Sunflower Pre School

Al-Falah The Sunflower Nursery St Alban, 99 Albert Road, ILFORD, Essex, IG1 1HS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/10/2014 25/04/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the pre-school. They are happy, confident, self- assured, highly motivated and eager to learn.  The leadership and management, and the dedication of the staff team, are key strengths in ensuring exceptionally high learning and development outcomes for the children.  Children form exceptionally strong bonds and emotional attachments with their key persons, which ensure they gain a highly positive sense of well-being and belonging.  Children with special educational needs, and those who are learning to speak English as an additional language, receive highly individualised support. This ensures that any gaps in their learning are quickly closing and they make extremely good progress.  Security and the safeguarding of children are of paramount importance to the pre- school staff. They follow robust and secure procedures to help ensure that all children feel safe and are protected from harm.

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This provision is outstanding

 Exceptionally strong partnerships with parents and carers make an extremely important contribution to the provision of effective learning experiences for 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 compulsory part 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 staff interaction with children indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke with the owner, area manager, manager, staff and children.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took account of parents' views by speaking with them on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documents including policies and procedures, staff suitability records, risk assessments and children's progress records.

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Information about the setting

Al Falah The Sunflower Nursery Pre-School registered in 2011 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It operates from a church community centre in Ilford, in the London Borough of Redbridge. There is an enclosed area for outdoor play. The pre-school opens Monday, Tuesday and Friday, from 8am until 1pm and from 1pm until 6pm, during school term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 33 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff, including the manager. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. The pre-school staff care for children who learn English as an additional language, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance children's awareness of differences in written language, by increasing labelling in the setting.

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who attend

The dedicated staff have an excellent knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the different ways that children learn. Staff provide exciting and challenging activities and experiences that motivate children, and ensure they make exceptional progress in all areas of learning. The confident and enthusiastic staff team work exceedingly well together. They receive excellent support from each other and the management team to enable them to achieve excellent learning outcomes for children. The quality of teaching is exceptionally robust and consistent throughout the pre-school. Experienced staff mentor and advise students, to ensure they are providing the same level of support and encouragement to the children. Staff and parents share assessments of children's development on entry to the pre-school to help them make excellent progress

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who attend

from the beginning. Staff actively encourage parents to observe their children's activities at home to contribute to their continuity of learning within the pre-school.

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who attend

Staff liaise with parents to ensure children's learning is assessed accurately and to determine the next steps in their development. Clear and concise records of children's progress inform detailed planning. Staff tailor activities to the children's individual development needs and interests. All children achieve outstanding progress because staff use their secure understanding of individual children's needs to provide interesting and imaginative resources and activities, to enhance their learning. An excellent balance of child-initiated and adult-led play activities provide children with plenty of choice and challenge, and this encourages their natural curiosity to learn. Children are eager to participate in the activities provided and they are consistently motivated to explore and learn. For example, children explore the imaginatively arranged garden to find insects and snails. They thoroughly enjoy playing in the mud kitchen where they pretend to make

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who attend

cakes by mixing soil and water. Staff and children plant spring bulbs together to extend their interest in soil and nature. This linking of interests to activities ignites their curiosity and imagination, and the activities clearly promote their understanding of the world.

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who attend

Staff promote children's communication and language development extremely well. They engage children in meaningful conversations and they use careful questioning techniques to encourage their thinking skills. They use songs, rhymes, stories and role play to motivate the children. Staff tell stories and sing songs in Mandarin, so children have the opportunity to experience play in another language. They are enthralled as staff show them puppets they have made to enhance their tales, and are keen to have a go and join in. Staff also provide handmade picture packs to prompt children to make up their own stories. These activities promote children's language development exceptionally well. Staff help children who are learning to speak English as an additional language extremely well. They use their own diverse language base and the vocabulary provided by parents, to aid communication. Parents provide written words in their own languages, for example, for a

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who attend

welcome sign. However, there are slightly fewer examples of words written in languages other than English around the indoor and outdoor areas. Therefore, staff do not take every opportunity to teach children about how written languages vary.

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who attend

Staff provide lots of opportunities for children to practice their physical skills. Children walk along planks on upturned crates to practise their balancing skills, and they climb, slide and crawl using the physical apparatus in the garden. Indoors, children dance and copy the actions to songs, as the pre-school's physical skills coordinator shows them how their bodies react to physical exercise. Children strengthen their fingers and learn excellent hand and eye coordination, for example, as they cut up strands of cooked spaghetti or make paper masks. Children with special educational needs receive dedicated support from highly skilled and caring staff who fully understand their needs.

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

The highly effective key-person system ensures that every child forms exceedingly secure bonds and emotional attachments with staff who understand their needs. Successful home visits help children to get to know their key person before they begin at the pre-school. Children settle in exceedingly quickly as staff react sensitively to their emotions. They develop very high levels of self-assurance and confidence, as they learn to share, take turns and cooperate with each other. Children's independence and confidence continually thrive through making choices and decisions with regard to their play. Children develop excellent self-care skills as they independently address their own care and personal hygiene needs. For example, they understand how to use the toilet independently, and wash and dry their hands. Staff promote children's good health through the provision of fruit and vegetables for snack time. Children choose and buy these themselves from the

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

market on their weekly shopping trip. Children serve their own food and water at lunchtime and take turns to wash their dishes afterwards, learning valuable skills for the future.

