Rush Common Preschool

Rush Common Pre-School Appleford Drive, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2AQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/07/2014 08/06/2011

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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

 Systems for monitoring children's progress support staff to develop an accurate understanding of individual children's interests, skills and abilities.  Staff give high regard to developing children's emotional well-being and as a result children settle quickly and demonstrate good social skills.  Staff place a strong emphasis on establishing effective partnerships with parents.  Staff are enthusiastic, motivated and work well as a team.  An effective key-person system and a well-considered settling-in process ensure secure attachment and the emotional well-being of children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 While most activities and experiences that staff plan support children to make good progress, some small group activities do not provide sufficient interest and challenge for all children.  Occasionally, staff do not make the most of opportunities to challenge children to develop their critical-thinking skills further.

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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 undertook a joint observation with the supervisor.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents, children, members of staff and the chair of the committee.  The inspector observed activities and routines in the indoor and outdoor areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including some policies, children's records and action plans.

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Information about the setting

Rush Common Pre-School opened in 1962 and is run by a parent-led committee. It operates from All Saints Methodist Church in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The pre-school has use of a large hall, toilets and kitchen area. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 48 children on roll in the early years age group. Children come from the local and surrounding areas. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday during term time from 8.45am to 11.45am. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, afternoon sessions are held from 11.45pm to 2.45pm. Systems are in place to support children with special educational needs and children who speak English as an additional language. Eight members of staff work with the children. Of these staff, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is

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Information about the setting

unqualified. The pre-school has links with local schools and the children's centre. The pre- school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four.

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

 use open questions regularly and effectively to make the most of all opportunities to develop children's critical thinking skills further.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning because staff are knowledgeable about child development and how young children learn. Staff observe children carefully as they play, then use these observations in their planning. Staff match observations to stages of child development regularly and use tracking sheets to summarise each child's level of development. As a result staff are able to monitor children's progress closely, identify next steps in their learning accurately and plan to meet all children's needs. Staff are particularly skilled at knowing when to join children as they engage in self-initiated play. They seize on opportunities to ask questions and make suggestions to help children to learn new skills and enhance their knowledge. This supports children to learn, however, opportunities are occasionally missed to ask more open questions that will support children to think critically and develop deeper understanding. Large group activities are

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who attend

successful because activities are short and focused and staff ensure that all children are engaged and feel included. Staff use these opportunities to remind children about what they have learned on previous days and what experiences are on offer during the session. Therefore children become inspired and engage immediately in purposeful play. Smaller group activities are, however, occasionally less successful. This is because too many children are involved and planning is too tightly linked to the current centre of interest rather than the known needs and interests of the children involved.

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who attend

Staff have planned the indoor and outdoor learning environment to include zoned areas. This ensures daily coverage of all areas of learning and development. Resources are stored in boxes that are labelled with words and pictures. This helps children to access them independently and make choices about what they would like to do. Children's communication and language skills improve as staff engage in regular conversations with them and provide resources, such as small world toys, to encourage imaginary dialogues. Staff are competent in using signing to support younger children further in their ability to communicate. Children are provided with a wealth of opportunities to learn physical skills. They learn to balance on stilts, negotiate an obstacle course, climb through a tunnel and use pencils, scissors and other tools in the creative area. The development of children's personal and social skills is highly successful because staff are good role models. They

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who attend

provide opportunities for older children to consider how to play together happily. Staff support younger children through teaching a 'Golden Rules' song and then referring to it as opportunities arise. Children engage in mathematical activities indoors and outdoors and during routines. For example, they compare sizes of bottles in the water tray as they fill and empty containers, and count the number of plates during snack time. Staff help children to understand the world as they observe plants growing, see caterpillars turn into butterflies and consider how water moves through water wheels. Staff teach children about books through sharing stories informally. As a result, younger children confidently hold books, turn the pages and point to the words as they pretend to read to their friends. Older children make good progress in their literacy skills and they learn to recognise and write their own names.

