Qwackers Pre-School

Qwackers Pre-School The School Premises, Hanby Lane, Alford, Lincs, LN13 9BN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/09/2014 22/04/2009

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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

 The manager and staff team are passionate about getting to know each child individually, ensuring that their learning is very personalised. The good quality of teaching has a very positive effect on children's care and education.  Staff have a very good knowledge of how to keep children safe. Children's emotional and physical well-being is a priority for staff.  Partnerships with parents are extremely strong. Parents are invited to be active participants in their child's pre-school experiences.  Monitoring of the quality of the provision for the children is effective. Staff evaluate and improve their personal development through training to bring about positive impacts for the children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are times when the organisation of routines lack purpose and positive impact on the needs of the children.

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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 main play rooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and interacted with children throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Qwackers Pre-school opened originally in 1960 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in the Alford Childcare Centre in Alford, Lincolnshire. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three playrooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The playgroup employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 4, eight at level 3 and one at level 2. The playgroup opens Monday to Friday, school term time only, with the exception of bank holidays. Sessions for funded three-and-four-year-old children are Monday to Friday, from 9am until 12noon, though children can stay at lunch club until 12.30pm. Sessions for two-year-old children are Monday to Thursday, from 12.30pm until 3.30pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-year-olds. It supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There

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

 review the organisation of routines to ensure they are purposeful and keep a focus on children's needs.

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who attend

Children progress well due to a good quality of teaching. The staff team are interested in and engaged with the children and their play. Activities are planned in line with children's interests which keeps them motivated and engaged during the sessions. Each child's personality is respected and they are valued as individuals. The key-person system is very effective as there are many key group opportunities throughout the session. Therefore, the children have a strong sense of belonging to their key-person and within the pre- school. Observations and assessments are effectively used to plan activities the children will enjoy. They link to the next steps for each child making their learning journeys very individual. Staff have detailed discussions with parents when children first attend and use this information to assess children's starting points and begin to plan for future learning. As a result, children make very good progress towards the early learning goals, including

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who attend

children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The staff demonstrate a secure understanding of the progress check for children between the ages of two-and-three years, ensuring this is carried out at an appropriate time and shared with parents.

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who attend

Children's learning benefits from a range of interesting activities and resources. Children lead their own play and staff follow their ideas and interests. Staff are skilled at using their knowledge of the children's next steps to facilitate learning opportunities. For example, a staff member asks some children to work together on a task to encourage and develop their social interactions and turn taking skills. There is a large emphasis on communication and language development within the pre-school. Older children are learning about rhyming words and are beginning to identify phonic sounds and letters. Younger children are listening for sounds in the environment and identifying what they can hear. Language skills for the youngest children are enhanced as staff consistently take their single phrase and extend into full sentences before repeating them back. For example, a two-year-old child looking at an insect outside says 'gone', the member of staff repeats 'Yes it has

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who attend

gone. Back down into the log hasn't it?' This supports new vocabulary, models sentence and question structure and acknowledges that the adult has understood the meaning of the single word utterance.

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who attend

Stories and songs bring in further opportunities for communication and language development and also support developing literacy skills. The use of puppets with all age groups helps the children to focus on what is happening and engage with the story. Use of mathematical language in the story supports children's awareness of size such as, big and little and their counting skills. During an activity in which children were rolling a car backwards and forwards, a staff member recognised the opportunity to extend rote counting skills. The activity was developed so that children held on to the car and pushed it up to five times before letting it go finally. This helped them to count an action rather just from one to five before letting go. All seven areas of learning are included in the session as children draw, paint, design and create, work together, use computers and explore different textures such as, sand, water and corn flour. The staff show genuine

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who attend

interest, clarify ideas and ask open questions. This extends the children's thinking and helps them to make connections in learning.

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who attend

In general the organisation of the sessions flow well and children respond to the routines such as, tidy up time. However, the system for getting ready for snack is not as successful. Children are not actively occupied during the staffs' discussion but expected to sit quietly while they are counted and divided. Although the organising is necessary the current way of doing so is not productive and children become bored and agitated, this has a negative effect on their behaviour. The setting is very inclusive with all children of all age groups being able to access resources and opportunities freely. The staff work with varying agencies to provide children with specific care to meet their individual needs. Partnerships with parents and carers are good. Daily discussions take place regarding how children are progressing and this is proving to be an effective way for staff to communicate with them regarding their children's learning and development. There is a

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who attend

lending library that parents and children can use to borrow educationally themed games and books. This means that learning and development is continued at home.