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

Staff follow children's lead and encourage them as they select their own play resources, enabling them to direct their own play. Resources are of an exceptionally high quality and are freely available to children, because they are stored at their level. Cosy areas have been introduced, where children can sit together to read books or engage in role-play with their friends. Staff supply plentiful resources to promote diversity in the pre-school, and they explore children's cultures and festivals to increase their understanding of the social world around them. Staff provide a warm, welcoming, safe and stimulating environment, where children thrive and are free to explore and use their imaginations. Staff follow exceptionally robust and clear risk assessment procedures every morning, to ensure the pre-school is safe and that staff protect children from any potential dangers.

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

Staff practise fire evacuation procedures regularly with children, so they know what to do should an emergency occur. Staff are kind and caring, and they are excellent role models as they lead by example. They use frequent praise and encouragement to raise children's self-esteem. This encouragement promotes positive behaviour and enables children to flourish. Children have the opportunity to play outside in the well-equipped garden all year round. They experience different aspects of the weather. For example, children screamed with delight and surprise as a strong gust of wind brought a sudden rain shower into the covered area where they were playing. Staff ensure that children are appropriately dressed for the expected weather conditions and rearrange the outdoor area to make sure that children can play there in comfort.

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

Staff work hard to ensure that all the areas of learning are purposefully available for children, outdoors as well as inside, to extend their learning experiences. Children enjoy being out in the fresh air and taking walks in their local community. They visit parks, the library, market and places of worship, and they meet a variety of people. They benefit from healthy exercise, and learn about keeping themselves safe near roads and traffic. Staff ensure that all children are included to fully promote their personal, social and emotional development. They are emotionally well prepared for the next stage in their learning, for example, because staff reassure them with stories about starting school. They use role play for which staff ask parents to provide old uniforms no longer used by their older children. They take the children to visit a local school, and this helps children to become familiar with the school environment and routine. Staff also organise a graduation

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

ceremony for them, which encourages them to feel proud of their achievements.

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provision

Staff are extremely secure in their knowledge of safeguarding practices, policies and procedures. They ensure they promote children's welfare by undertaking regular training to keep their knowledge up to date. The pre-school has a policy restricting the use of mobile phones on the premises and all staff are required to store their mobile phones in the kitchen, away from the children. Staff make certain that they closely monitor any visitors to the pre-school and check their identities, to further protect the children. Staff recruitment is rigorous in ensuring that newly appointed staff hold appropriate qualifications. New staff and students follow a thorough induction programme into the pre-school's policies, routines and practices. All staff and students are subject to the appropriate background vetting checks, which helps to ensure that all adults working with children are suitable to do so. Staff management is of an exceptionally high standard and

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provision

a key strength in ensuring that staff meet all children's needs successfully at all times.

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provision

All staff receive regular individual support and supervision. The management team regularly observes staff practice and the more experienced mentor new staff and students. As a result, all adults who are working with the children share a strong drive for excellence. The management team monitors the educational programmes and planning for children's development. Effective monitoring of the educational programmes and successful tracking of individual children's progress enables staff to identify any gaps in children's learning. This also helps them to seek appropriate intervention and professional advice. Consequently, children with special educational needs receive comprehensive support. Key persons meet with parents to discuss children's progress on a regular basis. The staff carry out the required progress check for two-year-old children, in partnership with parents, and this helps to ensure that children continue to make extremely good

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provision

progress. Children's continued development is closely analysed by the key persons to ensure that all children achieve their full potential. The management team maintains high levels of consistency across the pre-school, as staff are encouraged to support each other and there is exceptionally strong leadership.

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provision

Parents, staff and children actively participate in a robust self-evaluation process. The provider has addressed all actions and recommendations from previous inspections. Clear action plans for improvements to the pre-school mean that self-reflection and continuing development remains a high priority. Staff are passionate about their individual roles and they ensure that the areas they are responsible for are extremely well planned and resourced invitingly. This encourages all children to take part. Highly successful staff deployment, along with strong adult-to-child ratios, means that all children receive consistent and highly effective staff involvement in their play and learning. All staff receive ongoing training. Management monitors the impact of all training to ensure it is effective, and contributes to improvements in practice and environment. The staff are currently undergoing a quality assurance programme and they report how much it has already

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provision

improved their work with the children. The local authority development team give excellent help to the staff, and encourage the management team to share their knowledge and practice with others.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are exceptionally strong. Parents are encouraged to work with their children within the pre-school and contribute to their children's individual planning. Parents are actively involved in their children's learning and their views are extremely important to the staff, who use them to help drive improvement in the outcomes for every child. Staff provide workshops for parents on topics that interest them and help them further to support their children. Parents speak especially highly of the staff and for the successful way their children are learning. Extremely effective partnerships with other professionals support staff in their excellent care of children who have special educational needs. The management and staff work in close partnership with local schools. This helps children to become familiar with teachers and the new environment before they move on to other settings and school.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY436449 Local authority Redbridge Inspection number 883683

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 33 Name of provider Fatima Juneja Date of previous inspection 25/04/2012 Telephone number 02085546556

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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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