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who attend

Parents feel fully involved in their child's learning and development. They are able to share information with their child's key person informally on a daily basis and are able to access their child's learning and development folder regularly. Parents are encouraged to contribute information about children's experiences and achievements at home through writing on 'Wow' stars. Staff use this information for conversations with children during the session before adding the stars to children's record folders. Regular parents' meetings include discussions of ideas for experiences parents can provide at home that will complement activities in the pre-school.

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

An effective key-person system is in place, which results in staff knowing children's interests well and being able to provide for their learning needs. The manager, together with the key person, offers to visit each family before their child starts. This is valued by parents and provides an initial opportunity to share information to ensure children settle in successfully. As a result children's emotional well-being is well supported. They enter the pre-school eagerly and then become engaged in activities quickly. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence as they make independent choices about what they would like to play with. They demonstrate that they feel safe and are confident in approaching members of staff when they need comfort. Staff are skilled in noticing when children need a little further encouragement to challenge themselves and develop their skills. For example, staff help younger children trying to balance on the obstacle course by providing

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

gentle support. This support is gradually withdrawn, without the child realising, until the child learns to balance unaided. Staff recognise and celebrate the achievement by saying. 'That's the first time you have managed that by yourself. Well done.' In this way children's self-esteem and sense of achievement is promoted. Staff provide good role models and have devised effective strategies to teach children about good behaviour and how to keep themselves safe. Children learn to be considerate as they are taught to listen carefully to each other and to use an egg timer to support turn-taking on popular wheeled toys. Staff encourage older children who wish to play with the same toy to consider what they should do to reach a solution together.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about how to safeguard children. They promote children's health and well-being positively. Children learn to eat healthily as they are provided with cheese, crackers and a variety of fruit for snack and their independence is encouraged as they pour their own drinks. Staff are well deployed and are vigilant in ensuring that ratios are adhered to. They are careful to ensure that the identity of visitors is checked and that the main door to the setting is kept bolted. Staff teach children to manage their own personal hygiene as appropriate for their age. For example, older children wash their hands independently and younger children who are learning this skill are encouraged through lively support from staff as they say 'Let's give them a good scrub together!'

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provision

The leadership and management of the pre-school are good. The manager monitors the educational programmes and the quality of staff assessments of children's learning. This ensures that all children make progress towards the early learning goals. The manager and deputy manager gather and collate information about individual children's level of development and use this to identify and address gaps in provision. They have been proactive in planning a meeting with staff from other local settings to discuss and moderate assessment to be consistent when identifying children's level of development.

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provision

Security is a high priority for staff. They are vigilant in supervising the children and a password system has been developed and shared with parents to ensure that only known adults can collect children. Managers and leaders understand their responsibilities with regard to the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff demonstrate good awareness of the safeguarding policy and they know what steps to take in case of concerns. Required documentation is effectively maintained; for example, clear records of accidents are kept and shared with parents. The manager and members of the committee have recently attended safer recruitment training in preparation for planned recruitment. The manager holds regular supervision meetings with each member of staff to focus on improving practice and helping to identify training priorities. The quality of self-evaluation is good and it includes the views of staff, parents and

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provision

children. Staff send out a comprehensive parent questionnaire annually and gather children's comments about the pre-school to inform plans for the future. Management identifies areas for development and these form part of a focused action plan. For example, policies are currently being updated and plans are in place to meet some parents' requests for more electronic communications.

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provision

Parents are provided with a wealth of information in a variety of forms. The website includes information about the pre-school's aims and policies and other more practical information, for example, healthy eating and what to do if your child is ill. There is a noticeboard for parents in the entrance hall, which contains information about the current themes. There is a daily record of the activities that take place and an opportunity for parents to sign up to help during the session. This supports effective sharing of information. Parents are confident to raise concerns and they speak highly about the quality of partnership working with staff. They feel that issues raised are sensitively handled and that they are able to work effectively together with the key person to ensure that their child's needs are best met. Links with the local school are good and staff take children to visit to experience the environment. Staff are proactive in contacting other

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provision

schools that some children will transfer to and this helps children to feel confident as they prepare to move to school. The setting receives support from the local authority early years advisory teacher and the manager liaises with staff from the local children's centre.

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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 133409 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 842919

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 27 Number of children on roll 48 Name of provider Rush Common Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 08/06/2011 Telephone number 01235 530756

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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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