Hollies Road Pre-School Playgroup

Hollies Road Pre-School St Mark's Primary School, Fir Avenue Halewood, Liverpool, Merseyside, L26 0XR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/10/2014 24/03/2009

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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 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 and as a result, children are eager and motivated to learn. Staff are skilled in providing for their individual needs, ensuring that every child makes good progress considering their starting points.  Children are very settled and content because all staff provide a caring and nurturing environment that effectively promotes their emotional well-being.  Partnership arrangements with parents and other professionals are well established and make a strong contribution to meeting the needs of children.  Leaders and managers ensure all practitioners are highly secure within their roles. Practitioners are knowledgeable regarding safeguarding procedures and therefore, take steps to keep children safe and protected at all times.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for staff to support and develop children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy during play and care routines are not used consistently.  Children do not always have the opportunity to initiate and choose play activities in the indoor learning environment.

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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 observed activities in the pre-school rooms and the outdoor areas, as well as conducting a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to staff and gained the views of parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed a sample of policies and procedures, checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff, as well as the provider's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and the planning documentation.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Hollies Road Pre-School was registered in 2003 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is managed by a voluntary committee and operates from St. Mark's School, Halewood, Knowsley. Children attend from the local community and surrounding areas for a variety of sessions. The pre-school is open from 9.10am to 12.30pm, Monday to Friday, term time only. Children are cared for in two large playrooms and have access to an enclosed playground and wooded area for outdoor play. There are currently 24 children on roll, all whom are in the early years age group. The pre-school receives early education funding for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children, who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. Of whom, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at

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Information about the setting

level 3, one at level 2 and one staff member holds Early Years Professional status. The pre-school receives support from the local authority and it is a member of the local pre- school network.

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

 make better use of opportunities to support and develop children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy during play and care routines, for example, by the consistent use of good quality questioning and explanations

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

 extend the opportunities in the indoor play area for children to initiate and choose play activities to develop even further their own ideas, interests and independence.

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who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and provide a stimulating environment for the children. There is a wide range of quality resources available that children use in a number of ways to stretch their skills. Children have access to the outdoor playground and wooded area on a daily basis. There is a good range of toys and equipment, which provide children with challenging activities to develop their physical skills and to explore the natural world. For example, in the wooded area, children are encouraged to dig, collect leaves and experiment with mixing water and soil, leaves and twigs. The indoor environment is well planned to cover all the areas of learning. Resources indoors are presented at a low level, so that children can access them freely. However, there are fewer opportunities for the children to initiate and choose play activities because staff generally set out resources that they have chosen for the day. Staff

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who attend

plan flexibly for children, using their good knowledge of children's interests and developmental needs. For example, staff have created a display of door handles and locks to support children's interest in everyday household items. Strategies to develop the communication and language of all children in the pre-school are effective. Staff skilfully use techniques developed from a programme to promote children's communication development. Children's home languages are well supported and respected. Staff use key words, books and displays to extend all children's awareness of other languages.

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who attend

Staff support children to acquire the skills, attitudes and disposition they need to be ready for the next stage of learning. Children's mathematical development is promoted through staff-initiated and everyday activities. For example, children engage in an activity sorting coloured pom poms into groups, dropping them through coloured tubes and counting them in the collecting bowls. At snack time, children are encouraged to count the bowls and biscuits. Children sing rhymes and songs and repeat hand actions. Staff also introduce language, such as 'bigger' and 'smaller', when supporting children in the play dough activity. Consequently, children learn about shape, space, measurement and size.

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who attend

Staff provide a variety of communication methods to ensure that all parents are able to contribute to their children's learning. These include daily verbal feedback, daily diaries for all children, weekly newsletters, invitations to formal parents' meetings and annual questionnaires. Staff use early years assessment tools, such as the progress check for children aged between two and three years to enable them to identify where there are gaps in their development. This ensures that early intervention is provided for individual children when the need for additional support is identified. Any child that may require additional support is identified and referred to the pre-school's special educational needs coordinator. She works alongside parents and other professionals to ensure that children's needs are well met. Parents are invited to add comments to the progress check and learning journals, documenting children's ongoing achievements, which are sent home

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

The pre-school uses excellent settling-in procedures tailored to the needs of individual children and their families. As a result, children settle quickly into the pre-school. All children enjoy warm relationships with the caring staff and are well supported by their key workers. They are also happy to seek out other staff, demonstrating positive relationships, which help them to feel secure and confident in the pre-school environment. Children are developing an understanding of how to keep themselves safe, although, staff do not always give sufficient explanations about why certain rules exist or engage them in discussions about this aspect. For example, when asking children not to play with sticks, no guidance is given about the hazard posed by long, pointed items to reinforce their awareness of safety.

