Small Saints Pre-school

Small Saints Pre-School Kids Club and Holiday Play The Chase, High Street, HOLBEACH, Lincolnshire, PE12 7ED

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/09/2014 17/11/2009

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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

 Staff provide children with a well-resourced and stimulating environment both inside and out. As a result, children are active learners who are eager to investigate and follow their own interests.  Staff make good consideration for children as they start pre-school for the first time. They gradually introduce children to routines and activities and consequently, children quickly settle and become confident in their new surroundings.  Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and know how to keep children safe. As a result, children are able to play and learn without fear of harm.  Partnerships with other professionals and providers are well established and as a result, children requiring additional help in their early years are supported in a coordinated way.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are occasions when some staff are less confident at knowing when to skilfully intervene in children's self-chosen activities in order to consistently promote children's learning to a higher level.

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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 activities in the three main rooms and in the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and spoke with children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and manager took part in a joint observation.  The inspector took the views of parents into account.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journey records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

The Small Saints Pre-school Kids Club and Holiday Play was registered in 1985 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a former infant school in Holbeach, Lincolnshire and is managed by committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three rooms within the building and has a self-contained room for the out of school provision. There are enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 22 members of childcare staff. Of these, 19 hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, all year round, except for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. Children attend for a variety of sessions between 8am until 6pm. There are currently 135 children on roll who are in the early years age range. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old

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Information about the setting

children. It supports a number of 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:

 maximise the already good quality of teaching to ensure that all staff clearly understand how to skilfully question children during their self-chosen activities.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of how children learn through play. They provide a stimulating environment both inside and out and as a result, children have plenty of opportunities to extend their learning effectively. Good consideration is made for those settling into pre-school for the first time as staff allow them plenty of time to familiarise themselves with activities and the routines of the day. This enables children to settle well and quickly develop their confidence. Staff observe children carefully as they play and use their assessments to plan challenging experiences for all children according to their interests and skills. Parents are fully involved in children's learning and frequently share information about activities at home. Daily discussions and meetings ensure everyone is fully informed of progress made and children's achievements can be celebrated.

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who attend

Children enjoy exploring different activities in the pre-school and a firm favourite is the water tray. Staff play alongside children as they investigate various toy sea creatures, three-dimensional numbers and other objects floating in the water. They skilfully use questioning to encourage children to find out how to squirt water from the small models. Children persevere and concentrate well as their small fingers fathom out how to achieve their goal. Staff use words such as, 'squash' and 'squeeze' as they demonstrate play and this enhances children's vocabulary well. Those needing extra support in this area benefit from the use of gestures as a way to communicate or emphasise meaning. As a result, all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, are soon confident communicators at the pre-school.

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who attend

Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to practise early writing and make marks, sometimes for the first time. Whiteboards, sand trays and even damp mud are used to enhance children's developing hand-to-eye coordination as they use their fingers to make patterns or pretend to write their names. These playful opportunities all help children develop the skills needed for their future learning, including school. The environment has plenty of examples of meaningful text and staff provide a wide range of books to promote children's literacy skills further. Children especially enjoy opportunities to freely choose their own activities and follow their own interests in the outside area. Staff are well deployed during these times and provide plenty of cars and bikes for children to ride and demonstrate their good physical abilities. Staff interactions are supportive and help children who are new to the pre-school to join in with a wide range of activities and

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who attend

become accustomed to the large area. Children respond well to staff members who join in with their self-chosen activities and they model language well to promote children's understanding. There are a few occasions, however, when some staff miss the chance to skilfully intervene in children's play and promote their learning to a higher level.

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

Staff value strong partnerships with parents and this is especially evident at the beginning of the term when children are starting pre-school for the first time. Staff spend time getting to know families and as a result, they are well informed of children's care needs and preferences. Children quickly form warm and trusting attachments to key staff and because of this, they settle quickly and show their confidence and security in their surroundings. Staff encourage children to be as independent as possible according to their stage of development. As a result, they know when they should wash their hands and are able to manage their own foods at mealtimes. Children's good health is encouraged by staff as they promote nutritious snacks in the pre-school and where necessary, support parents to follow their good example. Children benefit from the large outside spaces where they can take part in a wide range of physical activities in the fresh air. These good

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

routines help children to develop an understanding of how to stay healthy and make positive choices in their lives.

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

The pre-school is well resourced both inside and out. As a result, children are able to make positive progress across all seven areas of learning. The environment is bright and attractively decorated with examples of children's artwork. This boosts children's self- esteem and supports their feeling of belonging to the group. Children starting at the pre- school do so gradually and make several visits with their parents. These good opportunities enable children to be emotionally well prepared for changes in their lives and help them to widen their experiences effectively. Behaviour is generally good at pre-school because children are motivated and busy. In moments of stress, staff offer consistent messages and support to both distract and defuse situations. This supports children well and consequently, children are learning what is and what is not appropriate behaviour. Staff have a high regard for children's safety, and are vigilant as children play and learn.

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

Staff also encourage children to take some small risks as they play and in this way, children are beginning to understand how to keep themselves and their friends safe. For example, children carefully steer their bikes around the playground and avoid crashing into friends and adults alike.

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provision

The manager has a good understanding of her responsibilities to ensure that practice meets the safeguarding and welfare and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Safeguarding is good because staff know how to identify and report concerns they may have about children in their care. Policies and procedures support their work well and all staff know how to implement them in practice. Recruitment procedures are effective in ensuring that the most suitable staff are employed at the pre- school and this includes background checks, induction and trial periods of employment. Supervision and professional management systems are effective and mean that all staff are well supported to continually improve their performance. Staff are also encouraged to enhance their skills and knowledge by attending training, reading articles from childcare journals and using the internet to research examples of good practice. As a result, children

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provision

benefit from staff who have an up-to-date knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

Self-evaluation is embedded in practice and the views of staff, children and parents are frequently sought. Targets for improvement are well planned and are focused on improving children's progress over time. Monitoring of educational programmes is effective and ensures that children benefit from a wide range of experiences to help them progress towards the early learning goals. Staff also have good systems in place to track children's individual progress. Consequently, children's support needs are quickly identified and they receive appropriate interventions to meet their individual needs.

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provision

Partnerships with outside agencies, other providers and local schools are well established and consequently, there is a coordinated approach to children's care, well-being and development. Partnerships with parents are equally strong. Parents eagerly share their positive feedback about the pre-school and on how well children settle in their first few days of starting at the setting. Parents are pleased that children, who speak English as an additional language, are supported effectively and quickly begin to learn new words and establish friendships. Particular praise for the pre-school is shared with regard to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents are especially grateful of the progress their children have made and the strong links with other professionals.

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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 253758 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 866788

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 78 Number of children on roll 135 Name of provider Small Saints Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 17/11/2009 Telephone number 01406 422358

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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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