Jellytots Pre-School

Jellytots Playgroup Brookfield School, Cartwright Drive,Shaw, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 5SB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/11/2014 10/02/2009

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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

 Staff have warm interactions with children in this friendly pre-school. They sensitively help children to settle easily and develop their confidence and independence, overall.  Staff assess children's development very effectively, so that they can plan the next steps in their learning. This means that children make good progress.  Staff have a good knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements which maintains the safety and well-being of children.  Children enjoy opportunities to play outside whenever they wish, where there is a good range of challenging toys and equipment.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although there are good systems to monitor staff practice overall, some staff do not always use open-ended questions, or 'think aloud' to challenge children's thinking and enable them to solve problems by themselves.

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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 toured the premises with the manager and held discussions with management and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a selection of policies, staff records, registers, planning and children's progress records.  The inspector observed staff and children during activities and routines.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to at the inspection.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector viewed the setting's self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Jellytots Playgroup opened from its current location in 2001. They are registered on the Early Years Register. The playgroup operates from a mobile classroom within the grounds of Brookfield Primary School, Swindon. There is disabled access to the front of the setting via a ramp to the front door. The group has very close relationships with the school and access to the large school grounds and other resources, as well as their own enclosed outdoor play area. The group is open each weekday during school term times. Sessions are from 8.45am to 11.45am and 12.30pm to 3.3pm. There are currently 45 early years aged children on roll. Of these, 35 children receive the free three and four-year-old funding for nursery education. The playgroup currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who learn to speak English as an additional language. The group employs six members of teaching staff. The manager

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Information about the setting

holds a foundation degree in early years. The administrator holds qualified teacher status and the other members of staff have appropriate qualifications at level 3.

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

 extend opportunities to monitor staff practice, to further improve the good interactions with children, so that staff use open-ended questions consistently and more effectively to help children think for themselves and solve problems independently.

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who attend

Children are motivated, active learners who make good progress in all aspects of their learning and development. Staff fully understand the characteristics of effective learning and create a stimulating environment for children, providing exciting materials for them to play with. The educational programmes reflect varied and imaginative experiences that meet the needs of all children well.

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who attend

Children are involved in a wide range of meaningful activities to develop their communication and language skills. For example, staff encourage children to develop them to listen to each other, taking turns to speak and this also develops their personal, social and emotional skills. Staff support children's thinking and problem solving well as they sensitively intervene to extend their learning. For example, staff encourage children to think about how to build a garage that is big enough for the toy car. Many staff model thinking aloud, using phrases such as 'I wonder if?'. This supports children to think critically and to sustain their interest when play does not turn out as they would expect. For example, children do not give up when they are finding it difficult balance blocks as they build a tower. However, staff are not consistent with this approach which results in missed opportunities to enhance children's learning. Children develop their physical skills

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who attend

in the outside play area. They balance, run, jump and ride on wheeled toys. Staff help children to develop their understanding of the world as they engage them in conversations about their experiences. Staff help children to develop their mathematical skills as they encourage them to count out loud in groups and on their own and as they design and assemble their own Lego models which involves identifying and looking at shapes. Staff provide mark making resources, throughout the setting, which children use daily. This enables them to develop their early writing skills and learn write for a purpose.

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who attend

Staff gather information from parents and complete observations when children begin to quickly establish children's starting points across all areas of learning. Assessments of children's progress and development are continual. This results in accurate information for next steps, supporting children's ongoing learning. Consequently, teaching is effective in challenging children, so that they make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff work closely with advice from outside professionals, as necessary, to enhance and support children's learning. Children for whom English is an additional language receive extremely good support as staff work closely with parents, for example by recording the correct pronunciation of common words. This means that staff support children's developing language well. Children make very good progress because of this.

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who attend

Parents contribute to an initial assessment that supports children's ability to settle quickly into the pre-school from home. Conversations with parents confirm they are very happy with the level of communication and they feel involved in their children's learning. Overall, the pre-school prepares children well for their move to school

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

The key-person system is effective and sensitive to the needs of all children. As a result, children demonstrate secure attachments and this promotes a good level of well-being. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence and self-esteem. They move freely around the pre-school, cooperate with their friends, and are keen to share their activities with staff.

