Abbotsbrook Pre-School

Abbotsbrook Pre-School Abbotts Brook Hall, Marlow Road, BOURNE END, Buckinghamshire, SL8 5PQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/11/2014 29/09/2009

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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

 Children progress well in their learning and development as staff plan activities that reflect their interests and levels of development.  Staff support children's language development well. As a result, children are confident communicators.  Children behave well because staff have high expectations and are consistent in their approach to behaviour management.  Close working relationships with other professionals ensures children and families are well supported. This is especially evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Effective partnerships with parents help staff to meet children's individual needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Assessments provide a clear indication of children's individual abilities. However, this information is not always being used to form a precise picture of the rate of progress across the group to support staff in easily identifying any emerging gaps in development.  At times staff perform tasks for children that they are capable of doing themselves. This reduces their independence and development of self-help skills.

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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 children at play, indoors and outdoors, and staff interactions with them.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documents including policies, registers, and records of children's learning.  The inspector spoke to parents and took into account their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and manager conducted a joint observation.

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Information about the setting

Abbotsbrook Pre-School registered in 2006 and is privately owned. It operates from the Little Marlow Parish Hall in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9.15am to 3pm. On Thursday's the session ends at 12.15pm. Children attend a variety of half and full day sessions throughout the week. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 37 children on roll in the early years age group. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of early education for children aged two, three and four. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are six members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 reduce the amount of adult support offered to children at times to more fully develop their independence.

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

 evaluate further the assessments on children to reflect more precisely on the progress throughout the provision to promptly identify any emerging gaps in the progress of specific groups, such as more able children.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning and development because the quality of teaching is good. Staff regularly observe and assess children's achievements and plan appropriate next steps to support their learning. Planning reflects each child's needs and interests, and this means children are active and enthusiastic learners. Parents have regular termly updates of their children's development and this encourages them to support their learning at home. This includes a report of children's progress when they are two years of age.

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who attend

Staff consistently use good methods to encourage communication. This is one of the pre- schools strengths. For example, staff know to lower themselves to children's height when speaking to them and take care to model clear and well-structured sentences. Staff also make good use of advice from speech therapists, which enables them to effectively support children with language needs. Children take part in a broad range of activities and experiences throughout the day, both indoors and outside. For example, they are developing their early literacy and writing skills as they paint, use chalk and draw with a large variety of marker pens and pencils. Staff displays signs, words, numerals and shapes around the environment to develop children's interest in print, letters and numbers.

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who attend

Staff encourage children to freely explore the environment. Children confidently access the toys and resources that interest them and staff provide exciting and challenging learning opportunities. For example, despite very cold weather on the day of the inspection, children enjoyed counting how many jugs of warm water it would take to fill a large container while playing outside. Staff support learning by introducing appropriate mathematical vocabulary such as 'full', 'empty' and 'how many?'

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who attend

There are good arrangements to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. A designated staff member takes a lead role in this area and has attended additional training to support her to do this effectively. Close working relationships with parents and other professionals help to ensure children's needs are thoroughly met. There are also effective arrangements to support children who speak English as an additional language.

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who attend

Children receive good support as they prepare to move on to school. This includes visits to the pre-school by local teachers, as well as staff accompanying children on visits to their new school. Children's progress is clearly communicated through detailed reports on their learning and emotional needs. This ensures children move confidently from the pre-school to school.

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

The pre-school is friendly and welcoming and children experience high levels of care from kind and affectionate staff. The staff have close relationships with parents who speak highly of the care their children receive. Parents feel that staff are approachable and that communication between them is effective. They appreciate the individual attention their children receive and feel this contributes to them settling quickly and making good progress. Children form close relationships with staff and frequently approach them for attention. For example, children enjoy shared reading and cuddle into staff, looking at pictures and talking about the story.

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

Children behave well and staff effectively help them to understand how to monitor their own behaviour. For example, children know to use sand timers when they want to share a toy or go on the computer. This helps them to understand the importance of rules and being fair. Families who seek advice from their key person often adopt these strategies at home. This demonstrates a positive working relationship between home and the pre- school, which creates a supportive environment for children.

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

Children enjoy healthy snacks and discuss the importance of good nutrition as they eat. Children have good personal care skills such as washing their hands after toileting and before eating. Children have some opportunities to develop independence by pouring their own milk. However, at times staff do tasks, such as handing out plates and cups, which children are capable of doing themselves. This impacts on children's development of self- help skills.

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

Children's safety and well-being are a high priority for the staff. Regular health and safety checks of the premises, and robust risk assessments, help staff to keep hazards to a minimum. Children and staff regularly practise emergency evacuation procedures, supporting children's understanding of how to keep safe.

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

Staff work hard to create a calm and relaxed environment. They are good role models and have high expectations of the children. As a result, children demonstrate a good understanding of routines and expectations, giving them a strong sense of security.

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provision

Leadership and management of the pre-school is good. Staff work effectively together to create an efficient provision, which is continually improving. Ongoing self-evaluation accurately identifies the strengths and areas to develop. This process takes into account the views of the staff, parents and children.

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provision

The manager has a good understanding of the responsibility to promote children's learning and development. Staff track children's progress closely, which means they can quickly identify where individual children are not achieving as well as they should. However, they not always use this information to monitor the rate at which the group as a whole are progressing. This does not support them to easily identify any specific areas of development, or groups of children, that might benefit from additional, targeted support.

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provision

There are effective precautions to safeguard children. These include rigorous recruitment and vetting procedures. The manager takes lead responsibility for child protection and has attended training to support her in this role. Staff are aware of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about the welfare of a child in their care. There are appropriate written policies that include the process for staff to share any concerns about colleagues, as well as detailing the restrictions on the use of mobile phones and cameras.

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provision

The management team support staff well through regular appraisals and supervisions. These lead to clear targets and training opportunities, ensuring staff are continually improving their practice. All staff attend training in safeguarding and first aid. Regular team meetings supports communication and promote a consistent approach throughout the team.

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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 EY321563 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 834633 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 6 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Angela Fay Alice Gregg Date of previous inspection 29/09/2009 Telephone number 01628 531081

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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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