Hainford Pre-School Learning Alliance

Hainford Pre-School Learning Alliance Hainford Village Hall, Hall Road, Hainford, NORWICH, Norfolk, NR10 3LX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/11/2014 09/02/2009

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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

 Good priority has been given to developing an understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, and policies and practices are effective in ensuring the safety and well-being of children.  The pre-school is very welcoming and families feel that their children are happy, safe and making good progress in all areas of their learning.  Children form secure emotional attachments with staff and show high levels of confidence and independence.  There is a well-resourced environment both indoors and outdoors, which promotes all areas of learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always provide sufficient opportunities for children to gain awareness of other cultures and beliefs as there are few resources that show differences and similarities.

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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 children playing in both the indoor and outdoor environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with committee members, the supervisor, staff and children at appropriate times through the inspection

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journals and a selection of the setting's policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of all adults working with children and the setting's self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through questionnaires and those spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Hainford Pre-School Learning Alliance was registered in 1963 on the Early Years Register and is run by a voluntary committee. It is situated in Hainford, north Norwich. The pre- school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from Hainford village hall and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one at level 2. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term times, from 9.30am until 12.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 29 children on roll and are all in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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

 enhance children's awareness of other cultures and beliefs, for example, by providing more resources that show positive images of other cultures.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and plan a very balanced educational programme linked to children's interests and development. For example, children bring toy knights to pre-school to play with and talk about. Staff respond and provide a castle for children to act out their stories and fantasies with their figures. Visitors are invited to tell children about their jobs. When a visitor from a visually impaired association shares her experiences, it encourages children to learn about their senses. Staff provide resources for children to make noisy shakers, which helps them learn about hearing. They add fruit smells to the malleable dough, which engages them to use their noses to smell with. Resources are borrowed from the local toy library, which reflect people with disabilities. They play with a child-sized wheelchair and understand that sometimes children cannot walk. However, although

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who attend

different cultures are sometimes celebrated with children, such as Diwali, staff do not always provide sufficient opportunities for children to gain an awareness of other cultures, as there are few resources that reflect this. Children learn about families who are less fortunate than theirs are as they donate food to the church to distribute at Harvest time. When they visit a sanctuary for horses, they adopt a horse and support its care during its time there.

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who attend

Children make good progress in relation to their starting points and capabilities, regardless of the length of time they have been in pre-school and how often they attend. Useful information is gathered about children's care and learning from parents before they start at pre-school. Initial assessments of children on entry enable children's next steps in learning to be identified. Observations and photographs of the children learning are shared with parents and stored in learning journals. Parents speak highly of their children's learning journals and say photographs show them how their children are developing, but also exemplifies the wide range of activities the children are engaged in. The supervisor and her staff work closely with parents and health visitors to confidently implement the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years and all the related documentation is in place. Tracking systems recommended to support children's

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who attend

communication and language skills, ensure gaps in this area of learning are quickly identified and planned for.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development is promoted very well throughout the pre-school. Books are displayed in a cosy area. Children are drawn to the area as they see twinkling lights and interactive visual stimulants. Children settle comfortably on cosy cushions, talking together and reading books. They choose books to take home and share with their families. Children enjoy choosing from a host of different pencils, crayons and pens and choose from a variety of papers to draw on and pictures to colour. Staff constantly talk to children as they play, asking them questions and modelling correct language. They continually speak directly to children and skilfully question them to encourage their thinking and problem-solving skills. For example, staff say, 'You have filled your shaker up. Do you think the lid will fit on it?' Children confidently use a variety of technological equipment. They talk into small machines, record their voice and confidently

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

Children play in warm, welcoming surroundings, which are well organised to promote their learning. They move freely from activity to activity independently and confidently choosing from a wealth of resources, which are easily accessible to them. Resources are presented and maintained to a high standard and entice children to explore and investigate enthusiastically. A key-person system is effective with strong attachments forming between staff, children and their families, and this promotes good levels of well-being. In addition, the supervisor and her staff know all children very well in this close-knit pre- school. Children are proud of their achievements and staff recognise their efforts by continually praising them. For example, children count legs on insects they have created with malleable dough. They count 'one, two, three, four, five, six.' Staff respond and say, 'brilliant counting,' and children beam with pride. Children are very well behaved and

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

respond to rules in the Golden Rule Book. It reminds them to share and be kind to their friends. They take turns on the slide and share resources at the craft table. They show familiarity with routines, taking responsibility as they tidy away resources enthusiastically.

