Bolsover First Steps Pre-School

Bolsover First Steps Assembly Rooms, Hill Top, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S44 6NG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/09/2014 29/03/2011

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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

 Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and use effective teaching strategies to support children's language development. Therefore, children make good progress in their learning, especially with their communication skills.  Staff are welcoming and work in partnership with parents to settle children so they quickly form strong relationships. Consequently, staff are able set clear expectations about behaviour, teach children to be kind, and support them to manage risks.  Children are kept safe because staff and the manager have a clear understanding of how to safeguard children and the procedures they would follow to protect children.  Staff use comprehensive planning and monitoring systems that respond to the needs and interests of all children. As a result, children are engaged by a broad curriculum that challenges their learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always maximise opportunities to model problem-solving skills and support children's thinking. As a result, children are not consistently demonstrating the characteristics of effective learning.  The staff and manager do not maximise opportunities to further develop high-quality teaching strategies because they do not always use sharply focused evaluations of the impact of their practice on children's learning.

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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 main playrooms and outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to the nominated person, manager, staff, key persons and children throughout the inspection.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including a sample of policies and procedures, children's records, planning and assessment and evidence of staff suitability.  The inspector took account of parents' and carers' views.

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Information about the setting

Bolsover First Steps was registered in 2002 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from the ground floor of the community centre in Bolsover, Derbyshire and there is a secure outside play area which is reached by stairs or a lift. The pre-school employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday from 9.15am until 12.15pm, with occasional afternoon sessions, during term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 43 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 make the most of all opportunities for staff to model problem solving and critical thinking skills so that children can build on the skills they need to become highly effective learners

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

 embed the use of sharply focused evaluations of the impact of staff's practice on children's learning, to enhance staff's high quality teaching strategies.

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who attend

Staff at the pre-school work hard to get to know children quickly so that they are able to plan activities that meet individual children's needs. They use a variety of observations to enable them to build an overall picture of children's interests and learning needs. For example, staff make short notes of children's achievements as well as completing detailed observations that track children through the setting and reveal how they interact with resources and other children. Staff combine their observation evidence with detailed information from parents about what children can already do, for example, counting, naming colours and recognising letters, to produce baseline assessments of children across the prime areas of learning. These are shared with parents and allow staff to plan suitable next steps for each child's learning. For example, staff plan to use children's interest in vehicles to support the continued development of their speech, and cafe role

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who attend

play is planned to incorporate literacy and writing.

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who attend

Children's communication and language skills are effectively promoted because the manager and staff focus on these through assessment and teaching strategies. Additional assessments of children's progress in these areas allow staff to provide targeted interventions. Throughout the setting, staff support all children's progress with effective teaching strategies. For example, they stimulate conversations with children during play that allow children time to talk about their favourite foods or things that they do at home. Staff also listen sensitively to children and repeat key words or introduce new vocabulary during imaginative play with castles and dragons. Children's physical development is promoted through action songs and daily outdoor play. Outside, they practise their large motor skills as they enjoy balancing on stepping stones, climbing and jumping along a number snake.

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who attend

The pre-school provides a broad and interesting curriculum that engages the children. Different aspects of the provision cover a variety of areas of learning by including interesting resources and skilful interactions from staff. For example, role play with baby dolls and weighing scales captures the attention of children for an extended period of time. They are able to play using what they know about taking babies to be weighed and are effectively supported by staff to extend their learning. For example, they count the numbers on the scales and staff introduce mathematical language, such as more and less. Staff model writing as they record weights in a notebook, and older children are supported to form letters on the chalk board to represent the babies' names. As a result, children are beginning to learn the skills they will need when they transfer to nursery and school. Children playing in the sand are encouraged by staff to think about what they are doing

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who attend

with the containers. However, some staff are not always confident in maximising teaching opportunities, for example, identifying resources and activities that allow children to investigate, solve problems and asking open-ended questions.

