Little Acorns

Oaklands Little Acorns Pre-School Oaklands Infant School, Weeds Wood Road, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0QS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/10/2014 09/11/2010

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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

 The majority of the children are happy and settled at the setting because they feel safe and secure and emotionally attached to their key person.  The staff are skilled in teaching children to communicate, therefore children are able to respond to instructions and tell staff about their own needs.  The staff provide the children with a good selection of interesting activities, which the children are eager to use.  The staff have good working relationships with parents who are involved with all aspects of their children's care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The staff provide a good educational programme for the children, however they do not always make the activities more challenging for the older children.

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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 spoke with staff and children and took parents written views into account.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a variety of paperwork including the pre-school's safeguarding children procedures.  The inspector observed the interaction between staff and children.  The inspector discussed the activity planning with staff and the supervisor.

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Information about the setting

Little Acorns Pre-School was first opened in 1999 and is run by a parent committee. It operates from a temporary classroom set in the grounds of Oaklands Infant School in Walderslade on the outskirts of Chatham. Children use two rooms and there is a large, enclosed outside area. In addition, the pre-school children use some of the school's outdoor facilities. The majority of the children attending live nearby. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Sessions are from 8.50am to 11.50 am on weekdays during school term times. There are currently 23 children aged from two years to under four years on roll. The pre-school receives funding for early education for children aged two and three years. The pre-school currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school employs six members of staff who all hold an

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Information about the setting

appropriate Early Years qualification at National Vocation Qualification level 3 and above.

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

 strengthen the adult-led activities in order that older children remain engaged in their learning.

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who attend

The children who attend the setting are aged two and three years and at age four they move to the school nursery. The staff ensure that the children are emotionally ready for the move to the new setting by accompanying children on visits which occur weekly for up to six weeks in the term before they move. This means that the children settle easily once the new term begins because both settings share information and have a good understanding of the children's needs.

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who attend

The staff concentrate children's learning to the prime areas, namely personal, social and emotional development, communication and physical development, because the majority of children are so young. However, all the areas of learning are ultimately covered. Staff are skilled in helping children to learn to listen to instructions and teach them to communicate using a variety of methods, one of which is signing. The staff are adept at including the different areas of learning into the activities. For example, they talk about shapes and numbers as the children play with the dough, or talk about children's differences at story time. This supports children's mathematical and language skills effectively. In the garden, children are able to explore insects and snails. Staff use these opportunities to teach the children about basic lifecycles of different creatures as well as attributing feelings to the insects so that children can learn to identify their own feelings. Children

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who attend

elect to take books into the outside wigwam to read and look at pictures. The children visit the school woods each week to explore the seasons and the wildlife and to get more opportunities to experience physical play in a natural environment. Staff plan activities that are interesting to the majority of the children. However, staff do not always provide enough challenge for the older children within the adult-led activities. Overall, the impact of teaching on the children is good, relative to the children's starting points. Assessment records show that all children are making good progress towards the early learning goals.

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

The majority of the children are happy and settled at the setting. There are still some new children who become upset when parents leave but, staff are supporting children very well in separating from their parents. The emotional attachments between children and their key workers are clearly visible. Staff always work with a buddy so that children are never without someone who knows their needs very well. Staff are skilled at teaching children about the rules and risks in the playrooms and outside areas. Children learn that they must not run indoors in case they bump into each other, and how to safely use some of the heavier equipment outside. For example, safely repositioning the logs used for seating. This supports children to develop a good awareness of their own safety and that of others. Children learn to get along and play well together.

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

The youngest children are beginning to understand the routines for handwashing and hygiene due to the diligence of staff around nappy changing times and snack times. Children help staff to prepare table for snack times. They don hair nets and aprons and help carry food to the tables, after selecting the beakers and plates necessary for the numbers of children. They talk about food they like to eat and how food affects their bodies; making them big and strong. Therefore, children learn about healthy lifestyles. Staff use lots of good appropriate language to cater for the children's limited vocabularies for these discussions. The children are motivated to help as they dress up and they take their opportunities to help very seriously. The children develop confidence as they move freely between the play areas and are not adverse to a chat with visitors to the setting. This shows they feel very secure and very much at home with the adults caring for them.

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provision

The parent committee support the supervisor well. She and her deputy, along with her skilled staff team organise the setting to always meet the needs of the children. This includes changing staff at different play activities if a key child wants accompanying elsewhere. The staff always stay within ratio and there are always two members of staff in each area. This is an effective part of the setting's safeguarding procedures as the children are always within sight and sound of a staff member. This system effectively maintains children's safety.

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provision

All staff, and parents who work with the children, have an enhanced disclosure issued by the Criminal Records Bureau or the Disclosure and Barring Service. The recording of accidents, incidents and attendance is rigorous. The supervisor is the setting's designated person for child protection. All staff have completed local safeguarding training and understand the reporting systems within the setting as well as the report procedures to child protection agencies and Ofsted. This demonstrates that the children's well being is a high priority to staff.

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provision

The supervisor understands her duty to provide opportunities for staff training and professional development. Staff are included in regular training events with Medway Council to either increase or update their skills. This means that children are supported well by qualified staff. The supervisor regularly monitors the staff observation and assessment records to ensure that they making accurate assessments of the children and their progress. She uses a tracking system to allow her to see which individual and groups of children are not developing as expected. She is able to put appropriate interventions in place quickly, drawing from her experience of child development and the links she has made with other agencies, such as the health visitors and the local children's centre. This means that children who need it most receive effective support.

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provision

The parents frequently receive questionnaires from the setting so that they can give their views and suggestions for improvements. Parents comments, taken from returned questionnaires, show they are very happy with the progress their children are making and a few have stated that staff are excellent. Parents receive lots of information about the setting on notice boards and by way of regular news sheets. Parents take part in regular reviews of their children's progress and make comments on staff suggestions for their children's next steps. Staff are able to offer advice about activities for children at home, which many parents successfully try out. Parent's views are included in the setting's self evaluation which the supervisor keeps up to date with current information. Staff views also link in to the effective focused action plans which help the supervisor and staff maintain good, continuous improvement of the setting. They always consider the impact of any

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provision

changes on the children, which means that children always benefit from any improvements.

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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 103828 Local authority Medway Towns Inspection number 816864 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 3 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 23 Name of provider Oaklands Little Acorns Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 09/11/2010 Telephone number 01634 668187

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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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