Puffin Pre-School

Puffin Under Fives 25 Narvik Road, PORTSMOUTH, PO2 9PN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/10/2014 26/11/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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 motivated by the imaginative and stimulating ways activities are presented throughout the pre-school. They are totally engaged in their learning and make good progress taking into account their starting points and capabilities.  The pre-school is well led and managed. Staff identify children's individual learning needs accurately and take effective steps to ensure children receive the help and support they need.  Children's progress is supported well through good quality teaching, use of good questioning techniques and allowing children time to think their ideas through.  Staff work well in partnership with parents. They keep them well informed about their children's progress and well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not use all opportunities to promote children's early literacy skills in the outdoor environment.  Children's independence is not fully supported at snack time.

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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 had a tour of the pre-school with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager and providers, and with key persons and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector made observations indoors and outside, and invited the manager to carry out a joint observation.  The inspector took into account the views of parents on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, risk assessments, staff training, records of children and evidence of the suitability of staff.

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Information about the setting

Puffin Under Fives re-registered in new premises in 2009. The provision is owned and managed by the Naval Under Fives Organisation and operates from a ground floor flat in the Hilsea area of Portsmouth. The pre-school has shared use of an outdoor play area and sole use of an enclosed garden area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 13 children on roll. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. It is the group's policy to accept children once they reach two years old. The provision has arrangements in place to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and for children who have English as an additional language. Children can attend for a variety of sessions or stay all day. The provision is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9.15am to 2.45pm and Thursday 9.15am to 12.15pm. Children

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Information about the setting

who stay all day bring their own packed lunches. All sessions operate during term time only. There are currently four staff who work in the setting, three of whom hold a relevant early years qualification. The pre-school receives support from management and other early years professionals.

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

 extend learning opportunities for literacy within the outdoor environment to fully support children's developing awareness that print and symbols carry meaning

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

 increase children's independence and self-help skills at snack time.

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who attend

Children settle quickly on arrival, are warmly welcomed by staff, and are familiar with the daily routines. Dedicated staff plan an exciting, playful environment for children's learning. They have a good knowledge of how children learn and their role in encouraging this. Staff gather information from parents and complete observations when children begin at the pre-school. They use this to identify children's interests and capabilities so they can plan suitable and challenging activities that meet children's individual needs. Good observations, assessments and planning enable all children to make continued progress in their learning and development. Key persons work closely with parents to review children's progress. This allows staff to identify any areas where children would benefit from additional support and to plan for these. Staff challenge children effectively to play and explore, and are highly skilled in extending

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who attend

children's play. For example, staff followed children's interest in exploring natural resources such as fir cones, encouraging an understanding of pattern, size and number. This shows the staff team's ability to seize spontaneous learning opportunities, and how mathematical development permeates across the different areas of learning. As a result, children learn to use numbers confidently in their play and during the daily routines, as well as using mathematical language. Staff provide experiences that children thoroughly enjoy. This means children concentrate on each activity for a very long time, having chosen what they want to do for themselves from the wealth of activities and toys offered. All children have access to mark-making tools, such as chalks, pencils and crayons. Children independently select different resources to make marks on paper, supporting early writing skills. They can choose from a variety of adhesives and select and use a very

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who attend

good range of materials to express their creativity. As a result, children make good progress.

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who attend

Staff promote children's communication and language skills effectively. They provide lots of group discussion time in which they support children in learning to listen well to others talking. Staff use questions effectively and introduce new vocabulary, particularly to children who are learning English as an additional language. They help children to build their language and communication skills with regular teaching about phonics, or letter sounds, in small groups. Children are skilled at identifying the sounds, and can identify significant letters. Staff successfully promoted children's enjoyment of books, pausing and providing opportunities for them to recite words. As a result, children joined in group story times with enthusiasm. This helped children to understand the story in depth and to get fully involved in the story telling.

