Pumpkins Pre-School NurseryOfsted inspection, 30 Sept 2014

Pumpkins Pre-School Tormarton Village Hall, High Street, Tormarton, Badminton, Avon, GL9 1HU

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/09/2014 30/09/2008

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 Staff provide a caring, nurturing environment that builds children's confidence to have the desire and willingness to learn. Parents speak highly of the care provided.  Staff use children's interests, skills and abilities to carefully plan activities across all areas of learning to promote children's progress.  Staff use effective systems to monitor children's development so that they can identify next steps in learning and any additional support that may be required.  Staff promote a healthy lifestyle to children, through daily outdoor play, physical exercise and forest school experiences .

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally, staff miss teaching opportunities to promote children's mathematical learning and development fully during play and activities.  Staff do not use the main hall to its full potential to provide rich and varied accessible resources to support children's spontaneous play in all areas of learning.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and staff interactions with children in two playrooms, outside and at the forest school.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with the children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's learning and development records, risk assessments, and policies and procedures.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the owner, manager, staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection.

p.2

Information about the setting

Pumpkins Pre-School registered in 2008. The pre-school is one of three settings owned by Pumpkins Nursery Limited. It is situated in the rural village of Tormarton in South Gloucestershire. The pre-school operates from the village hall and has sole use of all facilities during hours of operation. The premises has disabled access. Play areas comprise of a bright playroom, large hall and outdoor area. Children also use the village play park within the hall grounds. Kitchen, toilet facilities and a parents' room are also available. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school offers care for children aged between one and eight years. There are currently 42 children on roll. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or

p.3

Information about the setting

disabilities.. The manager heads a team of 12 staff all of whom hold relevant early years qualifications at level 3. Three part-time staff hold Early Years Professional Status at level 6.

p.3

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

 enhance systems for monitoring teaching, in order that all staff consistently extend children's mathematical skills, language and concepts

p.3

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

 explore ways to enable children to make greater choices in their own learning when in the main hall to support their all-round development.

p.3

who attend

Children settle quickly in this welcoming environment, where a dedicated group of staff support their learning and development effectively. The owner, management team and staff have a good knowledge of child development and the way individual children enjoy learning. Staff seek detailed information on children's needs and abilities when they start at the pre-school and through regular observations plan very effectively for every child's next stage of development. Key persons have regular discussions with parents where they receive good information on children's development so that they can extend their children's learning at home. Management uses effective systems to monitor children's development and summarise children's learning every term so that they can identify any additional support a child may need. Staff plan an exciting range of activities so that children enjoy their learning, are motivated and persevere with new skills. For example,

p.3

who attend

children delighted in arranging sturdy wooden boxes to create their own balancing beams and bridges. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning and development.

p.4

who attend

Overall, the quality of teaching is good and some may be outstanding. Staff intervene skilfully to extend children's learning, carefully using effective questioning techniques to help children think and solve problems during activities. For example, older children were challenged to find hidden treasure from a map marked with a cross during a forest school experience. Staff ensure all children are developing skills at their own pace and give children time to finish their activities before moving on to daily routines. Staff use opportunities, such as snack time, very effectively to promote children's language and communication and social skills. They teach children to listen carefully and respond to what they see and hear. For example, staff encouraged children to use their noses to guess what their food would be. The nursery cook and staff sat with the children and talked with interest about what they have been doing at nursery and at home. They

p.4

who attend

listened intently showing children that they value what they say. This encourages social skills, particularly for those children who are less confident to speak out during group situations.

p.4

who attend

There is a sharp focus on helping babies and children acquire and extend their language and communication skills. Staff use songs and rhymes regularly to promote this. Children enthusiastically join in because staff notice what they are doing and use songs to complement their learning. For example, children played with toy animals and staff sang, 'Old Macdonald's farm'. At meal times, they all sang, 'Please and thank you', and during role play as firefighters they sang a safety song about matches. Children eagerly join in with actions and words; and babies bounce on their bottoms and clap. The nurturing environment builds children's confidence to have the desire and willingness to learn in a safe secure environment. As a result, children demonstrate good concentration and remain at activities until they complete them to their own satisfaction. For example, children pretended to be firefighters putting out a fire with buckets of water until it was,

p.4

who attend

'Completely out' and, 'Safe'. Younger children explore resources using all their senses. They showed surprise and excitement as they caught a toy duck in a fishing net in water and enjoyed squeezing and poking different materials. Staff encourage all children to repeat new skills and persevere with new challenges to consolidate their learning.

