Little Robins Pre-school

Little Robins Little Robins, Robin Hoods Walk, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 9LQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/11/2014 10/02/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff build warm relationships with children and guide their behaviour effectively. Planned adult-led activities link directly to children's next steps for learning, which helps to promote children's development.  Staff understand and implement the pre-school's safeguarding procedures effectively. Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment. As a result, they are kept free from harm and protected at all times.  Parents are kept suitably informed of their child's learning and development. Information is shared that ensures children's needs are met.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff have not kept a record of physical interventions used to avert personal injury. This is a breach of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The quality of teaching is variable during child-led play. Not all staff consistently challenge or focus on children's individual needs to fully support their learning.  Children are not fully supported to lead a healthy lifestyle. They are not encouraged to make healthy choices for themselves at mealtimes, and routines minimise the time they have to go outdoors to play.  Staff do not consistently implement procedures to help children to settle in. They do not always take full account of children's emotional needs and the impact of any disruption to other children.

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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 two main playrooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation and held a meeting with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and interacted with children throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Little Robins was registered in 2003 at its current location, but has been active since 1976. It is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a mobile building on the grounds of Park Academy Primary School in Boston, Lincolnshire. It is managed by a private committee. The pre-school operates from two playrooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term time only. Sessions are from 7.45am until 8.45am for the breakfast club, 8.45am until 11.45am for the morning session and 12pm until 3pm for the afternoon session. Children are able to stay for full daycare through the lunch period. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 50 children on roll who are in the early years age

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Information about the setting

group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 ensure a record is kept of any occasion where physical intervention is used, and make sure that parents and/or carers are informed of any incident on the same day

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must:

 raise the quality of teaching so that children are consistently offered purposeful play experiences that are challenging and focused on each individual child's needs, with particular regard to child-initiated play.

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

 review the routines so that children's healthy lifestyles are maximised, with particular regard to mealtimes and going outside to play

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

 improve the settling-in procedures to ensure that they are consistently implemented with children's needs central to the process, all year round.

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who attend

Overall, children are making sound progress towards the early learning goals. Most staff have a firm understanding of how children of different ages learn and develop and, overall, the teaching strategies they use are appropriate. They observe and assess children's learning as they play and use this information to identify the next steps in each child's learning. Staff use the information effectively to inform the planned adult-led activities. However, within free play, staff do not always use this knowledge to enhance children's learning or extend their play. As a result, some children do not receive consistent levels of challenge or activities that are sharply focused towards their needs. For example, no adaptations were made to enhance an activity about counting and number skills for children who are advanced with number recognition. This means that not all activities are sufficiently challenging, as staff do not ensure they focus on children's

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who attend

Staff provide a bright and well-organised learning environment that supports all children to make choices and direct their own learning. Staff also respond to children's requests for activities promptly and children can follow their own interests. However, the quality of teaching is variable. For example, staff set up a painting activity requested by the children. The children are asked what colour paint they would like, but have the paint poured out for them, even when they try to do so for themselves. Children ask for red and yellow paint, but the opportunity to investigate if the children know how to colour mix is not explored. The manager role models some good practice but the session time runs out and the activity comes to an end. Consequently, learning is not maximised as not all staff are as skilled at developing learning opportunities as others.

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who attend

Despite the inconsistencies in teaching practice, the children enjoy their time at the setting. They participate in a suitable range of activities which cover all areas of their learning and development. For example, in the garden staff encourage children to investigate a pool of water left by the rain in a container. Children use sticks to move the water around, learning new vocabulary as they discuss how the water 'swishes, splashes and swirls' as they incorporate differing arm movements. They explore what happens when they put leaves in the water and collect some in a wheelbarrow, counting as they collect. Staff provide appropriate levels of support as they interact with children, repeating back their descriptive words and encouraging them to investigate. Staff also support children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to develop their language skills. For example, they include many

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who attend

words in the children's home languages, use hand and facial gestures when speaking and have displays of children's home languages around the pre-school.

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who attend

Staff lead singing and rhyme activities to teach children about letter sounds and to encourage their listening skills. These activities successfully support children's development in communication and language. Each child has a learning record which contains observations, along with photographs of them at play. Parents are invited to review their child's record. Staff are aware of the importance to complete the progress check for children aged between two and three years, and this is shared with parents. As a result, parents are kept suitably informed of their child's learning and development.

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

Children benefit from kind and caring staff. Settling-in visits for children who start at the beginning of a term are effective and support their emotional security. However, for some children that begin mid-term the settling-in visits are not used. On these occasions, children find settling in and separating from their carer difficult. Staff are sensitive to this and cuddle, coax and spend their time supporting these children. However, there is a negative impact for other children as staff cannot then consistently support other children in the room with their learning and development needs. Consequently, the settling-in procedure is not fully effective as it is not consistently applied. Parents are asked to provide some information about their child's individual interests on entry and the setting has an effective key-person system, which helps children to form secure attachments. Once settled, children demonstrate their feeling of security as they happily interact with

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

staff and seek them out for a cuddle when needed.

