Two Mile Ash Pre-School

Two Mile Ash Pre-School The Annex, The High Street, Two Mile Ash, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK8 8LH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/09/2014 10/05/2012

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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 make good progress because staff observe them closely and effectively plan for their next steps in learning.  Close relationships between staff and children result in a positive environment where children feel safe.  Strong leadership means that the pre-school demonstrates the capacity to drive forward improvement continually in order to raise standards.  Parents speak highly of the pre-school and feel that staff fully support their children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 While children enjoy imaginative play outside, they have little encouragement to explore their emotions and work through ideas through role play indoors.

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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's play and staff interactions.  The inspector and the pre-school manager undertook a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation including a representative sample of children's records, evaluation documentation, display materials and safeguarding arrangements.  The inspector spoke with staff, parents and children.  The inspector tracked a sample of individual children to assess progress.

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Information about the setting

Two Mile Ash Pre-School registered in 1982. It is run by a parent committee and is registered on the Early Years Register. The pre-school operates from a main room and enclosed outdoor area of the community annexe of the middle school in Two Mile Ash, Milton Keynes. Children attend from the local and surrounding areas. The pre-school is open term time only on weekdays from 9am to 12pm and also on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from 12.30pm to 2.45pm. There are currently 53 children on roll. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. The pre-school supports children learning English as an additional language. There are eight members of staff who work with the children. The manager has an appropriate level 5 qualification and all other members of staff have an appropriate qualification at level 3 and above.

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

 extend further the opportunities for children to explore feelings and emotions through role play.

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who attend

Children at the pre-school make good progress. Staff meet children's individual needs well and have good systems to promote learning. Children play in a stimulating environment that offers plenty of variety, interest and enjoyment. Staff demonstrate a confident knowledge and understanding of child development and are effective in supporting children to progress well in all areas. Staff skilfully assess children's levels of achievement and track their progress carefully. Effective planning results from on-going observation and reflects children's individual interests. There is a good balance of activities which are led by staff and those which children choose independently. As a result, planning closely reflects children's next steps of learning.

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who attend

The pre-school is equipped with a wide variety of resources. These provide a range of interesting choices for children in areas that are clean, attractive and inviting. Children play in an environment with displays of numbers, letters and words that support their mathematical and literacy development effectively. Accessible storage, positioned at an appropriate height, means that children are able to independently select what they want to play with. This results in children having high levels of concentration and enjoyment, which they demonstrate through their good behaviour and excitement at learning. Children experience a broad range of books in a cosy, comfortable area. Staff regularly read to children throughout the session and children join in enthusiastically with familiar stories, developing a love of literature. Staff encourage children to follow the print in books and they use puppets and props to bring stories to life. Staff encourage children to

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who attend

explore writing. Older children independently write and draw pictures of the books they enjoy reading. Younger children explore materials, such as paint, to assign meanings to the marks they make. Staff support children's understanding of letter sounds by encouraging them to sing and make rhymes.

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who attend

Children are developing good mathematical skills in number, shape and measurement. For example, they learn to count forwards and backwards as they sing popular number rhymes. Staff teach children about length as they use rulers to measure the height of blocks outside. Children are encouraged to solve problems and link quantities to numerals as they count with 'counting cookies', and some children count beyond 20. Staff use appropriate mathematical language to extend children's understanding as they use vocabulary such as 'taller' and 'wider' when building towers.

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who attend

Staff encourage children to develop their creativity as they play outside in the den. They also go on 'train rides' with staff who have set up themed role play experiences. Staff play alongside children, interacting purposefully to support their language development. Outside children decide to build a 'dinosaur land' in a large tyre and staff support their thinking and language development as they ask questions such as 'what do we need to build the land?' and 'what do dinosaurs need for their house?' Children respond enthusiastically as they gather stones, sticks and leaves to create their ideas. Despite some good experiences for role play outside, opportunities for children to role play inside are less well provided for. The lack of any 'home corner' equipment means that children have little encouragement or opportunity to process their thoughts and emotions by acting out roles that are familiar to them. Children explore different creative mediums as they

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who attend

paint and print with cotton reels and conkers. Younger children enjoy playing with musical instruments as they happily move and dance to music.