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

Children take part in different social situations, which develops their confidence. They experience listening in a larger group and they take part in co-operative circle games, which helps them to learn valuable social skills and turn taking. Staff provide clear explanations to help children learn to manage their behaviour and the boundaries in the setting. Children listen attentively to instructions and staff remind them to share toys with each other. They enthusiastically help to tidy away, which shows they are displaying a good awareness of responsibility within the nursery. They receive positive support and praise for their achievements. This helps to motivate children in their learning and boosts their confidence. Children are progressing well as they are encouraged to be independent as they put on their own coats, select their own wellington boots when they play outside. This helps them prepare for change and increases their confidence in coping with changes

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

in daily routines, in readiness for school.

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

Children energetically join in with physical exercise, such as, when playing outside. This provides children with firm foundations for developing a healthy lifestyle. The well- resourced environment and knowledgeable practitioners supports children's development well and promotes their growing independence skills. This is especially important as children become older and prepare to move into school. The pre-school is supporting children's progression well because they provide a stimulating learning environment to cater for their all-round development and emotional well-being.

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

Children begin to develop good self-help skills, such as, washing their hands before eating snack. They have healthy choices at snack time, as they enjoy a wide variety of fresh fruit and with milk or water. This also provides a positive social opportunity where children sit with friends and staff to eat. Children have opportunities to increase their independence even further, by serving themselves with food or pouring their own drinks. Children are active throughout the day, both indoors and outdoors. Safety within the pre-school is of paramount importance. Robust risk assessments and high adult ratios minimise risks to children. Children are developing a sense of how to manage risks themselves. For example, they are aware that they need to be careful, as the climbing and balancing equipment may be slippery outside because of the rain.

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provision

The manager leads a well-established team who work effectively together and understand the learning and development, and safeguarding and welfare requirements. Staff are attentive to maintaining children's good health. Hygiene standards are good as adults follow well-established cleaning routines, for example, they disinfect tables at mealtimes. Staff supervision of children's play is effective in ensuring that children are always within sight and sound. All of the staff team attend regular training in key areas such as safeguarding children. They demonstrate a strong understanding of what to do if they have any concerns about children in their care. There are effective systems for recording accidents and dietary requirements and practitioners are clear about these procedures. When children have special dietary requirements practitioners make sure they understand what they are and provide suitable drinks and snacks for children. Staff complete focused

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provision

risk assessments to monitor the safety of the environment. These maintain the safety and well-being of children.

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provision

There are good relationships with parents as they work together with practitioners to meet the individual requirements of children. The manager carries out regular supervisions and appraisals of staff. She discusses strengths and weaknesses to support them in improving their knowledge and skills. Staff attend training courses and cascade information back to the team. However, there are occasional inconsistencies in staff practice, particularly in relation to the use of open-ended questioning. As a result, staff sometimes miss opportunities to maximise children's learning and development, by enabling them to think for themselves and solve problems in different ways. Self-evaluation takes into account the views of staff, parents and children. Staff are confident to share their ideas and focus on areas for improvement. For example, they are focusing on creating more communication friendly spaces around the pre-school.

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provision

Strong partnerships with parents contribute to a coordinated approach to children's care and learning. Staff exchange relevant information on a daily basis, so that parents know about the care offered. Well-planned educational programmes ensure that children have opportunities to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The staff's effective assessment methods enable quick identification of children's unique requirements, including any extra support. As a result, they meet children's needs well. The manager ensures that staff are effectively deployed to ensure that children are supervised at all times and she checks that each child's development is progressing well.

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provision

Children are developing confidence in their interactions with other children and adults, which prepares them for moving on. Partnerships with external agencies and other providers support children's progress. The manager and staff communicate with all other early years settings that children attend. They share good practice and make sure children receive consistency in their care. Links with the local school are particularly strong as they share the school site. A well-developed relationship with the local reception teacher means that children experience consistency in routines. They also spend time in the school for example attending assemblies and sports day and this supports their preparation for future school life.

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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 109042 Local authority Swindon Inspection number 839563 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 3 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Jellytots Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 10/02/2009 Telephone number 0791 3444 096

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Setting details

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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