Wollaton Park Preschool

Wollaton Park Pre-School Playgroup Kingswood Church Hall, Lambourne Drive, Nottingham, NG8 1GR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/10/2014 15/02/2011

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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

 Teaching is good overall, with some elements being excellent. Accurate observations and assessments of children's progress are used to plan activities. This means that children make good progress given their starting points and capabilities.  Children form secure emotional attachments with their key person because staff work closely with all parents. They gather clear information about each child. This results in children feeling settled and confident in their surroundings.  Everyone is committed to safeguarding children. Staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities and the procedure to follow should they have any concerns.  Leadership and management is strong. There is clear motivation to continually develop the pre-school in order to improve opportunities for children's learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Information is not always shared effectively with other early years provisions that children attend. Consequently, there is not always a shared understanding and common approach to supporting children's progress.  The needs of younger children are less well catered for, particularly during small group activities. This affects their ability to concentrate and join in, lessening their otherwise good progress.

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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 activities inside and outdoors.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with a pre-school supervisor.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager of the pre-school, the staff and the children.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and discussed the pre-school's self-evaluation and improvement plan.  The inspector took account of the views of parent's spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The Wollaton Park Pre-school Playgroup was registered in 1969 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in Wollaton, Nottingham and is managed by a committee. The pre- school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a large hall in Kingswood Methodist Church and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications, including one member of staff with a teaching qualification. The pre-school opens Monday and Thursday 9am to 3pm, Tuesday and Friday 9am to 12 noon and Wednesday 9am to 12.45pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 50 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special

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

 improve communication with other providers of early years education that children attend in order to ensure they receive consistency in their care and learning

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

 revise the organisation of routine activities to ensure younger children's learning needs are consistently accommodated, with particular regard to small group time.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good and, on occasions, outstanding. This is because staff have a broad knowledge and understanding of the areas of learning and how children learn. This is enhanced because the staff team have a good understanding of how to engage children and capture their interest. They understand that children learn through their play and they make the most of opportunities that arise during the session to extend this. Staff gain a lot of information from parents when their children first begin at the pre-school. They use this effectively to support them in formulating a baseline, starting-point assessment. Staff make regular and precise assessments and use these successfully to plan challenging and stimulating experiences for all children. In addition, staff identify next steps for individual children and these are used to inform the future planning. The play experiences are closely linked to children's individual interests and learning requirements.

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who attend

This means that children remain interested and motivated to learn. Staff regularly track and monitor individual children's progress across the seven areas of learning. This means that any gaps are identified promptly and targeted effectively through good teaching and relevant activities. The progress check for children aged between two and three years is completed successfully and highlights children's growing personalities and areas for development.

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who attend

Children show deep involvement as they engage in cooking activities. For instance, they thoroughly enjoy making pizza. Staff talk through the process and ask children open- ended questions to encourage their thinking and creativity, such as 'What do you think it could be?' Children engage in lots of different physical play experiences. They successfully develop skills, such as moving with control, as they skilfully manoeuvre and negotiate space on the scooter. In addition, children are enthusiastic to climb on and crawl through an indoor barrel. Staff use good teaching techniques to promote and extend children's learning in readiness for school. For example, they encourage children to use their early literacy skills to read the next instruction when making pizzas. Children correctly read, 'spread the tomato sauce'. Children have opportunities to learn about technology using a computer to interact on with age-appropriate games. Children have opportunities to take

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who attend

part in a variety of expressive arts and crafts. For instance, they become engrossed in using a selection of media and they make 'junk models'.

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who attend

Most of the time, younger children's learning needs are accommodated well. However, at group time, they are less well engaged as the activity is pitched at an older child's level. This means that they wander around and do not fully engage in the otherwise quality small group activities. This lessens the effectiveness of their development and progress at this particular time. Staff otherwise engage well with children, listening to and observing them to know when to offer support or allow children to direct their own play. Consequently, children still make good progress in their learning and are well-prepared for the next stage and in preparation for school. Children who speak English as an additional language are fully integrated into the pre-school. Staff work with these children and their families to develop their English language skills, which help them progress well to achieve their full potential. Staff further support these children by learning words in their home

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who attend

language and using these to encourage their personal, social and emotional development. There are regular opportunities for parents to share information and plan for children's learning in the pre-school and at home. For example, displays in the foyer tell parents what their children have been doing and suggestions are given about how they can extend this learning at home. Parents' comments are valued and are included in their children's assessments. Consequently, partnerships with parents are good.

