Bierton Pre School

Bierton Pre-School Bierton Sports Centre, Burcott Lane, Bierton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP22 5AS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/09/2014 27/03/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff provide plenty of support to promote good behaviour, which raises children's self- esteem and means they know how to play cooperatively.  Staff are implementing a programme of changes to improve outcomes for children and these are beginning to have some positive impacts.  Staff focus well on developing children's language, social, emotional and self-care skills. This helps prepares them for moving on to school.

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It is not yet good because

 Recently improved assessment arrangements are not fully effective in providing staff with a precise picture of children's progress in all areas of learning.  The quality of teaching within the pre-school is variable and staff do not always build on children's interest in activities to extend their learning.  Staff are not effectively sharing information with other settings that children attend to ensure continuity in their care.

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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 children in all areas of the pre-school.  The inspector held discussions with the pre-school manager, staff and children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed paperwork including children's records, samples of their work, policies, risk assessments and suitability checks on staff.

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Information about the setting

Bierton Pre-School opened in 1991 and is managed by a committee of parents. It operates from the Sports Pavilion, which is owned and managed by the Parish Council, in the village of Bierton on the outskirts of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The pre-school serves children living in the village and the surrounding area. Children have use of the main hall, toilets, kitchen and a committee room that is used as a cloakroom. Children also use the adjacent playing field for supervised outdoor play and a small additional enclosed play area which they access at set times in the day. The pre-school opens five mornings and three afternoons a week, during school terms times only. Sessions are held on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9.30am to 12 noon and then 12 noon to 2.30pm and Wednesdays and Friday mornings from 9.30am to 12pm. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. It receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged

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Information about the setting

three and four. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who are learning English as an additional language. There are six staff who work directly with the children and they all hold suitable childcare qualifications. The pre-school also employs a part time administrative assistant.

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must:

 improve monitoring arrangements to ensure that ongoing assessment is consistently precise so that staff can more accurately identify any gaps in achievement and plan suitably challenging activities for all children

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

 enhance children's learning by extending the activities they enjoy to offer increasing challenge and to maintain their interest

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

 strengthen communication with other settings that children attend to promote continuity in their care.

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who attend

Staff have a generally sound understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage including the learning and development requirements. They provide a range of activities which cover all areas of children's learning. Following the last inspection, the staff have made changes to the planning arrangements. They now make better use of observations of children to identify any emerging interests and ensure that they plan activities to reflect these. This helps children settle well and enjoy their play. Improvements within the pre- school are still developing and therefore many practices are new. As a result, some inconsistencies exist in the arrangements for planning and assessment. This means that staff do not always successfully build on activities to extend children's learning by offering greater challenge. In addition, assessment does not provide a fully precise picture of children's individual abilities across all areas of learning.

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who attend

Children show interest in the activities staff offer. For example, they enjoyed making a potion using mud and water. Overall, staff interact well with children and some ask useful questions to extend their thinking and learning. However, some staff are less confident in extending activities to sustain children's interest, resulting in some children become distracted.

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who attend

Staff encourage children to speak about things that interest them, in conversations and in group situations. This promotes their language and also helps them to learn how to listen to others. Staff model language well and introduce new vocabulary. Children look at books and clearly enjoy listening to stories during shared reading with staff. Action songs and rhymes help to promote and build on children's counting skills. Children develop mathematical understanding as staff encourage them to recognise numerals and match amounts in their play. Children enjoy activities which help them understand about size and shape, and teach them to measure quantity. For example, a staff member helped children learn to read the last number on the line to identify the amount of water in a jug as they played in the sand. Children express themselves creatively as they explore a varied range of media and materials such as paints, play dough, paper and glue. Staff effectively

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who attend

encourage children to develop their early writing and teach them the sounds letters make. As a result, many older children recognise, and can write, letters that appear in their name. Younger children enjoy using materials to practice writing for a purpose. For example, they pretend to write doctors notes in the role-play area. This all helps children in their preparation for their next stage in education.

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who attend

Staff keep parents suitably informed of events in the pre-school through weekly newsletters. Parents see their child's learning folders when they attend regular meetings with their key person. These meetings also give parents an opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have. Some parents contribute what they know of their children's progress, such as adding 'wow' comments about anything significant the child achieves make at home. This helps parents to support their children's learning and development at home.

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

Children are happy to come to pre-school because staff build strong, caring and respectful relationships with families. Flexible settling-in procedures mean parents are able to visit the pre-school as many times as they need to feel assured their child is happy. Effective key person arrangements mean that staff understand children's individual needs suitably well. They support those who are reluctant to part from parents appropriately by quickly engaging them in an activity or sitting quietly with them and reading a story. Children soon feel confident to play and enjoy their time at pre-school.

