Pippins Preschool (Cambridgeshire)

Pippins Preschool Icknield CP School, Lynton Way, Sawston, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3EA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/10/2014 14/06/2012

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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

 The quality of teaching is good. Staff devise an interesting programme of activities for children and effectively support them in making good progress in all areas of learning.  The staff team build very effective partnerships with parents and this contributes significantly to the sense of trust between adults and supports children's well-being.  The staff team, supported by the committee, are well organised and knowledgeable. The tracking of children's progress is very effective and ensures that they receive good levels of support.  Staff have a very clear understanding of safeguarding and child protection. They take swift action to protect children from harm.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff occasionally fail to ensure resources are presented to children ready for use and do not always investigate the problems of items appearing not to work thoroughly enough. This prevents children from extending their learning in self-chosen activities.  Staff do not always take full advantage of opportunities to exploit the healthy eating and exercise message in everyday activities to promote children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle.

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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 in the pre-school, in one of the outdoor areas and talked to children, staff and committee members at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector viewed areas of the premises and outdoor areas used for childcare.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the special educational needs coordinator.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessments, planning documents, checked evidence of suitability and qualifications for staff and suitability of the committee and a range of other documents, including the safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to at the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed the provider's hard copy self-evaluation form as provided by the manager.

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Information about the setting

Pippins Preschool was registered in 2006 on the Early Years Register. It is situated on the site of Icknield Primary School in the Sawston area of Cambridgeshire and is managed by a voluntary committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from two playrooms and there are enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs eight members of childcare staff. Of whom, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 3. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 2pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 45 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.

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

 enhance children's learning experiences further by ensuring all the necessary equipment is available and ready for use, such as having items to clean the drawing boards in the outdoor area, so that children can write and draw more easily and that all staff understand how the electrical equipment works and can investigate the possible cause when things do not appear to work

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

 extend children's learning about a healthy lifestyle, including eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of fresh air and exercise, for example, by exploiting the opportunities at snack time to build on the good practice of teaching children about hygiene and safety to include more on other aspects of health.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan an interesting programme of experiences for children. Staff use a variety of teaching methods, appropriate to each child's stage of development to engage and support children in achieving well. There is plenty of purposeful interaction between staff and children to promote extended learning during most activities. Staff regularly observe children as they play. They evaluate what they see and hear. Each key person uses the information to identify children's next steps in learning and this supports them in planning worthwhile activities for children. Staff ensure parents are included. They share children's progress information and next steps in learning, so parents can continue to support children at home. As a result, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals from their individual starting points.

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who attend

Children are busy and quickly find what they want to do when they arrive at the pre- school. They are keen to join in with other children in the role-play area, where they organise themselves, pretending to make food and drinks. Children use a wide range of words, relishing the opportunity to show their knowledge. Staff skilfully tailor their teaching during adult-led activities. For example, they ask children to describe their picture when encouraging their communication and language skills. For other children, the focus is more on mathematics and the questioning relates to shape and number. By using this flexible approach, staff appropriately challenge each child according to their specific learning needs. Children are quite confident in using various electronic music players. They understand how to find their favourite songs. Children spontaneously sing together with great expression and enthusiasm. This supports their communication and language skills,

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who attend

their use of appropriate technology and sense of self-worth. However, on occasions, staff do not support children effectively enough to work out why the player is not working, so they lose interest, which limits their learning at this time.

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who attend

Children are good at sorting out resources, deciding what they need for a particular job. Those at construction activities show good levels of concentration and perseverance as they try to build their own structures. Children think critically and problem solve. They show they are motivated with a strong urge to explore and have a go. Children are developing their awareness of letters and sounds through the adult-led activities and applying this knowledge to their own play as they look at the frieze along the coat pegs. Children are gaining valuable skills that will support them in the next stage of their learning in school.

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

Children settle quickly and relate well to staff. Each child has a key person, who partners with another to ensure there is always someone, who knows the child well. This helps families to feel welcome and establishes trust. The close bonds between supportive staff and children help to promote good levels of confidence and well-being. Children are happy and highly imaginative. They are keen to involve staff in their learning and delight in the praise and encouragement they receive.

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

Children generally behave well. Staff have a calm manner, they use gentle reminders to help children to understand expectations. Some children are exceptionally polite, using their manners in all their interactions with others. They remind other children of the behaviour expectations. Children are rapidly developing their self-care skills as they wash their hands independently at appropriate times and put on their own coats ready to go outdoors. This means that children are becoming increasingly self-reliant, needing less adult support to complete tasks. This is important for their future learning and development.

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

Children are active. Staff make good use of the outdoor areas for all kinds of play. This means that children get plenty of fresh air and exercise. Children bring fruit to share at snack time. They help to cut up soft fruits, spread toppings on crackers and pour their drinks. This promotes children's hand control well. Children are learning through robust routines about good hygiene, healthy eating and exercise but staff do not always support this with direct teaching. Staff and children talk about the safety aspects of using cutlery and kitchen equipment. They do not make the most of the daily opportunities to extend children's knowledge of eating well and exercising as part of a healthy lifestyle. Children are developing their understanding of risk. They explain why the cones are placed at the top of the ramp and know the importance of stopping wheeled toys when other children want to get on or off. This helps to promote their safety.

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provision

The manager, staff and committee have a good understanding of the requirements to safeguard children. After a recent incident involving a child leaving the premises unsupervised just after drop off time, the provider has taken action to improve the supervision of children at this very busy period. The provider has also improved staff deployment, so that at drop off times, the staff member on the door is greeting and monitoring the movement of children, closing the door and ensuring families move on into the playroom to speak to staff. The door from the large playroom to the hall, is kept closed until the front door and the gates are shut. The provider appropriately notified Ofsted, reviewed and revised procedures and informed all parents and staff to prevent recurrence and to keep children safe. Staff effectively fulfil their responsibility to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They have a very good understanding of child

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provision

protection procedures. They know the possible signs that children are at risk and how to refer their concerns to the relevant agency for investigation. The committee regularly reviews policies to ensure they meet legislation and effectively underpin staff practice. Staff reflect on the safety of the environment, they monitor visitors and ensure they comply with the pre-school's policies. Staff recruitment is robust, the provider follows the safer recruitment principles to ensure suitability.

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provision

Monitoring of the quality of teaching is good. Staff with qualifications and additional training take responsibility for roles, such as the special educational needs coordinator. They use their knowledge and expertise to monitor the effectiveness of the educational programmes and to track children's progress towards the early learning goals. The team seeks the views of parents, carers and children, using the information to evaluate practice and identify aspects for improvements. They have clear action plans to help them to focus on securing improvements. Since the last inspection, staff have refined the systems for planning based on their assessment of children's individual needs and ensuring that the inclusion of opportunities to extend knowledge of the local community and the wider world.

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provision

Staff have very effective partnerships with parents. These contribute significantly to children's achievements levels and well-being. They share information and work collaboratively to help children to make the best possible progress. Parents are full of praise for the pre-school. They appreciate the friendly and professional staff, say that their children are making good progress and thoroughly enjoy coming each day. Staff work successfully with other professionals to support children and help families to access the services they need. The partnership with the school is particularly effective in helping children make a smooth move into the reception class.

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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 EY333805 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 993282

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Pippins Pre-school (Cambridgshire) Committee Date of previous inspection 14/06/2012 Telephone number 01223 833 248

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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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