Victoria Park Hall Pre School

Victoria Park Hall Pre School Park Hall, Victoria Park, RAWMARSH, Rotherham, S62 7HJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/11/2014 03/01/2012

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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 provide a stimulating and well-resourced, high quality environment that meets the needs of all children. Consequently, they make very good progress in their learning.  Staff have a clear understanding of their responsibility to protect children in their care and as a result, they are kept safe.  Staff value the partnership working between parents and other professionals and provide many opportunities to regularly share children's progress and achievements. As a result, continuity in children's care and learning needs are well embedded.  Caring and sensitive staff provide a nurturing environment. This gives children a strong sense of belonging and promotes their well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasion, some staff do not always organise group times to effectively support and focus the attention of younger children to ensure they are fully engaged and motivated in their learning experience.  The programme for staff development does not yet ensure that some of the more outstanding aspects of practice is shared consistently across the pre-school.  Staff do not always make available opportunities for children to create and make music in the outdoor environment, so that their creative experiences are more fully enhanced.

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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 voluntary and compulsory parts 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 pre-school and talked with staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and evidence of suitability and training of all staff members.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including risk assessments, the complaints policy and safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and comments written in the parents suggestions book.  The inspector spoke to children during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Victoria Park Hall Pre School was registered in 2011 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the grounds of Victoria Park in the Park Hall premises, in Rawmarsh, Rotherham and is privately owned. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 8.30am until 11.30am and 12.15pm until 3.15pm. There are currently 41 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs

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

 review group time to support younger children more effectively, for example, by providing richer resources to engage their interest during story time so they can enjoy an even more interactive learning experience

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

 enhance the staff development programme, so that it is more precisely targeted and enables all staff to develop high levels of expertise to enable children to reach the highest levels of achievement

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

 extend and promote children's love of making music and sounds in the outdoor environment to further support and enhance their creative development and listening skills.

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who attend

Children are encouraged to make independent choices through a range of interesting and challenging activities. Each area of learning and development is implemented through planned, purposeful play and through an appropriate mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Staff have a high level of awareness regarding children's emerging needs and interests and guide their development through effectively organised and thoughtfully resourced environments. For example, staff set up a veterinary surgery and encourage children to take on the different roles. They have opportunities to cooperatively interact with each other; they organise a waiting list to see the vet, make telephone appointments with the receptionist and talk about their pet's injuries. As a result, children make good progress across all areas of learning. Children show a keen interest in the activities provided. They return to and engage in projects supported by staff who have a secure

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who attend

understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The quality of the teaching is very good. Staff have a strong emphasis on the three prime areas of learning during children's initial settling-in period. They build on what children already know and develop very close links with parents. Staff are friendly, warm and welcoming and this supports children to settle well. They support and encourage children to be actively involved in preparation for circle time. For example, a small group of older children follow simple instructions and get out enough resources for all children to be actively involved. However, some of the resources used do not always support younger children's interest and engagement with the story. As a result, some younger children lose focus in the activity. Staff use effective methods, such as open-ended questions to support children to independently problem solve and use simple mathematics throughout their play. Consequently, children practice

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who attend

skills that will support them in their future learning.

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who attend

Staff have worked hard to develop very strong partnerships with parents. Information is regularly shared through a variety of effective methods, including daily verbal communication and parents' meetings. Parents are encouraged to share learning from home through communication books and staff use this information to effectively support children's progress in the pre-school. This means there is shared knowledge about children and a complete picture of their learning and development is obtained. Consequently, children are helped to make good progress in all areas of learning and development. Key persons complete ongoing observation and assessment of children and plan for their next steps in learning. Planning is tailored to individual children's emerging needs and is shared across the staff team, so that they all have a good understanding of children's progress. Staff are very well organised and place a high priority on supporting children with special

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who attend

educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. This means that children receive timely interventions to support their continued learning. As a result, all children make good progress.

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who attend

Staff are fully committed to supporting children's language development. They work at the children's level, listen carefully to their conversations and repeat and build on children's thoughts and ideas. Children are provided with a wide range of interesting activities that help them develop early writing skills. For example, they use sand trays with glitter to draw and make marks. They self-register when entering the pre-school and when accessing the snack table. This is simplified for the younger children who begin to take notice of their name through identifying a picture. Consequently, children recognise that letters have meaning. The pre-school have dedicated zones which cover all areas of learning. Children are free to explore and investigate each area independently and encouraged to use their imagination when moving items between the zones. As a result, children learn to try out their own play ideas and gain confidence to explore

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who attend

independently. Staff undertake the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. They work in partnership with parents to identify children's next steps and share children's progress effectively. As a result of the continuity of care and learning, children develop key skills and make good progress relative to their individual starting points.