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

Children are given good opportunities to develop their independence and recognise their own needs ready for starting school. For example, they recognise their names on name cards as they arrive at pre-school and use them to choose which peg to hang their coat on. They see their names again when they register themselves as they visit the snack bar. They confidently visit the bathroom, washing their hands before they have their snack. They serve themselves, choosing from a variety of fruits and confidently butter crackers. They pour their own drinks choosing milk or water. When they finish at the snack table they tidy away their plates and cups. Transition arrangements are in place with schools. Teachers visit children and invite them to spend time in school before the start of the term. Transition summaries of progress are shared with teachers, which include useful information about children's development and what their interests are. Important

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

information is also shared with other early years settings that children attend. This means that all parties work together for the best outcome for children.

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

Children spend time in the fresh air through daily outdoor play. An enclosed outdoor area has been developed with access from the playroom. The pre-school have secured a grant to provide additional access to outdoors, which will mean a much more direct link to the outdoors. Children play outdoors in all weathers and staff organise spontaneous activities on the wettest of days. For example, when a large puddle gathers after a period of heavy rain, children put on their wellington boots and play with different sizes of plastic frogs and ducks. They marvel as they float on the puddle. Staff enhance this experience and provide hooking sticks. Children hook ducks and are surprised to see numbers written on them; they tell staff which number they can see. Children have a host of daily opportunities outdoors to make independent choices of resources to suit all areas of learning. Children grow vegetables, herbs and flowers. They play on the beach, which is a

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

very large floor- level sand pit, and sit on diggers and move the sand. Children feed the birds and watch quietly as birds visit their feeder. Children are provided with a very safe environment in which to play, and gain an understanding of how to keep themselves safe through routine procedures, such as fire drills. Parents say, 'At lunch time, I always collect a happy child.'

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provision

Leadership and management is very good because there is a strong commitment to providing a high quality provision for all children. They are supported by a relatively new, but already pro-active, committee. The committee monitors the work of the pre-school; they raise funds through social events and purchase good quality resources to extend children's learning and development. The committee understands their roles and responsibilities because they attend training. The supervisor understands her overall responsibility and ensures safeguarding and welfare requirements are implemented. Staff have undertaken the required safeguarding training and are aware of the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child in their care. Parents are advised of the pre-school's safeguarding policy and have further information provided on a noticeboard. A range of other policies and procedures to support the effective running of

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provision

the setting are also shared with parents by a variety of means, including the pre-school's website. This means parents are clear about the care provided.

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provision

Children's safety is given very high priority. Regular risk assessments are undertaken and routinely reviewed alongside daily checks ensuring the children are always safe at pre- school. Parents say they feel extremely happy with the care and level of activities. Information needed to support children's welfare is sought at the time of registration. This includes medical information, ethnicity, and parental consent for such things as taking photographs. Robust recruitment procedures are in place, which means that only those suitable to work with children are appointed. Staff are competently monitored and supported by the committee and supervisor. A system of appraisals and regular supervision meetings is established ensuring all staff feel valued and supported. Training is attended by staff to support children's individual needs and family backgrounds, to ensure they are fully promoted.

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provision

The setting is part of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and values the support this offers. Self-evaluation is embedded, ensuring that areas for improvement are realistic and enhance children's experiences at pre-school. Parents' views are sought through questionnaires and evaluated, and this contributes to ensure there is a clear vision for the future for all parties. For example, parents asked for more information about daily activities and snacks eaten, so staff prepare a written notice at the end of the morning detailing this. Information is shared at informal coffee mornings, text messages and a newly promoted website. The pre-school promotes partnership working with a variety of professionals to ensure the outcome for all children is maximised. Due to the success of the pre-school, the committee and staff have consulted with parents and a decision has been made to offer some afternoon sessions next term.

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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 254094 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 866830

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 29 Name of provider Hainford Pre-School Learning Alliance Committee Date of previous inspection 09/02/2009 Telephone number 07896202657

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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

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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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