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

Staff work well as a team and are appropriate role models for children. They encourage children to say 'please' and 'thank you'. They use praise, such as 'well tried' and 'well done' to support children's confidence and emotional development. When children cross behavioural boundaries, staff provide age-appropriate explanations to help them understand why it is important to behave well. This helps children to consider their actions and to be aware of the needs and feelings of their friends. For example, children offer to get each other toys to help them join together in games. Children effectively take turns and share toys as they play. In the outdoor area, they help push their friends along on moveable toys. Inside older children help younger children in tasks such as completing jigsaw puzzles. Children have suitable opportunities for imaginative play and enjoy acting out their personal experiences, and exploring their emotions. For example, children

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

explore the feelings of being unwell and caring for each other in a role play game of doctors and patients. Staff encourage children to express their preferences. They also encourage conversations about children's experiences outside the pre-school. This helps them to develop an understanding and respect of each other's differences. The pre-school celebrates a number of special days and festivals to promote children's awareness of different cultures and customs. As a result, children form positive relationships and develop respect for others as they develop expand their social skills.

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

Staff provide good quality equipment and resources. They allow children to use these as they wish so they learn through investigative play. Resources are accessible in low storage units or baskets, most of which are clearly labelled to help children identify the contents. This helps children make choices and decisions. Pre-school routines encourage children to become responsible. For example, they take an active role in tidying away the resources. These skills help children to become self-assured individuals, preparing them appropriately for their move to school.

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

Staff promote children's health acceptably through daily opportunities to play in the outdoor area. This allows children to exercise and benefit from spending time in the fresh air. Children become self-reliant in their personal hygiene, independently visiting the toilet and washing their hands. Children enjoy a variety of healthy foods at snack time and have easy access to their drinking water bottles. Staff develop children's understanding of safety appropriately. For example, they explain the dangers of running in the indoor area and ensure children take part in practice emergency evacuations.

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provision

The manager is the nominated individual for safeguarding. She has a sound understanding of her role and responsibilities. Appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and staff share and discuss these with parents. All staff have completed child protection training, giving them a secure knowledge of what to do should they have concerns regarding a child's welfare. The management team have made many improvements to safeguarding arrangements since the last inspection. There are now suitable recruitment procedures in place including checks to determine the on-going and continued suitability of staff. Risk assessments and daily safety checks help to identify any potential hazards and staff take prompt action to address these. Effective security prevents visitors for entering the pre-school without being supervised. There is a policy regarding the safe use of mobile phones and cameras and staff enforce this strictly.

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provision

The manager has introduced more robust arrangements to ensure that practices reflect children's individual needs and positively promote diversity. In addition, staff have attended training which has given them more confidence to promote equal opportunities for all children. The manager and her staff team have also been working to develop a more secure understanding of children's learning and development. The manager is supporting staff through supervision and training. She regularly works alongside her team and is beginning to monitor the impact of their interaction and teaching on children's learning. Overall, the quality of teaching is improving as a result of this on-going process. However, a degree of inconsistency remains as some staff are less confident in putting their developing knowledge into practice.

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provision

Recent changes to the planning system are improving the balance of adult-led activities and children's freely chosen play. Staff are now more fully following children's interests during activities both indoors and outdoors. As part of the drive for improvement, the manager is currently refining a new system to more precisely track children's progress. However, this in its early stages and is not having any significant impact. As a result, the manager is not currently in a position to easily identify any gaps in children's learning and development. The pre-school management committee and staff are making good use of the support their are receiving from the local authority early years team. In addition, the staff team have completed a process of self-evaluation, which clearly identifies key strengths and weaknesses in the provision.

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provision

The manager recognises the importance of sharing information with other settings that children attend but, to date, arrangements have not been established. The staff work with parents to obtain their views, through questionnaires, and use children's ideas to reflect their interests in future plans. Partnerships with parents are generally effective. They have access to a range of policies and procedures through the provider's website. They also receive regular newsletters with key dates of events and information to support their child's learning both at home and in the pre-school. Comments from parents spoken to include 'staff are very supportive' and 'the pre-school provides a caring place and my child is very happy here.' Overall, the hardworking staff are making effective improvements to ensure that children are making sound progress in their learning and enjoy their time in this lively 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. 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 140842 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 977768

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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 22 Name of provider Bierton Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 27/03/2014 Telephone number 07881 931 354

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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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