Fazeley Pre-School

Fazeley Pre-School St Pauls Church Centre, Coleshill Street, Fazeley, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B78 3RQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/10/2014 27/10/2008

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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

 Staff are strongly focused on safeguarding children. They are proactive in ensuring that children feel safe and secure, which supports their physical and emotional well-being.  Children are supported by staff to make good progress in their learning. They are motivated to explore and investigate the stimulating indoor and outdoor play environments, using their own ideas to move and combine resources in different ways.  Partnerships with parents and carers and other professionals are well established and ensure all children's individual needs are understood and met well, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  All leaders, managers and staff demonstrate a strong drive to continually improve their skills and the learning and care experiences for all children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Older children are not always well supported to build upon their developing number skills.  Children are not always fully supported to use their home language during their play, in order to support their language development.

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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 activities in the main playroom and outdoor areas and completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of inspection and through their written comments included in their contributions to the self-evaluation process.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the staff about their professional development, children's individual learning and the pre-school's self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of all practitioners working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and action plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies and procedures, which included safeguarding and complaints, children's assessment and the planning records and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

Fazeley Pre-School was registered in 1983 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It operates from the church centre at the rear of Saint Paul's Church, which is located in Fazeley, Tamworth. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school is managed by a committee and serves the local area. The pre-school is accessible to all children and opens Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon and 12 noon until 3pm. The pre-school employs eight members of childcare staff. Of whom, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. There are currently 49 children attending, who are all in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children, who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 provide further opportunities for older children to build on their developing number skills by, for example, encouraging them to count as they play

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

 support children more effectively to use their home language during their play, in order to support their language development at home.

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who attend

Good quality teaching is firmly embedded in the practice of all staff, who provide children with imaginative experiences across the seven areas of learning. As a result, all children are eager and motivated to learn and are well prepared for their next stage in learning and for school. Children particularly enjoy choosing to play in the stimulating outdoor play area where they test out their own ideas and show fascination and curiosity in the natural world around them. For example, some children decide to build a cafe using wooden planks and suggest using the dirt as glue. Other groups of children persist in finding insects and items, such as twigs and leaves, which they place in containers to investigate later. Staff join in the fun of exploration with children outdoors, using the wide range of natural resources, which include mud, water, rubber tyres and logs. As a result, children thoroughly enjoy exploring and experimenting while combining the resources in a variety

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who attend

of ways. This helps to develop children's physical skills and encourages them to seek new challenges and learn through trial and error. However, some staff are less focused on extending the number skills of older children during play experiences. For example, staff do not always make the most of opportunities to count as children play. Nevertheless, when participating in a music and movement session outdoors or singing rhymes before going home, staff encourage children to learn about mathematical concepts, such as more than and less than.

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who attend

All staff undertake skilled, sensitive observations, which are recorded in children's learning journey folders. The key person takes responsibility to reflect upon and assess the good progress children are making and to identify their next steps in learning. Staff support parents to be fully involved in this process. They encourage parents to verbally share information about what their children are learning at home and to record their observations on 'wow' sheets, which are proudly displayed in the hallway. This information is also placed in children's learning journey folders and it is used as part of assessment. Parents benefit from attending 'super-star' meetings every term, giving them the opportunity to discuss their children's learning with the key person. To ensure assessment is robust, staff seek information from other early years settings that some children also attend, such as childminders. A 'settings-link' book encourages two-way communication

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who attend

about children's learning and helps to build a picture of their all-round development. This supports staff to help children to reach their full potential. Staff also provide parents with many opportunities to engage in their children's learning. For example, parents are invited to attend the 'story-time' cafe and resources, such as story sacks, provide a further link between learning at pre-school and home.

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who attend

Staff have high aspirations for all children's learning and they are particularly effective in supporting them with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure gaps in their learning are closing. For example, staff ensure children, who are developing their physical skills for walking, have ample space, both indoors and outdoors, to safely move around the environment. This also develops children's self-esteem and independence. Some children attending the pre-school, speak English as an additional language. Staff take reasonable steps to become familiar with words and phrases spoken in those languages, in order to support children in their play and learning. However, staff do not always provide enough opportunities for children to use their home language during the day and as they play, in order to fully support their language development at home. Nevertheless, staff ensure children are developing their communication and language skills in various

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who attend

ways. For example, staff use open-ended prompts, such as 'let us think how we might', to encourage children to think critically, giving them plenty of time to respond and share their ideas using language. Staff are also focused on developing children's literacy skills. For example, staff provide writing boxes to encourage all children to make marks for their own purpose. As a result, children thoroughly enjoy transporting the boxes around the indoor and outdoor areas and practise their writing skills, following their own interests. For example, some children choose to write a list of items they want to buy at the shops in the role-play area. Some children concentrate well as they sit with an adult and practise their writing skills by attempting to copy letters from their name on paper. Staff encourage children to develop an understanding of the sounds letters make by supporting them to successfully sound out the letters in their name.

