Caythorpe Pre-School

Caythorpe Pre-School Caythorpe Cp School, High Street, Caythorpe, GRANTHAM, Lincolnshire, NG32 3DR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/11/2014 12/07/2011

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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

 Teaching is good. Staff have a robust knowledge of children's individual needs and their learning styles. As a result, they plan challenging activities that capture children's imagination. Therefore, children are enthused and motivated in their play.  Behaviour is well managed as skilled staff use gentle reminders to reinforce boundaries and help children to learn the impact of their behaviour on others. Consequently, children are forming friendships and are beginning to co-operate well with their peers.  Staff recognise the importance of early intervention and make prompt referrals to outside agencies. This means that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities get the help they need early on, to make the best possible progress in their learning.  Children are effectively safeguarded as leaders and managers ensure all staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Consequently, children are kept

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This provision is good

safe and secure as they are always well supervised and protected from harm.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff's assessments of children's abilities and progress are not always shared with parents in a timely fashion. Consequently, partnerships are not fully maximised.  Mathematical concepts are not consistently introduced, or built on, during children's spontaneous play to extend children's interest in numbers and encourage their mathematical skills even further.

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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 play and learning activities and spoke to children and staff in the indoor and outdoor environments.  The inspector viewed a range of children's learning records.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documentation was examined, including details of staff suitability checks and qualifications, policies and procedures and the self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 A meeting was held with the manager to look at monitoring processes, improvement plans and other documentation.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the setting manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with a number of parents to check their views on the quality of the provision.

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Information about the setting

Caythorpe Pre-School was established in 1975 and subsequently registered again in 2010. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register and operates from purpose-built premises sited at Caythorpe Primary School, near Grantham, Lincolnshire. Children have access to an outdoor play area. The pre- school is managed by a voluntary management committee. It is open Monday to Friday, during term time only. Sessions run from 9am to 12 pm each day with extended sessions until 3pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. There are currently 24 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language. Seven staff work with the children, six of whom hold an appropriate early years qualifications, including one member of staff who has recently completed a level 5 qualification. The

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Information about the setting

setting receives support from the local authority Birth to Five Service.

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

 provide opportunities for all parents to review their child's progress early on in the placement, so that continuity in learning between the home and the pre-school is maximised

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

 enhance children's mathematical skills further by regularly incorporating mathematical language and concepts into children's spontaneous play opportunities.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good and staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff provide a range of resources and opportunities through which children are beginning to learn that their marks have meaning. Staff encourage children to 'have a go' at writing their own name on their artwork. Children of all ages demonstrate excellent hand and finger control as they use cotton buds to dip into the red paint as they create their pictures of poppies. Early writing skills are also encouraged in the outdoor area where children make good use of a large white board at low level. Children's large muscle movements which support physical development are also improved as they draw and erase on the board. Children show their delight in using instruments that they have made themselves, as they march around the table, singing and shaking their instruments to the beat of well-known nursery

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who attend

rhymes. They develop their creative skills as they march, moving to the sounds of the instruments. Staff also plan experiences for children to learn about the wider world through inviting visitors into setting such as the local police. Children show an interest in numbers, particularly when this bares relevance to their own experiences. For example, children recognise and point out numbers on foreign coins brought in from home. Children's mathematical development is further supported through the availability of number games and puzzles in the setting. Staff provide planned experiences in the outdoor area to develop children's knowledge of shapes, encouraging them to draw shapes with their fingers in dry sand. However, there are few opportunities for children to see number labels written and displayed in the environment. Furthermore, staff do not routinely bring mathematical concepts into spontaneous play to extend and challenge

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who attend

children's mathematical thinking. For example, when children are involved in pouring, filling and emptying, staff do not provide vocabulary to support children in making comparisons of quantity and size.

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who attend

Flexible planning ensures that activities link with children's interests and their experiences at home. This accommodates children's views and provides for their individual needs. Staff evaluate the effectiveness of planned experiences at the end of each week and plan future activities based on the progress children have made. Consequently, children are always provided with challenging activities that help them meet their next steps in learning. Parents are provided with daily information about what their children have enjoyed at pre- school. They also share with staff their own ideas for additional experiences that will enhance their children's learning during the week. Comprehensive information is gathered from parents to establish children's starting points and staff complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, which documents children's ongoing achievements and areas where they need support. Assessments of children's age and

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who attend

stage of development are used effectively to track individual children's progress on a termly basis. These are monitored and discussed with the manager to ensure they reflect an accurate picture of children's current achievements. However, not all parents are given the opportunity to review these assessments with staff early on as the pre-school does not review children's learning journals with parents during their first term. Consequently, parental engagement is not maximised to the full.

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who attend

The manager and special educational needs co-ordinator work together to ensure that children with additional needs benefit from planned interventions. Children whose progress is less than expected, are identified early on through careful observations and regular staff discussion. Where appropriate, staff seek support and advice from outside agencies. Regular meetings with partner agencies ensure that clear and achievable targets are agreed with parents and professionals. As a result, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make rapid progress given their starting points. Children with English as an additional language are also well supported. There is a strong focus on developing children's communication and language throughout the pre-school. Children express themselves confidently to adults and are beginning to develop good conversational skills. All staff are learning to use sign language which means children who

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who attend

are less confident with English are provided with visual clues to support them during changes in pre-school routines.