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

Children are settled, happy and clearly secure in the child-focussed environment the pre- school offers. Children develop warm, affectionate relationships with staff who interact positively with them. Children show they feel emotionally secure in the care of their key person by seeking them out for reassurance. Settling-in sessions are flexible to suit the individual needs of children and their families. Children are encouraged to take a taster session with their parents to get used to the pre-school. Staff gather a good range of useful information from parents about their children during the settling-in period. This enables them to get to known children and their families at the start of the placement. As a result, children make a smooth move between home and the pre-school. The staff are good role models and use positive techniques for managing children's behaviour. This has a positive impact on children, as they display good behaviour at all

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

times and are kind and caring towards one another. Children enjoy both indoor and outdoor play to effectively develop their physical abilities and promote their good health. Children have plenty of opportunities for fresh air through outdoor play. They use the enclosed outside areas for a range of activities, such as, sand and water play and going on ride-on toys. Children help to prepare fruit for snack, using a knife carefully to chop a banana, peach and apple. These activities help develop children's independence. They are provided with healthy options at snack time, which encourages them to make healthy lifestyle choices.

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

Children's awareness of safety is promoted as staff help them to learn to abide by the clear rules and boundaries of the pre-school. For example, children learn to walk when playing indoors. The pre-school is equipped with a very large range of age-appropriate toys, games and resources, which children freely access. This generally promotes their learning and independence well. Walks within the environment enable children to experience the local community. The pre-school has developed a very good relationship with local schools, which ensures that children feel secure and confident during the move to school. Teachers are invited to visit the pre-school to meet children. This supports continuity of learning when children move on to a new phase in their learning and development.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children within the pre-school are good. Staff have knowledge of child protection procedures and what to do if they are concerned about a child in their care. There are clear procedures if there is an allegation against a member of staff. Any concerns are dealt with promptly and effectively. The manager understands when to inform the relevant authorities and Ofsted. This fully supports children's safety in the pre-school. Risk assessments are maintained to ensure that all areas children access, both indoors and outdoors, are safe and suitable. This supports children's well-being. Policies and procedures and other documentation helps staff to successfully promote children's welfare. Clear recruitment, vetting and induction procedures are in place, ensuring children are cared for by a qualified and suitable staff team.

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provision

The manager supports staff in their professional development by carrying out supervision sessions. Training is arranged as required or as staff request it. This helps to make sure up-to-date practices in childcare and education are in place. The educational programme is monitored effectively by the manager and staff. This includes regular tracking of groups of children to ensure appropriate intervention is put in place if required. The management team has a positive drive for further improvements and is committed to maintaining their already good levels of practice. All staff are included in the self-evaluation process of the provision and parents are asked for their opinions through questionnaires. The pre-school has developed an action plan, which highlights areas for further development. For instance, teaching two-year-olds is currently being given high priority along with developing the mathematics programme. This demonstrates the pre-schools commitment

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provision

The staff team understand the importance of partnership working with external agencies, in order to secure appropriate interventions so children receive the support they need. However, there is capacity to enhance relationships further with other early years providers that share the care of children. For example, staff currently share some information about children but this is not in-depth information about what children are learning at each setting. Further detail, such as what stage of development they are at and what next steps have been set would help them to support children's learning and development even further. Parents state they are happy with the standard of care and learning their children receive. They confirm children are making good progress and the staff are friendly and approachable. This pre-school has been operating for more than 40 years and many families state they have returned with their children's siblings. As such,

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provision

there is a warm and genuine family atmosphere.

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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 254678 Local authority Nottingham City Inspection number 871551

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 50 Name of provider Wollaton Park Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 15/02/2011 Telephone number 07960 547 131

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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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