Ladybird Pre-school Playgroup

Ladybird Pre-school Playgroup 99 Woodchurch Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 9LJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/11/2014 06/02/2009

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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.  Peer observations are not always used effectively as a way to share good teaching practice and consequently, enhance children's learning.

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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 room and the outdoor area, 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

Ladybird Pre-school Playgroup has been registered since 1993 on the Early Years Register. It is managed by a voluntary management committee and operates from Woodchurch Road Primary School, Birkenhead. Children attend from the local community and surrounding areas for a variety of sessions. The pre-school is open from 9am to 12noon in the morning and 12.30pm to 3.30pm in the afternoon, Monday to Friday, term time only. The children are cared for in one large playroom and have access to an enclosed playground for outdoor play. There are currently 36 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The pre-school receives early education funding for 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 eight members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years

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Information about the setting

qualifications at level 3. The pre-school receives support from the local authority and 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:

 build further on opportunities to support and develop children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy during play and care routines by, for example, making 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:

 provide more opportunities to share best practice with all staff, in order to further enhance children's learning by, for example, embedding further the use of peer observation.

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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. The children have access to the outdoor playground on a daily basis. There is a good range of toys and equipment, which provides children with challenging activities to develop their physical skills and to explore the natural world. For example, in the garden area children plant seeds, flowers and vegetables and use magnifying lenses to look closely at mini- beasts and their habitats. 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 and there is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities. Children learn about their local environment through well-planned visits to the local woods, the park, the

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who attend

farm and the shops. Staff regularly organise fundraising activities to support local and national groups and to help children develop their understanding of the world. Staff plan flexibly for children, using their good knowledge of children's interests and developmental needs. Strategies to develop the communication and language of all children in the pre- school are effective. Children's home languages are well supported and respected. Staff work closely with parents of children who speak English as an additional language to develop individual programmes to support the children in the setting and at home. They use key words, books and displays to extend all children's awareness of other languages and cultures. For example, the children have recently celebrated Diwali by listening to the story about the Rama and Sita, making raita yogurt at snack times, dressing in Indian clothing and practising Diwali songs and Indian greetings.

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who attend

Staff support children to acquire the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for the next stage of learning. Children have regular opportunities to develop their writing skills, such as drawing shapes in chalk on the board in the outdoor play area and writing at the mark making tables, inside and outdoors. Children's mathematical development is promoted through staff-initiated and everyday activities. For example, children engage in counting activities when they are lining up to leave at the end of a session. At snack time children are encouraged to count the bowls and spoonfuls of yogurt. Children sing rhymes and songs and repeat hand actions. They have an exercise time at the beginning of each session copying the movements on a children's DVD programme. Staff also introduce language, such as bigger and smaller, when supporting children preparing food at snack times. Consequently, children learn about shape, space,

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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, weekly diaries for all children, regular newsletters, invitations to formal parents' meetings and information sessions, and annual questionnaires. Staff use observations, assessments and tracker sheets to enable them to identify where there are gaps in children's 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 weekly diaries and complete feedback sheets after meetings with key workers to discuss their child's progress. Learning journals

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who attend

documenting children's on-going achievements are available to parents at all times.

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

The pre-school has developed very effective settling-in procedures tailored to the needs of individual children and their families to ensure that children settle quickly and access the most effective learning opportunities during their three terms prior to starting school. All children enjoy warm relationships with the caring staff and are well supported by their key person. 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 children in discussions about this aspect. For example, when the children are walking up the stairs they are reminded to hold onto the banister but safety rules for using the stairs are not discussed to reinforce children's 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, children behave well. Children are gently reminded to say please and thank you when appropriate. At the end of each session, stickers are given to the children to reward them for good work and behaviour, playing well together and helping others. Staff act as positive role models, speaking kindly to the children and offering frequent praise and encouragement. Children are willing and eager to take on responsibility. For example, at the end of each session staff play a piece of music on the CD player, which the children associate with super sorting time and they know it is time to help to tidy the play areas. 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 encouraged to wash their hands after playing outdoors, using the toilet and before snack times. However, staff do not consistently use these opportunities to explain and discuss health and hygiene practices with the children. At snack times, the children are helped to develop an awareness of healthy eating because staff discuss the importance of food. During the summer time fruit and vegetables that the children have grown in the garden areas are harvested, prepared and eaten by the children. They have access to drinking water throughout the session and are reminded to drink water after their exercise session at the beginning of each session. The pre-school was awarded Health Promoting Early Years Status by the local authority in March 2014.

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

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 other children as staff remind them to ride safely and 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, children are suitably protected. For example, there is a secure procedure to gain entry into the pre-school and all visitors must

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provision

sign in 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

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 documented. The provider ensures that staff with first-aid training are deployed effectively through the pre-school and that all staff are aware of emergency procedures.

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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 an outdoor play activity a member of staff helps children to build a pirate ship and plan a voyage by using open questioning to help children develop their ideas and collect resources for their imaginative play. 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. However, opportunities to share good practice, for example, through the use of peer observations have not been fully explored.

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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, systems for checking the suitability of staff and committee members are well established and all policies are reviewed annually and documented.

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provision

Children's individual needs are extremely 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 parents 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. Parents are invited to attend meetings with their child's key worker to discuss their initial assessments and learning programmes at the end of their first month in the setting. As a result, individual needs are quickly identified and parents are involved at an early stage in their child's learning and development at pre-school. The pre-school actively promotes ways to involve parents in their children's learning by encouraging them to participate in the lending library scheme and by borrowing parents' packs of activities to complete with their

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provision

children at home. Relationships with schools are effective. For example, teachers from local schools visit during the summer term to share information and meet the children. The pre-school uses Tartan Ted the teddy bear to encourage children to discuss their feelings about starting school and the activities they will experience. Children moving to the local primary school have the opportunity to visit the school to eat a packed lunch and learn about lunchtime routines. Consequently, children are well supported during their time at pre-school and in preparation for their moving on to the next stage in their learning.

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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 306418 Local authority Wirral Inspection number 867664

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 36 Name of provider Ladybird Pre School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 06/02/2009 Telephone number 0151 652 3104

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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