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

Staff provide a welcoming and caring environment, which means children settle quickly and their emotional needs are met well. Procedures for settling in are tailored to meet the individual needs of children and families. Staff support parents in completing documentation, where needed. They find out and learn new words in other languages to ensure that children who are learning English as an additional language are able to ask for things they need. The key-person system is given careful thought to ensure that staff's skills are matched with the needs of children in the setting. Toys and equipment in the physical environment are easily accessible to all children, which ensures they are confident to initiate their own play and learning. Where possible, additional resources are purchased when these are key in meeting individual children's needs. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how to support different learning styles. Consequently, children are well

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

supported in all activities. For instance, children who do not cope well with others in close proximity, still enjoy story time in the busy outdoor area because staff make good use of a physical barrier to provide a feeling of security. Consequently, all children are very well supported as consideration is given to help them settle, form strong bonds with staff and maximise their enjoyment at the pre-school.

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

Children behave well because all staff adopt consistent strategies for promoting positive behaviour. Staff act as good role models, as they demonstrate a calm and considered approach towards children. They work well as a team, intervening swiftly where children's actions are likely to have a negative impact on the safety or learning of others. For example, where children join others in making marks in the outdoor area, staff support individual children to use the resources in a way that does not hinder other children who are already engaged in early writing. Staff give children responsibilities and reward them with praise when they succeed. Children's self-care and independence skills are encouraged as they lay the table and pour their own drinks. They scrape their plates and clear away their own crockery. Staff ensure good hygiene practices are consistently followed as children are reminded to wash their hands at key times throughout the day.

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

Children benefit from a healthy diet and access to drinking water or milk throughout the session. They have immediate access to a designated outdoor area and use of a local allotment, which means they benefit daily from fresh air and exercise.

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

Parents report that their children are prepared well for school as a result of close links between the pre-school and school staff. Children from the pre-school attend regular events in the adjacent school throughout the year, including assemblies and a teddy bear's picnic in the summer. One of the boundary fences for the outdoor area is removed towards the end of the summer term. This allows children to free-flow into the outdoor space for the reception class and they become familiar with this new environment. School staff visit the pre-school regularly, and consequently, children get to know trusted adults for the next stage in their learning. With consent, pre-school staff share summaries and records of development and learning with the school in the summer term. This enables school staff to plan appropriately, based on sound knowledge of children's abilities and their interests before they start school.

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provision

The management team and all staff demonstrate good knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are kept up to date with safeguarding procedures through training, and regular discussions during staff meetings. This means that all staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities in keeping children safe. Safer recruitment practices and Disclosure and Barring Service checks for staff ensure that adults working with children are suitable to do so. The manager provides regular one to one sessions with her staff, when they are able to raise any areas of concern and seek support in carry out their roles and responsibilities. Staff place a high importance on children's health and safety. They protect children through the use of thorough risk assessments and daily checks to ensure hazards in the environment are minimised. A high staffing ratio ensures that children receive good levels of supervision

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provision

and the deployment of staff is always effective in meeting their needs. Stringent safety measures adopted by staff during arrival and departure times, are highly effective in keeping children safe. Staff follow procedures to protect children who may be at risk of harm, including record keeping and attendance at multi-agency meetings as required.

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provision

Staff make use of the close proximity of the local Children's Centre to work together for families. The manager has forged good links with other local providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage, including local childminders. Regular opportunities to share information with other providers about children's development and learning are valued. Children's progress is effectively monitored and the manager ensures that the pre-school provides a full educational programme in line with the learning and development requirements. The manager also attends local network meetings and has developed effective partnerships with other private providers in the area. Where children are attending more than one setting, opportunities to collaborate and support children's learning are fostered well. Ongoing communication between parents and staff is supported effectively through the use of a home to pre-school communication book. The majority of parents use this book

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provision

on a daily basis to record their observations and to inform staff of children's special events at home. There is also regular dialogue between staff and parents as they pick up from pre-school. There is a clear procedure in place for any parent who wishes to make a complaint so that any issues are efficiently addressed. There is also a parent management committee for the pre-school, with key members providing regular contact and liaison with staff.

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provision

All staff seek out and plan training opportunities to enhance their practice, which has a positive impact on children's learning and development. Staff are encouraged to gain further qualifications and the manager has recently completed a Level 5 qualification in order to develop her leadership and management of the pre-school. The manager has regular opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and observe practice as she works directly alongside staff for the majority of the week. She draws on her observations and supervision sessions with staff to discuss and plan any areas where staff might need some support. For example, staff have requested training to develop their skills in dealing with children's challenging behaviour. Staff with particular skills and areas of expertise are encouraged to support the practice of colleagues. For example, staff who have attended training in communication and language, cascade their knowledge and share planned

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provision

activities to support children's development. The manager has begun to update the pre- school self-evaluation online and this is informed by feedback from parents. Recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed fully. The manager has a clear vision for the direction of the pre-school based on current strengths and areas where the provision might be improved. This is achieved with input from the staff and the committee and is translated into a comprehensive improvement plan, which is then updated regularly as a working document. This promotes the continual development of the pre-school for the benefit of the children who attend.

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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 EY411679 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 851209

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 24 Name of provider Caythorpe Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 12/07/2011 Telephone number 07952990710

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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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