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

Children enjoy their time at pre-school and arrive happily. They confidently follow morning routines as they find their names for the register and store their drinks in trays. New children are offered settling-in sessions to suit their needs, and welcoming staff provide cuddles and reassurance to children if they are upset when they arrive. There is a clear key-person system that helps children form secure attachments to staff and settle quickly. Staff effectively use these strong relationships to set expectations of behaviour, and children respond well to reminders about walking feet and kind hands. Staff talk to children about taking turns on the slide and how to cooperate to make the see-saw rock. Staff resolve disputes quickly and effectively by talking to children about sharing toys. Children's self-esteem is promoted because they feel valued by staff. Each child is welcomed during the morning register and praised for their contributions to conversations.

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

Children confidently ask and answer questions during story time because they know staff will listen carefully and that children of all abilities will be included. Overall, children are developing the personal, social and emotional skills they will need as they transfer into nursery and school.

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

Staff support children to develop their independence through routines and play. Resources are stored in labelled boxes that facilitate children to make choices and to help tidy away at the end of the session. Children are able to combine resources to lead their own play as they fill cake trays with play dough and put them carefully in the toy oven. Snack is available during most of the session so that children can access it when they are ready. Staff support the new children to learn the routine of collecting their own plate, pouring their drinks and ticking off their name. Snack is a social occasion and children choose from the healthy foods and drinks offered. Children are reminded to wash their hands before they eat and staff teach the youngest children to use the soap and towels correctly. Staff work with parents as children learn to manage their own personal needs according to their age.

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

Children enjoy daily experiences outside despite physical limitations that make continuous access impractical. Staff support them to challenge their physical skills and manage the associated risks depending on their age and stage of development. For example, low stepping stones are used by the youngest children as they practise balancing, and older children are challenged by steps that get higher. Staff are always on hand to provide support as necessary and talk to children about how to minimise the risks. For example, they explain why children must not stand on the benches or lean backwards on the see- saw.

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provision

Staff at the pre-school all receive regular training about how to safeguard children and have a clear understanding of what would cause them concern about the safety or well- being of a child. Team meetings are used to ensure that all staff have an up to date knowledge of the procedures they would follow, and good relationships between staff and the manager facilitate the communication of concerns. The recruitment process for new staff includes taking references, observation of their practice and obtaining suitability checks. Several members of staff have suitable first-aid qualifications, and the layout of the setting within one room allows staff to respond quickly to a medical emergency. There are a comprehensive range of policies and procedures that cover the efficient running of the pre-school, and these are shared with parents when children start. Risk assessments are carried out for all aspects of the provision and in response to specific events or

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provision

children's needs. Staff have food hygiene qualifications and implement procedures to reduce cross-contamination.

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provision

The manager has a number of systems in place to monitor different aspects of the pre- school. The methods used to make long- and short-term plans include all staff and ensure that individual children's needs and interests are met. Planning and assessment processes also allow staff to review children's learning to make sure that the curriculum covers all the areas of learning. Children's progress is regularly summarised and reported to parents during consultation meetings with the key person. Their progress is tracked and monitored by the manager so that children who are not working at the expected level for their age are quickly identified and provided with additional support. The manager supports staff to make accurate assessments of children and plan suitable next steps for their learning. Supervision and appraisal systems are in place but they do not include sharply focused evaluations of the impact of staff's practice. Therefore, opportunities to support the

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provision

further development of high quality teaching strategies are not maximised. The self- evaluation of the pre-school is informed by staff, information from parents and advice from the local authority. The manager has a clear understanding of their strengths and uses audits of the provision to highlight areas for improvement. For example, evaluations by the manager and local authority adviser led to the provision for mathematics becoming more integrated across the different activities.

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provision

The pre-school have good partnerships with the local children's centre, and the manager regularly meets with other agencies to discuss how best to support children and families. Staff work closely with speech and language therapists to complement how they are supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are effective strategies in place to support children who speak English as an additional language. For example, staff learn key words and use picture cards to help children understand the routine and simple instructions.

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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 EY246133 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 860260

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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 43 Name of provider Bolsover First Steps Committee Date of previous inspection 29/03/2011 Telephone number 01246 471523 or 07828 097345

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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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