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

Children's personal, social and emotional development is strongly fostered by very caring and sensitive staff. Staff take the time to get to know the children and their families before the children begin in the pre-school. Settling-in visits are given the utmost importance and parents are encouraged to attend and stay with their children over many sessions. This ensures the children begin to form positive relationships with their key- person within the presence and security of their parents and carers. Staff use these sessions to build relationships with the children but also to gain a wealth of relevant information from parents about the children. Children are respected for who they are, their personalities are accepted and enjoyed which fosters mutual respect. Children begin in the pre-school in a group of no more than eight children and move through the sessions when they are assessed as being ready. When they begin the longer and more frequent

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

pre-school sessions, they are very familiar with the environment and staff. The transition process is fully inclusive of parents and this effectively supports children's emotional security and sense of belonging.

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

Staff enhance children's self-esteem as they encourage them to try and do things for themselves. They offer sensitive support and always ask the children if they would like help rather than assume they do and take over the activity. Praise is used positively and children are able to feel proud of their own achievements. This raises their confidence and encourages a positive 'can do' attitude. For example, a child on the computer asks for help but a staff member talks them through the process rather than do it for them. Next time they remember and are able to have a go at doing it themselves. There is a strong emphasis on helping the children to be healthy. Everyday outdoor play is available to them and the children are able to choose from a range of interesting activities. Differing resources are used to support the varying ages of children attending. For example, balance bikes are available to pre-school children and four wheeled ride-on toys for the

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

younger ones. This ensures that children are able to extend and challenge their physical abilities but within a limited risk boundary. Children's interest in the natural world is promoted as they plant flowers in tubs, old tyres and Wellington boots. Old logs have been provided to stimulate children's interest in looking at bugs and insects. Snacks are nutritious and plentiful. Children help themselves to cutlery and are supported in developing the skills to feed themselves. Children make their own healthy choice at snack time, choosing the foods they would like to eat. Many of the older children can take care of their personal needs and wash their hands before eating and after toileting. Staff help younger children, while encouraging them to do what they can for themselves.

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

The pre-school has a strong commitment to involving other settings, parents and peers from the local community. For instance, the children attend activities at the local school and parent helpers support the sessions. The staff team work well together and support each other constantly across the group. Children are very well supported with the transition from pre-school to school. Information about school expectations are discussed with pre-school staff and they involve these in the routines and activities. The staff work closely with parents and gain good information about children's needs, which ensures they offer personalised support. Staff are inclusive of all children and their families and carers and offer a welcoming environment. The pre-school is in the heart of the learning community. Staff use their links effectively to support the children's emotional well-being with transitions to and from the pre-school.

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provision

Staff have very good safeguarding awareness. They fully understand their individual roles and responsibilities in protecting the children they care for from abuse and neglect. The staff member with responsibility for safeguarding has undertaken relevant training, which has been disseminated in depth to all staff. Effective partnership working with other professionals ensures the children and their families' needs are identified and supported well. Recruitment and selection processes ensure that only suitable people are employed to work with the children. The environment is thoroughly risk assessed by staff, therefore children are safe and secure as they play. Staff are extremely vigilant in supervising children's movements around the setting to further ensure their safety. The manager has an excellent understanding of her responsibilities regarding the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and documentation meets all

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provision

The staff team is strong, they work effectively together. They have attended a great deal of training in communication and language which ensures the recommendation at the last inspection has been met. In turn the provision for children has greatly improved and the impact on children's learning is positive. The manager and room leaders meet weekly and assess the provision and discuss practice issues. This has produced a focused management team with a consistent drive and enthusiasm for providing good care and education for children. They monitor the quality of the teaching and assessment regularly to ensure it is realistic and specific to children's individual needs. The division of the age groups of children in each session is effective in meeting the care and education needs of both the younger and older children. The manager has included all staff and reviews from parent's questionnaires in the self-evaluation and improvement plan. From this the staff

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provision

were able to identify a need for resources that would support children's access to information technology and develop their large physical skills. They have fundraised with parents, enabling them to purchase touch screen computers and balance bikes. The management team is focused on continued improvement and supporting staff development.

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provision

Staff highly value parent's contributions into the running of the pre-school. They take account of parent's and other carer's opinions and seek their input in children's learning. The parents spoken to at inspection were delighted with the welcoming attitude of the staff and felt fully involved in their children's care and education. The management team request input from other professionals such as, the local school and health visitor. They work closely in partnership with the local authority adviser and other early years settings in the local community and value the relationships highly.

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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 253514 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 871524

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 54 Name of provider Qwackers Pre-school Committee Date of previous inspection 22/04/2009 Telephone number 01507 463969

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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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