Jiminy Crickets Pre-School

Jiminy Crickets Pre-School Ashford Hill Cricket Club, Chapel Lane, Ashford Hill, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG19 8BE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/10/2014 11/11/2009

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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 1 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 as staff reliably identify and extend their abilities across all areas of learning and development. Staff secure timely interventions to support children whose achievements are not at a typical level for their age.  Staff prepare children exceptionally well to gain the confidence to prepare for new ventures and new schools.  Staff create a high quality setting which is welcoming, safe, and stimulating, and where children are able to enjoy learning.  Partnership working with parents, the community, and other professionals is strong, supporting all children's learning, development and well-being.  The experienced and highly qualified manager provides strong leadership, effective supervision, and sets high standards across the pre-school.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 While the quality of teaching is a strength overall within the pre-school, on occasion, some staff are slightly less confident than their colleagues in inspiring children during activities.

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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 a wide range of activities across all areas of the pre-school and talked with staff and children about what they were doing.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documents and procedures relating to safeguarding, staffing, supervision, risk assessment, equal opportunities, and health and safety, and checked a selection of other policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of children's records, the pre-school's systems for planning, evaluation and exchanging information with parents and external professionals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and reviewed written communication from parents.  The inspector met with the manager to observe and discuss staff practice.

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Information about the setting

Jiminy Cricket Pre-School registered in 1990. It operates from Ashford Hill Cricket Club, Thatcham in Berkshire. The pre-school is run by a parents committee and is registered on the Early Years Register. The pre-school uses the hallway and the club room, with doors onto an enclosed outdoor play area. The facilities also include a kitchen, toilets and storage space. The pre-school also has access to the outside play areas surrounding the cricket pitch. The pre-school is open each week day during school term times from 9am to 12noon. Children may bring a packed meal and stay for lunch on Mondays to Thursdays from 12noon to 1pm. The pre-school is also open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between 1pm and 3pm. Children attend for full days or a variety of sessions. There are currently 25 children on roll. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three, and four. It supports children with special

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Information about the setting

educational needs and/or disabilities. There are six members of staff, all of whom hold recognised early years qualifications. The manager holds qualified teacher status.

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

 Enhance the support for staff to refine their teaching skills so that they are all confident to consistently enthuse and inspire children during activities.

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who attend

Children make good progress across all areas of learning and development due to the care and skill of thoughtful and capable staff. There is a happy atmosphere in this well organised, community centred, village pre-school. Staff provide a broad range of activities to promote children's learning both indoors and outside. There are times throughout the day when children move freely between the two areas. They gather together for stories and meal times, outings and physical activity in the surrounding countryside. Staff arrange the pre-school environment to help children explore and investigate toys and resources that capture their interests. For example, easy access to clipboards, sticky note pads, and pens enabled children to 'write' prescriptions as they played doctors. Children are able to freely choose chalks, paints, brushes, markers and paper for writing, drawing or arts and crafts. Staff label items in storage systems clearly with pictures and written text. They also

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who attend

position furniture in the same place each day. These practices help all children grow in confidence and independence as they move safely around the pre-school, finding and combining the resources they want to use.

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who attend

The manager is a qualified and experienced teacher who chooses and trains her team well. All staff have a clear understanding of what good quality teaching looks like and how to implement it. Some are slightly less confident in their skills to fully inspire children during all activities. However, overall the quality of teaching is consistently good and is, at times, excellent. Staff know how children learn and what excites their interests. The largely new team of staff already work effectively together to nurture and engage children. Good systems for planning activities include specific ideas to help individual children achieve their next steps in learning. Reflective teaching, assessment, and routine monitoring of children's progress also ensure children continue to achieve across all areas of development. Planning is flexible, enabling staff to build on children's enthusiasm and self-motivation. For example, when children discovered conkers on their nature walk, staff

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who attend

set up areas to weigh, measure, estimate, and count a mass of beautiful shiny conkers. Children notice small details and subtle changes in their environment as they comment on seasonal changes in the hedgerows. Staff help them to make connections between wildlife and habitats. For example, when children found a large frog, staff extended their interests with more illustrations of frogspawn and tadpoles. As a result, children's interest and understanding of the world around them flourishes.

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who attend

Staff make frequent observations of children's achievements. They record these, along with photographs, in children's learning journals. These enable staff and parents to track children's progress over time to ensure they quickly identify any delays or gaps in learning. As a result, staff and parents work together to address any issues or seek additional guidance where it may help. The manager monitors educational standards across the pre- school and checks that staff expectations are high enough. Parents say how much they appreciate swapping updates with staff on a daily basis. Progress checks for two-year-old children, written reports each term and parents' evenings are also times they focus on children's individual strengths and concerns together. Children enjoy the special attention they receive when parents send in notes with 'wow moments' celebrating their achievements at home. This builds on children's confidence and links their learning across

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

Experienced and sensitive staff quickly identify how to tailor care to meet children's individual needs. Initial meetings with parents establish children's likes and dislikes, needs and learning styles. Staff skilfully keep all these small details in mind as they shape activities to nurture each child, build their confidence in new situations, and feel good about new adventures. Children thrive in the security staff provide both in the pre-school and as they explore their community. For example, staff show children how to greet people on the library bus, choose books they find fascinating, and care for these treasured possessions. As staff take children out to investigate different parts of the village children learn about their local community. Children know they can pick and eat blackberries, but not other berries. When out walking locally, they are able to explain that one path leads to the horses and another to the school. Children form secure emotional attachments with

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

the staff and are confident to join in a wide range of new and interesting activities.