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

Staff set clear boundaries for children's behaviour and as a result, they behave well. Children are gently reminded to say 'please' and 'thank you' when appropriate. Staff act as positive role models, speaking kindly to children and offering frequent praise and encouragement. For example, children are encouraged to take turns when choosing finger puppets and staff offer clear explanations for why they need to wait, which promotes their understanding and self-esteem. Older children are willing and eager to take on responsibility. For example, they help to put plates and cups on the tables at snack time. Consequently, children are learning good social skills under the careful guidance of the pre-school staff.

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

Hygiene practices are well established. Children are supported in washing their hands after playing outdoors, using the toilet and before lunch and snack times. However, staff do not consistently use these opportunities to explain and discuss health and hygiene practices with the children. At mealtimes, children are helped to develop an awareness of healthy eating because staff discuss the importance of food. Children have access to drinking water throughout the session.

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

Risk management processes are robust. Staff undertake daily risk assessments to ensure resources are suitable and the environment is safe. Fire drills are practised regularly and are well documented. All staff have relevant first-aid qualifications. The provider ensures that all first-aid training is up to date and staff are aware of emergency procedures. Children are reminded about safety but are also encouraged to take well-supervised risks as they challenge themselves during play. For example, when riding on bicycles in the outdoor play area, children are encouraged to negotiate the obstacles and others as staff remind them to ride safely as they offer encouragement and support.

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provision

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures. They understand their role in protecting children from harm and are fully aware of what action to take if they are concerned about a child's safety and well-being. As a result, staff respond appropriately to safeguard children. The provider is proactive in ensuring that staff have a high level of safeguarding awareness and this is part of the induction process for all new members of staff. The safeguarding policy includes the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse being made against a member of staff. All policies are reviewed annually and documented. All required documentation relating to children and the safe organisation and management of the pre-school is in place and is comprehensive. Staff supervise children very well and as a result, they are suitably protected. For example, there is a secure procedure to gain entry into the pre-school and all visitors must sign in

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provision

and have their identification checked before being allowed to access the premises. Furthermore, the pre-school operates a policy, which prohibits the use of mobile telephones in children's care rooms. Robust recruitment processes are followed to check that all staff are suitable to work with children. The provider ensures that suitability checks are undertaken, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks. A thorough induction process is followed and suitable references are required prior to any new staff being appointed.

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provision

The experienced staff team know the children well and the provider ensures that staff are deployed effectively. Staff model how to use resources correctly, play with children at their level and support their learning through timely intervention. For example, during a digging activity in the wooded area, children start to misuse the soil and a member of staff quickly intervenes by suggesting an activity in the 'mud kitchen', experimenting with soil, water and leaves. Staff are fully supported to improve and develop their knowledge and this is reflected in their enthusiasm and commitment to their ongoing professional development. The continued suitability of staff and the quality of their teaching and practice is monitored through supervision, appraisal and a targeted programme of professional development training.

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provision

Self-evaluation is used well to drive the provision forward. Areas for improvement are identified and clearly targeted to focus on aspects that will bring about the most positive impact for children. The recommendations from previous inspections have been suitably addressed. For example, the pre-school has developed the facilities for outdoor learning by creating several covered areas.

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provision

Children's individual needs are well met and strong partnerships with parents and other professionals are very effective. This supports the drive for improvement. For example, staff value parents as the child's primary carer and actively engage them in their children's learning. As a result, parents are well informed of their child's development and are kept up to date with what they are doing at pre-school. Relationships with schools are effective. For example, teachers from local schools provide photographs and items of the school uniforms, which are shared with children in preparation for their move to school. The pre-school provides a completed passport to school for each child before starting school. Consequently, children are well supported during their time at pre-school and in preparation for their transition to the next stage in their learning.

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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 EY264603 Local authority Knowsley Inspection number 860618

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 24 Name of provider Hollies Road Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 24/03/2009 Telephone number 07985 053276

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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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