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

Staff work closely in partnership with parents to ensure all children experience a smooth move from home into the friendly and relaxed pre-school environment. Upon arrival all children and their families receive a warm welcome from caring staff, which develops strong and trusting relationships. During pre-admission visits, the key person spends time exchanging important information with parents about children's interests and individual needs, in order to tailor the settling-in period to meet those needs. As a result, children are emotionally well prepared to embrace this new experience with self-confidence. In addition, parents comment on how skilfully staff support children, who are unsure or managing a new event at home, such as the birth of a new baby. This ensures that children are emotionally secure and helps to develop their confidence for future changes, such as the move to school.

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

Children are effectively supported by staff to feel safe and secure, which ensures that they are physically and emotionally healthy. For example, staff introduce children and other staff members to visitors to the pre-school. This gives children the confidence to engage with visitors in their play and talk about what they are doing and events experienced at home. Children also gain confidence and learn to interact with others when, for example, they plant fruit, vegetables and flowers in the garden with a volunteer known as 'Gardening Grandad'. This supports children's social skills and ensures that they enjoy plenty of fresh air and exercise. Staff support children to gain an understanding of risk and how to keep themselves safe. For example, children learn how to obtain water safely from a hose, which they use to water the flowers and all of them travel around the environment safely and with confidence. All children are learning to manage their feelings and

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

behaviours very well. For example, children choose when to have a snack and calmly sit down at a table and help themselves to fruit and a drink. They learn about the importance of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles as they discuss which foods are good for you and enjoy the process of growing and eating their own produce. All children enjoy lots of positive praise and encouragement from staff and show great respect for each other and adults. For example, children are praised for tidying resources away when they have finished or for sharing resources with their friends.

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provision

The safeguarding, welfare and learning and development requirements are fully understood and met by all staff working in the pre-school. Managers and leaders use robust recruitment procedures when employing new members of staff and ensure all adults, including volunteers, are vetted to safeguard children. All staff share the responsibility for monitoring the welfare of children closely. All staff have completed safeguarding training and are confident about the actions to take if they have concerns about a child. The pre-school maintains clear and concise policies and procedures, which are regularly updated and shared with parents and staff. Children are further safeguarded through high levels of supervision and a culture of assessing and minimising risks throughout the day. This results in children enjoying a safe and secure environment both indoors and outdoors.

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provision

Leaders and managers work closely with staff to monitor practice and the educational programmes very well. Staff provide each other with mutual support and work together as a team to promote continuous improvement. For example, when staff identified that some children were making less progress in mathematics; a member of staff with a degree in mathematics provided staff with a training session to extend their knowledge and skills further. This resulted in changes to practice and the gap in children's learning closing. All staff benefit from attending regular team meetings and supervision and appraisal sessions. They comment positively on the very good support they receive. A continuous training programme ensures that staff are constantly updating their knowledge and improving their practice. For example, staff benefit from core training, which includes food safety and paediatric first aid. In addition, as part of their professional development, staff identify

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provision

their training needs and this forms part of an action plan. Future plans include training with regards to outdoor learning.

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provision

Leaders and managers demonstrate a very strong commitment and drive to continually improve the quality of the pre-school. A self-evaluation document is used effectively to reflect upon the progress being made and to identify the strengths and areas for improvement. The recommendations from the previous inspection have all been addressed effectively. For example, hazards are now identified and minimised effectively and children's admission forms have been updated to ensure all required information is obtained and recorded. Priorities for future improvement include, for example, supporting staff to have the confidence to access online training, improving further the delivery of the programme for mathematics and the introduction of peer-on-peer observations for staff.

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provision

Staff develop strong relationships with parents and carers, which contributes to promoting children's learning, well-being and development. Parents spoken to on the day of inspection, demonstrate complete satisfaction in the service provided. They comment on the good interactions between staff and children, which they feel helps children to settle and develops their confidence. Parents value the effective communications they have with their children's key person. They benefit from being able to take their children's learning journey folders home to read and share with other family members. Staff value the views of parents and reflect on their practice when suggestions are made. For example, when parents asked to be better informed of what children have been doing on a weekly basis, staff set up a website to improve communications and provide regular newsletters. Partnerships with other agencies are also very well established, which ensures that

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provision

appropriate interventions are secured when needed. Staff work closely with other professionals, such as physiotherapists and health visitors, to ensure children's needs are fully understood and met well.

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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 218143 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 865713

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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 49 Name of provider Fazeley Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 27/10/2008 Telephone number 01827 289414

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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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