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who attend

Children are developing well physically. They have daily access to an outdoor open space where they jump, run and use ride-on toys as they develop their physical skills. Although many resources are available for the outdoor area, staff do not maximise all opportunities outdoors to stimulate and promote children's literacy skills. For example, there is a lack of environmental print across the play areas. This does not fully support those children who particularly like to learn outside. Nevertheless, the pre-school provides a stimulating and welcoming outdoor environment. Staff seize opportunities to extend children's learning through children's interests. Children were engrossed in a racing car game displaying a good sense of spatial awareness as they deftly steered around obstacles and other children. Staff encouraged children to use their imaginations, such as counting out imaginary tickets to their friends. As a result, children took ownership of their learning,

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who attend

developing counting skills and an understanding of number, as they actively had fun and engaged in play.

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

Staff work hard to ensure all children feel welcome and settle quickly into the pre-school. Consequently, children quickly develop trusting relationships with staff and one another. Excellent communication between parents and key persons means that children's individual needs are well known to all staff, and they are valued and respected at all times. Parents are confident to share any concerns with staff, who deal with any issues efficiently and sensitively. Parents comment on how much their children have grown in confidence and independence while at the setting, and on the excellent relationship they have with their key person and all staff.

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

Behaviour is excellent, with staff having clear and consistent expectations about children's behaviour. They remind children sensitively of the simple rules that are in place. This means that children learn extremely good skills that help them play well together and build highly positive relationships. Staff deployment is effective to ensure child supervision is supportive, to promote children's welfare. Successful risk assessments enable staff to monitor the suitability of the environment. Children are learning how to keep themselves safe as staff prompt them to consider the dangers around them, such as by reminding them to be careful when using scissors. Staff carry out regular fire drills with children, which helps children understand what to expect in an emergency situation.

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

Staff encourage children to develop a healthy lifestyle. Children have good opportunities to enjoy fresh air and exercise during the day when they play in the garden. They learn about healthy eating and good hygiene and enjoy nutritious snacks. Staff always take account children's dietary needs and preferences, and they have a clear knowledge of all the children's allergies. However, there are a few missed opportunities to develop self-help skills, for example, by encouraging children to make independent choices and select their own snack. Nevertheless, staff sit with the children at snack time to act as good role models as they demonstrate social skills and create a happy and pleasant occasion. Staff chat with children about what they have been doing and what they would like to do later. Water is available at all times throughout the session, so children do not get thirsty.

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

Staff encourage children to learn and develop skills that will support them when they start school. They encourage children to put on the coats and boots by themselves and support children as they learn to use the toilet independently and as they wash their hands. In addition, there are strong links in place with local primary schools. For example, staff invite reception teachers into the pre-school to meet the children, to help them feel more secure about the next stage of their learning.

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provision

Management has a good understanding of its responsibility in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children's welfare and know the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child in their care. All staff complete training in first aid and safeguarding, and a well-organised training plan helps the staff to ensure that these are regularly updated. Staff supervise children well. They make good use of risk assessment to identify and reduce hazards to protect children, so they can play in a safe environment. There are comprehensive recruitment and vetting systems in place to ensure all staff are suitable to work with children. Management checks staff experience, qualifications and overall suitability, as part of this process. The manager monitors the educational programmes well to ensure all children receive

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provision

learning experiences that meet their individual developmental needs. As a result, all children are well cared for and make good progress in their learning and development. There are comprehensive policies in place, which staff understand and implement consistently. Robust supervision identifies and addresses any staff training needs, to support their professional development. This helps to drive improvements in the quality of the provision. Managers are committed to working together to improve the pre-school. Accurate self-evaluation, along with support from the committee and parent feedback, helps to identify strengths effectively and prioritise areas for improvement. The manager meets with her staff team to evaluate the provision, meaning they are all involved and work together to improve practice. Their ideas are realistic regarding strengths and areas for development, which they are working on.

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provision

Staff work effectively with parents so they are fully involved in their children's care and learning. This supports parents to share what they know about their children and to continue the learning at home. This means any gaps in children's learning narrow as quickly as possible. The manager and staff ensure they keep parents well informed about their children's time at the pre-school through newsletters and discussion. Parents report staff 'treat children as individuals' and that they find 'everyone friendly, approachable and professional'.

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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 EY393239 Local authority Portsmouth Inspection number 844705 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 14 Number of children on roll 13 Name of provider Naval Under Fives (Eastern Area) Committee Date of previous inspection 26/11/2009 Telephone number 02392 580 515

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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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