Cinder Ash

Cinder Ash Pre-School The Pavilion, Park Road, LONG SUTTON, Lincs, PE12 9DJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/09/2014 13/05/2009

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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

 An effective key-person system promotes children's sense of security and helps them to form strong emotional attachments and bonds. Staff are kind, caring and interested in what children say and do.  Teaching is good. Children engage in a broad range of activities delivered through a variety of effective teaching methods and staff plan effectively for each individual child based on their interests and developmental needs.  Staff value the good partnerships in place with parents and carers. They are well informed of all aspects of their children's care through home link books and their progress is discussed on a regular basis.  Children are safeguarded well as staff demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of how to protect them and the correct procedures to follow in the event of any child protection concerns.  A strong committee and dedicated manager demonstrate a clear vision for improvement and use effective systems for self-evaluation to plan realistic targets to

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Overall, the outdoor area is developing well and provides a range of interesting activities. However, learning opportunities in some areas have not been fully implemented to maximise children's learning potential.

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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.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's activities in the pre-school room and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and spoke at appropriate times to staff throughout the sessions.  The inspector conducted a joint observation of general practice with the manager.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

Cinder Ash Pre-School has been operating since 1973 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a single storey building in the village of Long Sutton, Lincolnshire. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs three members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager has a level 5 qualification. The other members of staff have a level 3 and a level 2 qualification. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon every day and from 12 noon until 3pm every day, except for Monday afternoon. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently eight children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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

 enhance the outdoor area to further develop learning opportunities across all areas of learning, with regard to communication and language, literacy and understanding the world.

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who attend

Staff organise the pre-school well to provide a stimulating learning environment, which encourages children to be active and independent learners. They freely explore and investigate the range of interesting activities and staff demonstrate a clear understanding of how children develop through play. As a result, children have good opportunities to enhance their development across all areas of learning. Teaching is good and a range of effective methods are used. For example, as a group, staff encourage children to work together to build a farm. They are given good opportunities to use their thinking skills, as they are carefully questioned about the animals they might see on a farm and how they are going to keep the animals safe. Children are completely engaged in the activity and build on their own learning by suggesting the animals are hungry, choosing to find an apple as, horses eat apples.. As a result of this activity, children's interest in farms is

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who attend

ignited and children enjoy playing independently with the farm throughout the day.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development is promoted well throughout the pre-school. Children in general, are confident communicators and happily engage in conversation with staff and other children. Staff are skilled at listening and talking to children to promote their speech and widen their vocabulary and show a genuine interest in what they say and do. Indoors provides an environment rich in print and the pre-school have plans to develop this within the garden to provide further visual stimulation for children and an understanding that print carries meaning. In general, the garden is developing well and engages children's interest through a varied range of resources and activities. However, some areas are not so clearly developed to maximise learning opportunities. For example, there is less consistent opportunities for children to independently explore a natural environment and the current quiet area to look at books,

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who attend

lacks stimulation. Staff make good use of the local community through walks and visiting places of interest. For example, children collect leaves in the park, feed the ducks at the duck pond and spend time at the library. The traditions and backgrounds of the children who attend the pre-school are valued and suitable resources and celebrations of different cultural festivals, supports children's understanding of the diverse society they live in.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate clearly through discussion that they know their key children well and plan activities based on their interests and individual needs. Effective systems for observing and assessing children's development are in place. These are regularly monitored for effectiveness to ensure that children are making good progress towards the early learning goals and gaining sufficient skills for the next stage of their learning, such as starting school. Staff complete regular reviews of children's progress, including a development check between the ages of two and three years and share these with parents. Individual learning and the learning of the pre-school as a whole is tracked towards the early learning goals. This monitors the balance of teaching and resources to ensure gaps in learning are not missed. Parents are encouraged to support their children's learning at home, as learning bags are regularly sent home with activities to complete. For

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who attend

example, singing songs with musical instruments.

