifying glasses so that children could look for more small creatures. Although staff were interested and helped children in their endeavours, they did not use open- ended questions well to further extend and build on children's understanding and existing knowledge. They did not readily provide access to a wider range of resources and tools that allowed the children to make spontaneous discoveries. For example, by referring to pictures, photographs and books, and using cameras and being creative to explore in more depth their own ideas for learning.

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who attend

Adult-led circle times introduce children to letters and sounds, and offer opportunities for them to think about mathematical concepts and language. Children listen well and can follow instructions. Staff speak clearly and use appropriate language which captures children's attention, and as a result, they are fully engaged in what adults are saying, repeating key words and phrases, which helps their language development.

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who attend

Parents confirm they have good relationships with staff and trust the caring nature of the team to provide safe and secure environments. They have opportunities to share information from home and contribute to the learning experiences of their children. Staff keep good records of children's starting points, and a tracker system indicates progression through the Early Years Foundation Stage developmental phases. The good range of observation techniques used, ensures that the overall picture of children's attainments is valid and useful in assessing their progress. Staff demonstrate from previous experience, their understanding of using information from outside professionals, as well as parents, to help support children with additional needs.

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

A well-established key-person system supports children to build close relationships with their key person, seeking out comfort and reassurance when needed. Each week, children have the opportunity to spend a special time with key staff. Staff are good role models, and as a result, children learn to respect each other, share their toys well and when needed, are able to compromise to strike a balance with others' needs. Staff are very knowledgeable about keeping children safe and secure. Children behave well and move around the setting safely both indoors and outside. Staff support their safety during these times well, for example, when they take children into the school to use the toilets, they write the child's name on the white board, so all staff know of children's whereabouts. Staff work with parents to ensure children have a smooth transition into the pre-school. They tailor individual settling-in visits for children before they start and seek information

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

from parents through the all about me books. Staff take children to the local primary school regularly, which helps the older children become familiar with places, routines and the expectations in reception class. This helps them to settle when they move onto school.

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

Children develop a sense of their local community and the natural environment. Staff take children on walks around the village, and as a result, children learn about their own community, for example, children made cards, bought stamps and posted their letters in the post box. They have also visited the local nursing home. Children enjoy Forest School sessions, which helps them develop a strong sense of looking after their environment.

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

Staff encourage children to become more independent, for example, children now use their name cards to self-register in the morning and can hang their own bags and coats up on named pegs. This routine also gives staff plenty of opportunity to talk to parents and share valuable day-to-day information and exchange ideas. Children enjoy healthy snacks and help to prepare some of the food for other children. They understand about the need to wash their hands before snack, and take responsibility to alert other children that snack is ready.

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

Staff give children clear guidance about behavioural expectations and a member of staff takes responsibility to make sure these messages are consistent. As a result, children develop self-confidence and self-esteem through the positive praise for good behaviour, for example, when they share resources and say thank you to each other.

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provision

Leadership and management is good because managers understand their roles and responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They work closely with the pre-school committee to produce policies and procedures for staff and parents. They monitor these regularly to comply with any changes and updates. The safeguarding and complaints policies are compliant with requirements.

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provision

The committee follows robust vetting and employment procedures to ensure they recruit staff safely. This includes interview, hands-on trial practice, checking of qualifications, references and Disclosure and Barring Service checks. This helps to determine staff suitability to work with children. The manager does regular supervision with staff. There is an effective staff team who have individual responsibilities when working with the children everyday. All staff records are complete. Each member of staff has a training plan and received training in key areas, such as safeguarding, first aid, food hygiene, health and safety and manual handling. Training has a positive impact on practice, for example, after equality and diversity training, they obtained more visual material to promote children's understanding of difference. The manager and staff use a system for self-evaluation and quality improvement, which

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provision

shows they can securely identify areas of practice that may need improvement. They have a clear vision and realistic action plan to develop practices further. This means they have addressed previous recommendations set at their last inspection. Staff have regular meetings, with an agenda, which always contains discussion about safeguarding matters. This means staff knowledge remains up-to-date and makes them continually aware of issues, which may arise.

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provision

Staff ensure that assessments of children's learning are accurate and have been evidenced by observations. An effective tracker system records this so that progress from starting points is clear. Staff support individual children with any additional needs by working closely with parents, taking advice from other professionals and accessing specific training.

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provision

The setting benefits from a range of highly skilled and experienced staff members. They work extremely well as a team, recognising each other's strengths and achieving a good balance in the educational programmes offered, for example, implementing a series of highly successful Forest School sessions, to extend children's learning experiences.

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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 143067 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 843119 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 24 Name of provider Bishop's Hull Community Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 07/07/2011 Telephone number 07926919781

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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.

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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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