p.4

who attend

Staff name items as they point to them so that young children begin to repeat them and build their vocabulary in daily routines and planned activities, such as manipulating plastic insects in a runny mixture. They explore art and craft materials and staff asked them to comment on how materials, paint and mixtures looked and feel. Staff encourage children to count at every opportunity and develop their understanding of numbers. For example, children counted cups and plates and staff asked if there is one for each child. Children then added more to make sure all their friends had one. However, staff occasionally miss some teaching opportunities to extend children's mathematical development and language, such as size, matching, sequencing, sorting, weight and volume. For example, staff did not support older children to think about the volume and capacity of milk when they milked a model cow. During a craft activity children developed an interest in their

p.4

who attend

feet and staff did not extend children's learning by counting toes or comparing size and length of feet. Overall, children progress well and become independent learners who are curious, imaginative and confident, which helps them acquire the skills they need to be ready for school or the next stage in their learning.

p.4

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

The well-established key-person system provides children with a special adult who helps them to settle and feel secure. Staff collect extensive information on children's individual needs and seek support from parents, which has a positive impact on children's well- being. Parents comment on the staff really understanding their child as individual. Staff work very closely with parents when children start at the nursery and adapt settling-in periods to meet the needs of each child. Staff support children's emotional well-being with kind words and children visibly demonstrate their affection for staff with cuddles. Staff support children moving rooms, very sensitively. The new key person gets to know them in their familiar surroundings and then children visit their new room with their current key person. Staff adjust the time this takes according to the child's needs. This means that children soon settle and quickly become familiar and confident in their new surroundings.

p.5

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

Staff manage behaviour very well. Children understand expectations and spontaneously use good manners. Children play together well because staff encourage them to share and think of each other's feelings. Children are extremely proud when they receive a sticker or praise from staff, as a result, they want to be a special helper. Staff show respect for each other and the children, which encourages the children to behave well and show consideration for others in the nursery. Staff teach older children to learn to manage their own behaviour, using sand timers for thinking time, sharing equipment and taking turns. Generally, staff plan the environments well, so that children can access resources and make some independent choices. For example, older children select pens and chalks, practise forming letters and reading their name. Younger children explore instruments, experimenting with the sounds of wooden and plastic toys. However, in the main hall staff

p.5

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

provide fewer opportunities for children to access a wide variety of rich resources that promote learning and challenge.

p.5

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

Staff support children in promoting healthy lifestyles by talking regularly about healthy diets, regular exercise and being part of an eco-school project. Children develop good healthy practices. They all gain a good understanding of the importance of recycling. They enjoy being outside and having regular exercise as they use their outdoor area and forest school all year round. Meal times are a social occasion with staff sitting with the children, providing very good role models by encouraging good manners and healthy eating. They help children access fresh water, both inside and outdoors, by having their name and picture on their drinking bottle or beaker. Staff follow hygienic nappy changing procedures to protect young children's health. Staff encourage older children to assess risks for themselves, particularly on the walk to the forest and while playing in that environment. For example, children learn to stand still when a car is approaching and learn not to, 'Lick

p.5

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

or pick' anything outside. Staff provide good resources, such as in their role play, so they can act out and practise their understanding of keeping safe. Staff encourage children to tell them about safety rules at the nursery. For example, children know that they need to sweep up rice and sand on the floor because other children might slip.

p.5

provision

The management team has a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have robust procedures in place to recruit staff and safeguard children. The management team attends advanced child protection training and all staff have regular safeguarding training. Consequently, they have a secure knowledge of protecting children's welfare. There are good induction programmes for staff so that they have a secure awareness of their roles and responsibilities. Both staff and management carry out detailed risk assessments regularly to ensure the environment is safe for children. Staff's continual supervision of the babies and children, even when sleeping, adds to their safety.

p.6

provision

The owner, management and staff are dedicated in their goal to provide high-quality childcare and work well as a team. Management uses good systems to evaluate practice and set actions for development. They use regular audits of the learning environment, questionnaires and the parents' forum, which actively seek parents' opinions. Through staff and peer supervision, and appraisals the management identifies effective training that will increase staff knowledge and improve further the outcomes for children. These include a focus on developing early mathematics, building on the 'Every child a talker' early language national programme and forest school skills. All of which demonstrates a strong capacity for continuous improvement.

p.6

provision

The partnership with parents is very strong. Parents are warmly welcomed into the nursery by the dedicated manager and are actively encouraged to be involved in their child's learning. Parents comment positively on the extensive information they receive on the provision and their child's development. Staff give them daily feedback and the regular parents' discussions provide opportunities to look at records and have discussions in more detail. Staff involve parents in the required progress check for two-year-old children; in addition, they monitor every child each term. This enables the management to have an ongoing ability to identify any concerns about a child's development very quickly. Then, through strong partnerships with staff, parents and other professionals and outside agencies, they ensure children and their families receive additional support. Parents give consent so that staff can have close working relationships with any other provider or

p.6

provision

professional involved in their children's care or development. This promotes children's welfare and helps them to reach their full potential. All parents spoken to at the inspection are highly appreciative of the nurturing environment and expertise that the pre-school shares for the benefit of the children.

p.6

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

p.6

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

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY379929 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 829638

p.9

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Pumpkins Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 30/09/2008 Telephone number 01454 219400

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11