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

An effective key-person system ensures children and their families develop secure attachments with staff and feel warmly welcomed into the pre-school. Staff are kind and caring and children approach them with ease to convey their own wants and needs. Parents complete All about me booklets when their child first starts to provide staff with valuable information regarding children's needs and interests. Daily written and verbal information is exchanged with parents of all children so that changing needs are constantly met. Effective systems are in place for those children attending other settings and good relationships have formed with local schools. Teachers visit the pre-school during the summer term and during role play, children dress up in school uniforms and have access to pictures of local schools, which enables them to explore and ask questions about the different aspects of school life.

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

The pre-school has a calm and relaxing atmosphere, where children are constantly busy and occupied, resulting in good behaviour. Staff are consistent in their handling of any small conflicts, through timely interventions where needed, teaching children how to negotiate and interact in a positive manner. Staff consistently praise and acknowledge children for their progress and achievements, which encourages good levels of self- esteem. A sand timer is used effectively to prepare children for changes that are about to happen, such as circle or tidy up time. Children are enthusiastic to help tidy away resources, hanging their numbered paint brush on the same number peg, which also supports their counting and matching skills. Children have good opportunities to develop their own independence and self-care skills. For example, they serve themselves cereal and pour their own drinks at snack time and are always encouraged to, have a go, when

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

putting on shoes and coats for outdoor play.

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

Children's good health and hygiene is promoted effectively. A varied range of healthy snacks are provided and parents are encouraged to provide healthy options in their children's packed lunches. Fresh drinking water is available at all times and independently accessible, allowing children to control their own thirst. Outdoor play is incorporated well into the daily routine, as children freely access the garden for play in the fresh air. A good range of physical play opportunities are provided here and when accessing the park in which the pre-school is situated. Staff are deployed well both inside and outside, to provide continuous supervision of children which contributes to their overall safety and welfare. Through fun activities children learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, when riding their bicycles and cars, they learn that the red light means stop and the green light means go on the traffic light system.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children are good. Staff understand how to report concerns about children in their care and are guided by effective policies and procedures that support their work. This helps to ensure that children remain as safe as possible while attending the pre-school. Staff attend regular child protection training and are all aware of children's individual needs and family backgrounds to ensure they are fully supported. Furthermore, the chairperson of the pre-school's committee has also completed child protection training so that she is aware of current legislation, as part of her role in supporting the setting. A robust system of recruitment is in place and appropriate checks to safeguard children are carried out on all adults. Thorough induction procedures ensure staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities. Thorough risk assessments and daily checks are carried out and ensure that children play in a safe and secure environment.

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provision

A strong committee and effective management team work closely together to ensure children are consistently provided with a quality early years experience. A new manager has recently been appointed, who shares the pre-schools vision and has settled very well into her role. She, along with the dedicated committee and staff are working hard to implement the clear areas of improvement they have identified as part of their systems for self-evaluation. Staff are involved in decision making and supported well in their professional development. As a result, they are highly motivated to ensure all children receive the best possible start in life. All staff show a clear understanding of the learning and development requirements and strive to deliver an effective and enjoyable learning experience for all children. Educational programmes are regularly monitored for effectiveness and to ensure that children are making good progress towards the early

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provision

learning goals. Very positive steps have been taken to address the action and recommendations at the last inspection and demonstrates the pre-schools ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.

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provision

Partnership working with parents makes a strong contribution to meeting the needs of all children. Parents are regularly encouraged to share their views about the pre-school and the care provided for their child in questionnaires, verbal discussions and through their children's home link books. Regular newsletters ensure parents have a good overview of the pre-school at all times and are well informed of events taking place. Parent write that the pre-school is a, 'lovely setting, where staff work hard to ensure all children are happy'. Partnerships with external agencies and other providers are good and this means that children benefit from a coordinated approach to their care and development, and as a result, make good progress.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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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 253615 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 818452

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 8 Name of provider Cinder Ash Pre School Committee Date of previous inspection 13/05/2009 Telephone number 01406258382

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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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