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who attend

Children learn about the living world as they play with natural resources such as conkers, stones and leaves, investigating them with magnifying glasses. They visit a local nature area and staff provide forest school experiences once a term which supports children's knowledge of the wider world.

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

Children and staff develop close and warm relationships, which results in children feeling secure and settled. An effective key person system ensures children grow in confidence as familiar staff care for them. Staff know children well and are able to talk at length about the uniqueness of all children. They are aware of children's interests and their home life, this helps them to meet children's individual needs fully. Staff value children's achievements and celebrate their successes. This promotes children's self-esteem well. For example, staff give specific praise to children for sharing toys and for achievements when they attempt to write. They display their writing carefully and celebrate children's learning well.

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

Children are learning about the importance of healthy lifestyles as staff encourage them to choose nutritious snacks. Information about healthy eating is shared with children's families to provide consistent messages at home. They demonstrate a good level of kindness and cooperation as they share out the bowls and food in a mature and fair way. Children pour their own drinks and serve their own food. They wash their hands before snacks, maintaining good hygiene standards. Staff have appropriate procedures for nappy changing which reduces the risk of cross infection and promotes children's health appropriately.

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

Children in the pre-school behave well and have a positive attitude to learning. This shows that they feel safe and secure. Staff work in conjunction with parents and are skilful at settling in new children providing hugs and comfort when needed. Staff present positive role models and genuinely appear happy, smiling as they play and interact with children. This has resulted in a healthy emotional environment, which is essential for children's all round development.

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

Children are provided with daily opportunities to develop their physical skills as they move freely inside and out. They use a range of tools such as scissors, glue sticks and pens which develop their co-ordination. They enjoy threading beads and dried pasta to make patterns and necklaces. Staff set up challenges for older children outside to capture their interests through fun games. They run and negotiate spaces, balancing and following instructions. Staff allow children to take risks relative to their age. For example, building tall towers and climbing outside provides challenges that further extend learning. Younger children learn from age-appropriate toys and activities that encourage them to press buttons, move wheels and explore the tracks they leave. Children enjoy a good balance of active, noisy play as well as being able to relax in comfortable areas with cushions and soft toys.

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provision

Children are safe and well protected at the pre-school. Since the last inspection a new manager has been appointed and this has resulted in several positive changes. For example, there is now closer monitoring of children's progress. Staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. There are a wide range of policies and documentation to enable staff to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, information for parents and staff regarding the safe use of mobile phones.

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provision

Staff regularly review risk assessments and policies to ensure that they are effective and staff sign to confirm they have read and understood them. Robust systems are in place to check the suitability of staff and this is monitored and recorded. Staff have received appropriate training including on paediatric first aid, food hygiene and safeguarding. They have a good understanding of how to protect children. They are aware of the procedures they need to follow if they have a concern about a child. Staff are also aware of what actions to take if they have safeguarding concerns about each other. The manager is a safeguarding trainer and these issues are discussed at every staff meeting.

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provision

Staff record information when children have accidents and share this with parents. There are regular fire evacuation drills and staff complete appropriate risk assessments to assess the suitability and safety of the premises. There are also thorough procedures to cater for children with allergies and food preferences.

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provision

The manager has a good overview of children's learning and development and monitors the provision and staff exceptionally well. Systems for ongoing self-evaluation are highly effective and help to identify a clear plan for future improvements. .

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provision

There are positive links with the community. Staff carry out joint visits to school with children who are moving on, to be a 'familiar face' in the new setting. Children go on local visits for example to the local shops in order to broaden their experiences. Relationships with parents are also strong. Parents speak very highly of the pre-school and say they are confident and trust that the staff look after their children well. Parents are involved with their children's learning and feel they are kept well informed with newsletters and regular discussions with the key person. They value the regular emails which help keep them informed. When children start at the pre-school, parents are given thorough information about the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents comment that their children learn a lot at pre-school. For example, they say their children become more confident, learn to count and 'learn to speak better.' Parents know who their child's key person is and comment that

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provision

all the staff are 'easy to talk to.' Parents are also happy that when their children first start at the pre-school there are solid settling-in arrangements that meet their children's needs fully. Parents say the staff are 'fabulous.'

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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 141825 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 987791 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 53 Name of provider Two Mile Ash Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 10/05/2012 Telephone number 01908 562455

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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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