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

Staff fully understand the importance of supporting children when making healthy lifestyle choices. Snack time is seen as a very social occasion, which children benefit from greatly by sitting and chatting about their day and what they have been doing. Children discuss what they are eating and where it comes from. They join in with staff when they look at the weather and talk about what sort of clothing they will need to wear for outdoor play. Children are encouraged to choose their own snack from a selection of fruit and raw vegetables. They know the routine of getting their own milk or water and removing their dirty dishes once they have finished. Consequently, independence skills are promoted exceptionally well. Very good hygiene practice takes place as children are encouraged to wash their hands before eating food and after messy play. Children use the outdoor environment all year and enjoy activities using sand and construction role play. They dig

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

enthusiastically, making mud cakes and use the bicycles and static equipment. This helps them to develop their coordination and balance as they gain an understanding of taking risks in a safe environment. Children independently seek out the music corner indoors and display great pleasure in listening to and creating their own sounds. However, there are fewer opportunities to create and make music for themselves in the outdoor environment. Therefore, children's interest in creating their own music and sounds is not always provided for. The location of the pre-school means that children experience nature daily and they often explore the surrounding parkland. Staff at the pre-school encourage parents to join them on nature trails and parents comment on how much their children enjoy the outdoor environment. As a result, children learn that outdoor activities take place all year round and gain first-hand experiences of the changing seasons.

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

Staff support the move between home and the pre-school very well. They appreciate the benefits of working closely with parents to obtain comprehensive and detailed information prior to children starting. They invite parents into the pre-school over several sessions and encourage a planned separation over time. The effective key-person system helps children to develop a strong bond and feel self-assured and ready to learn in their new environment. Staff understand that children have different needs and the flexibility of the settling-in routines are timed to meet the needs of each individual child. This ensures that children are emotionally ready for their move into pre-school. Parents are extremely proud of their children's achievements and praise staff for the time and support they give each of them individually.

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

Children's achievement are celebrated daily. Their wow moments are shared with parents and children's work is displayed, giving them a sense of belonging and self-worth. Resources are stored, so that children can access them independently and play zones are very well defined and organised. This allows children to make their choices about play, use their imagination and play with their friends. As a result, children enjoy their time, show confidence and are actively engaged in a range of good quality learning activities. In addition, children are polite and friendly and follow the good role models that staff demonstrate. Children are positively encouraged and praised for taking turns and sharing throughout their play by staff being consistent in their expectations. This effective way of reinforcing and managing children's good behaviour means that all children behave well and follow the simple pre-school rules. As a result, children quickly learn what is expected

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

of them and develop a good awareness of right and wrong.

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provision

The leadership and management team have a very good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Recruitment and induction procedures are effective, with suitability checks carried out to make sure staff are appropriate to work with children. Staff attend safeguarding and child protection training and have a very good knowledge of how to implement the pre-school procedures regarding concerns or allegations against a member of staff. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures are shared with parents as children start at the pre-school. All staff hold paediatric first-aid qualifications and they are deployed effectively to ensure that children are supervised at all times. Staff ensure that external gates are locked and the entrance is staffed to receive children and parents. The identity of visitors is checked and there are clear boundaries around the use of mobile

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provision

telephones and cameras. These procedures ensure that there is no unauthorised access to children and as a result children are kept safe.

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provision

The manager monitors the planning and delivery of the educational programmes effectively to ensure that children are provided with interesting and enjoyable activities. Children have the use of good quality resources and are supported by highly qualified staff that are enthusiastic and caring. The management team ensure that effective strategies are in place to support children that have lower starting points, and these children quickly make swift progress. The manager is very well organised and has implemented a highly effective system of staff supervision and evaluation of teaching practice. Although, this system is in its infancy and has not yet had enough time to ensure that some of the more outstanding teaching practice is being shared across the staff team. Staff meet on a regular basis and have developed an action plan of improvements to extend and enhance their practice, in order to ensure that children access the best possible teaching and

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provision

The manager and staff work extremely well with parents and engage them in many activities and trips that take place. Parents have a dedicated noticeboard, which informs them of events and reminders about groups that take place at the pre-school. There are pictures of the teaching staff identifying them as children's key-persons. This helps parents to make connection to the pre-school and supports the move from the home. Parents comment that they really enjoy being able to stay and share in their child's learning. Staff hold regular consultation meetings where they share children's progress, achievements and daily experiences with parents. They support children's care and learning needs extremely well and this joint approach ensures that all children thrive. Teachers from the local primary schools visit the pre-school on many occasions and build strong relationships with children that are making the transition for their next stage of

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provision

learning. This close partnership working ensures that all children's needs are effectively being met. The pre-school seeks advice from their local authority support worker and encourage staff to access additional training courses in order to develop their skills. As a result, practice is continually improving as the manager is motivated and strives to develop the provision further.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary 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 EY426276 Local authority Rotherham Inspection number 874487

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 41 Name of provider Vicky Hallbrook Date of previous inspection 03/01/2012 Telephone number 01709 524302

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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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