The Ark Preschool

Abbots Road United Reformed Church Abbots Road South, HUMBERSTONE, Leicester, LE5 1DA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/09/2014 28/04/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are kept safe because the manager and staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding issues and understand what to do in the event of a child protection concern.  The childcare staff are aware of the learning and development requirements. They are able to plan for the children's individual needs and complete observational assessments in partnership with parents.  Children have developed warm relationships with all the staff, who effectively support their personal, social and emotional development. Consequently, children feel safe and secure in their care.  Young children are developing good communication and language skills because the staff provide a good level of interaction. They talk to children about what is happening, introduce new words and show an interest in what they say.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The programme of professional development is not yet sharply focused and targeted to ensure that all members of staff are consistently improving their already good skills and knowledge.

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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 discussed with the provider how they deliver the educational programmes for children.  The inspector observed activities in the children's learning environment.  The inspector had a tour of the premises during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager and childcare staff at appropriate times throughout the observations and spent time talking to children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of stability and qualifications of staff working with the children on the premises over the age of 16 years.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed self-evaluation as a way of identifying improvement for future development of practice.

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Information about the setting

Abbots Road United Reformed Church was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register. It operates from Abbots Road United Reformed Church, Leicester. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 3. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 12noon, 12.30pm until 3.30pm or 9am until 3.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 16 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:

 develop the programme of professional development further, including all staff, by ensuring it is astute and targeted to their individual needs, to enhance their already good practice with children.

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who attend

The pre-school manager and staff have good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. At the onset of care, parents are asked to complete information regarding their child's developmental levels, which provides staff with information about children's starting points and interests. This information is detailed and identifies priorities and is routinely used to inform the planning of challenging experiences in all seven areas of children's learning and development. This means children's next steps in learning are planned for and children make good progress. Staff have developed an observation system, which incorporates text and photographs of children in their play to illustrate the activities they participate in. Staff complete documentation to monitor and assess prime and specific areas of learning. This system provides an effective assessment process to ensure all children are monitored and their progress tracked. Staff continue to summarise

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who attend

children's progress throughout their time at the pre-school. This ensures that they are able to seek specialist support if needed, in order to help children to make good progress in their learning and development.

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who attend

Staff present themselves as good role models for children and have high expectations of them. Quality teaching provides children with a good foundation to support their learning. For example, staff recognise that children like to play imaginatively and be creative, so they ensure they can independently access a range of dressing-up clothes and props to support their ideas. Staff then extend children's learning by asking appropriately challenging questions, which encourages them to think and respond, and allow them the opportunity to act out their own stories. This sustained level of teaching means that children are making good progress across all seven areas of development. The way that adults interact with children and the use of questioning are both good. This enhances children's opportunities to develop secure relationships, which has a positive impact on their emotional well-being and their language acquisition. The pre-school staff

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who attend

demonstrate inclusive practice, giving equal time and attention to all children in their care. They take account of the equipment being provided and incorporate the seven areas of learning into children's daily routines. Staff caring for younger aged children focus primarily on the three prime areas; personal, social and emotional development, communication and language and physical development. Children observed are working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age.

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who attend

Children play happily with trains, tracks and concentrate well. There is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities. The staff demonstrate that they know children well. They are able to talk confidently about children's starting points in learning and the progress they have made while attending the pre-school. Staff have a good understanding of their responsibility to carry out the required progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, in partnership with any other professionals. Staff keep parents up to date with children's ongoing development and discusses their interests and progress on a daily basis. Parents are also encouraged to contribute towards their children's learning journal.

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

Children and their families are warmly welcomed into this friendly pre-school. Children are happy and demonstrate that they feel secure in the staff's care. For example, children seek reassurance from a member of staff when they feel a little unsure of new visitors, which support their emotional well-being. New children settle appropriately due to members of staff taking the time to find out about each child's background. New children and their parents are invited into the pre-school to visit and spend some time with staff, other children and familiarise themselves with the surroundings and daily activities. By working closely with parents, this helps to ensure continuous and consistent care for children and aids transitions from home. Children's emotional development is effectively promoted as they develop secure, trusting relationships with each other and their key person. As a result, children are happy and feel safe in the pre-school. This promotes

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

children's feelings and their sense of being special and valued.

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

The pre-school staff support children in developing an understanding of the importance of physical exercise and being healthy. This is achieved by taking children regularly to play in the large hall, providing activities in the outside space and walks around the local area. Children behave well and are encouraged to have good manners, demonstrating an understanding of the set boundaries and expectations within the pre-school. Children respond positively to guidance from staff as they value children's efforts and praise their good behaviour when helping to clean the tables ready for lunchtime. Children are encouraged to say 'please' and 'thank you' and are acknowledged for doing so. Staff identify the importance of positive reinforcement as a strategy for managing children's behaviour, in order to boost children's self-esteem.

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

The staff take into account children's dietary needs and parental preferences when planning and preparing snacks. They provide and encourage children to try different fruits and vegetables, and promote healthy eating within their pre-school. Children's medical needs are known to staff. Two members of staff hold a current paediatric first-aid certificate and are confident to deal with minor accidents or illnesses. The manager is fully aware of the requirements for administering medicines and maintains a log signed by parents.

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provision

The pre-school staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and are confident in their ability to keep children safe and protect them from potential harm. They have good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding issues and ensure they keep updated on any new documentation. They are confident when identifying the possible signs of abuse and have a clear understanding of what to do if any concerns about a child's welfare may arise. This includes the procedure to follow should an allegation be made against a member of staff. A range of written policies and procedures underpin staffs practice, all of which are available and shared with parents to promote children's safety and protection. In addition, detailed risk assessments help to ensure the environments used for childcare are safe and secure.

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provision

The manager has a good overview of the educational programmes. She regularly conducts staff supervision with all members of staff. However, staff's training plans are not yet tailored to their individual needs and interests, or focused sharply enough to ensure that they continue to improve their already good practice with children. Activities planned for children provide a good balance of those led by adults and those initiated by children, and assessments are routinely linked to the planning of activities. This has a positive impact on children's ongoing development because the planning of activities is always sharply focused on children's precise learning needs. Staff take into account any comments from children and parents, and uses these when reviewing their teaching practice.

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provision

The manager demonstrates a good commitment to continuous improvement. For example, she updates the pre-school's self-evaluation form on a regular basis and seeks support from other professionals, such as local authority early years workers, and subsequent monitoring visit by Ofsted, demonstrating a willingness to continue to improve the pre- school and the staff's practice. The manager has made extensive changes to ensure progress in meeting the actions raised at the last inspection. For example, she has developed a new system for safer recruitment of childcare staff, further enhancing child protection within the setting. The childcare staff have several years' experience of caring for children and have attended a variety of training courses. However, development plans are not yet tailored to include staff's individual learning needs and interests, to ensure that they continue to improve their now good practice.

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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 EY470923 Local authority Leicester City Inspection number 975210 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 8 Number of children on roll 16 Name of provider Alison Mary Hadley Date of previous inspection 28/04/2014 Telephone number 07548698637

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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