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

Staff encourage children's growing independence in managing their own personal needs. Children become skilled at fastening coats and shoes, pouring drinks and wiping up spills. Staff make these small achievements easier for children to practise as hand towels and soap dispensers, water jugs and coat pegs are all at children's height. Staff understand children's needs exceptionally well, and know how to reduce frustrations by giving them more control over managing their play. They provide enough resources, such as tricycles and building bricks, for everyone interested to have a go. Staff also model ways for children to negotiate and cooperate with each other. For example, children use a sand timer to moderate how long they spend on the computers. A group of children playing with a large tray of coloured rice and dried pulses were able to share extremely well. As some children scooped up with diggers, others filled teacups and bowls. Staff are also

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

quick to praise children's achievements and celebrate as they persist through difficulties. This promotes and reinforces positive behaviours, helping children enjoy what they are doing and understand how to behave well together.

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

Staff deployment is highly effective as they are constantly aware of children's movements and interests across the exciting indoor and outdoor play areas. Staff observe as children try new challenges, knowing when to support them as they climb, scoot, and investigate risks appropriate for their stage of development. As a result, children develop confidence as they play safely. They develop physical strength and control as staff help them master new skills. Staff encourage children to enjoy their spacious and diverse outdoor play areas by providing an abundance of waterproof clothing and sunhats. Children choose to spend long periods learning and developing in the fresh air, regardless of the weather.

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

Staff draw children's attention to foods that are healthy for their bodies and introduce new and less familiar varieties. For example, when a child proudly brought in a pineapple, staff passed it around for the children to hold and examine more closely. Staff capitalised on children's enthusiasm, and seized the moment to reward their eagerness to learn. Staff clarified that the spiky bits were leaves. They discussed its weight, how it smelt and anticipated how it tasted. Children are willing to participate in such activities as staff develop positive attitudes and gain children's trust. Care practices across the pre-school are highly effective as staff know and carryout all the policies and procedures in place to keep children safe and healthy. For example, staff teach children to wash their hands with soap and fresh water before sitting down to eat or after using the toilet. Children come to understand that good hygiene routines kill germs and help to keep them healthy.

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

All staff place a high priority on building effective partnerships with parents and do this well. Parents express their confidence in the staff. They observe how well their children settle into the provision. They comments that, just a few days into the new school year, children's actions and comments show they already feel a sense of belonging and ownership. The pre-school is a run by a parent committee and has strong and effective relationships across the local community. Partnerships with colleagues in local health and social services, and with other local pre-schools and primary schools, are also highly effective. This helps staff and parents to secure specialist guidance when needed. It also supports continuity of care and learning. This, along with children's high levels of confidence and emotional security, prepare children well for their move to school.

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provision

All mandatory policies and procedures are in place and staff implement these effectively to support children's health, safety, and well-being. These include a new draft of an updated policy for special educational needs and/or disabilities. This indicates that staff keep up to date with changes in national guidance. The special educational needs coordinator has already attended training to ensure she can oversee prompt, early, and effective practices to meet children's individual needs. All staff have training in safeguarding children, with a further update booked. Comprehensive child protection policies and procedures reinforce staff understanding and support them as they keep children safe from harm. There are rigorous procedures for vetting, recruiting, and inducting new staff. The manager is also swift to support, coach, assess, and guide new staff. These measures help to ensure that the people looking after the children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their roles to

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provision

a high standard. As a result, the daily experiences of children in the pre-school and the overall quality of the provision is good.

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provision

Staff create policies and carry out procedures for responding to children who are ill, infectious, or in need of prescribed medicine. These help prevent the spread of infection and clearly set out the responsibilities of staff and parents in these situations. Staff also keep written records of accidents, injuries, and first-aid treatment, including evidence that parents have been informed. All staff hold recent certificates in paediatric first aid and so are equipped to attend to children's health needs quickly. The pre-school staff meet the requirements of health and safety legislation and have practised evacuation procedures several times already this term. This ensures that all new children and staff are confident and quick in evacuating the building at short notice. Risk assessments throughout the pre- school clearly identify and address areas of potential risk and the procedures required to minimise these through daily checks.

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provision

The manager oversees educational programmes and ensures that her team meet all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has clear processes in place to review and evaluate all aspects of the pre-school, which helps her identify and address areas for improvement. This enables her to continue to raise standards across all areas of the pre-school. A strong parent committee and good relations with the host cricket club have ensure that the premises indoors and outdoors are fit for purpose and safe for children to use. With a new chairperson and committee members, and several new members of staff, the manager is focusing on establishing a new highly competent team. Staff meet practitioners from other local pre-schools as they team up for joint training initiatives and general early years updates. Parents note how these positive working relationships help them and their children when they attend more than one pre-school.

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provision

The manager also works well with other early years teachers at the local primary schools. She knows how to prepare children for school and checks that they settle in to school quickly. Older children were clearly excited to see their former carers as they and their parents collect younger brothers and sisters from the pre-school. The pre-school serves the community extremely well.

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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 507959 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 842268 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Ashford Hill Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 11/11/2009 Telephone number 07709 937773

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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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