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

Children's behaviour is managed positively. Staff act as positive role models and work hard to support children to play and learn together, helping them to develop control over their actions. For example, staff remind young children to be kind and caring towards one another and explain why certain behaviours are not acceptable. As a result, children are beginning to accept the needs of others, to share and take their turn. This helps children to form friendships, and prepares them well for the move to school and for their future learning. Staff successfully promote children's understanding of personal safety. For example, staff explain why it is not safe to climb on benches outside and why children cannot use the climbing frame in wet weather.

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

Children are encouraged to develop their self-care skills as they put on and take off their own coats and shoes. At snack time they pour their own drinks and at lunchtime, if they have a banana, they are supported in using a knife to cut it into pieces. Staff teach children about healthy lifestyles well as they talk about foods that are good for them. During the year children are involved in growing, preparing and eating their own vegetables. They are provided with an appropriate range of nutritious snacks and have opportunities to take regular drinks. This promotes children's growth and ensures they remain hydrated and comfortable. However, at lunch and snack times the children have no independent say or choice in what they eat. Staff give them plates and then set out what they can eat. When they have finished, staff give them further food. In this way, the children do have the healthier options first, but are limited in learning to make those

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

Although children have daily access to the outside area, their time outside is not maximised as the routine for going out is cumbersome, with too much time is spent on organising children prior to going out. For example, the children spend time putting on their coats and then have to sit or line up until everyone is lined up to go out. Staff keep children busy, singing songs as they wait, but this goes on for quite some time as some children need more support than others to be ready. Consequently, time is wasted and the routine fails to meet the needs of a number of children who are keen to be outside. Sound attention to hygiene practices is evident at all times and children's care needs are appropriately met.

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provision

The inspection was prioritised following concerns being raised about safeguarding issues not being thoroughly assessed, children's relatives not being contacted immediately following an injury and staff inappropriately handling children's behaviour. The inspection found that the manager has a great deal of experience and knowledge regarding child protection procedures. She refers concerns to the correct agencies and works in partnership with them to support children and their families. She also ensures that staff are made aware that they can go directly to the local authority if they feel management have not acted appropriately. There is a full and comprehensive safeguarding policy in place to underpin practice. Consequently, safeguarding procedures are well understood and all staff know what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare. The inspection also found that accident records confirm that parents are informed immediately of any

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provision

head injuries. Where parents request children stay at the pre-school after a bump, staff ensure children are regularly monitored. If there is any deterioration, they advise parents to collect them. All staff have current first-aid training, ensuring injuries can be dealt with straight away by any staff member. Staff also deal appropriately with children's behaviour. They remind children to behave nicely and intervene where their actions may cause harm to another child or to themselves. The inspection found that an incident occurred where staff acted to prevent a repeat of a previous choking incident. This resulted in a physical intervention taking place. The parents were informed on the same day of each separate incident, however, no record was made on either occasion of the physical intervention that was used. This is a breach of legal requirements of the Early Years Register. However, there was a limited impact on children's well-being as parents were informed as required.

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provision

Arrangements for keeping children safe within the setting are effective. For example, the manager and committee follow appropriate recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Thorough risk assessments are completed and staff take effective steps to help keep children safe, such as locking the gates to the outdoor play area when it is in use, to ensure children are secure. The children are supervised well at all times and staff are vigilant, ensuring that they play safely. The manager and committee are aware of their role to inform Ofsted of any significant incidents or changes to the provision. They are positive about working with the authorities to ensure children's well-being is effectively promoted. Partnerships with parents are sound. Parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection comment positively about the care and learning provided. Strategies are in place to communicate with parents

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provision

for whom English is an additional language. Relationships with local schools are good and this supports the children when it is time to move on to school. Staff work closely with outside agencies, such as speech and language therapists, to support children with communication difficulties.

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provision

The pre-school has had a challenging time since the end of the last term with staff recruitment and retention. Half of the staff team has changed, with a number of new staff only having started very recently. This has meant that the manager and deputy have been working directly with the children and some of their monitoring and evaluating role has been less of a priority. The influx of new staff and limited monitoring have had a detrimental impact on children's learning in particular. The quality of teaching is variable and activities are not always effectively enhanced or challenging to ensure the individual needs of all children are met at all times. In addition, the pre-school has had an increased number of children aged three years and above this academic year. The manager is still trialling ways to accommodate them all fairly and in a way that meets all children's needs. The manager is very knowledgeable about how children learn and she role models good

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provision

practice well to new staff. There is a system for staff supervision and appraisals in place. These are meaningful and concentrate on improving practice. This means that staff are making strides forward in their personal development as they receive appropriate support and are encouraged to attend training. This has a positive impact on children's learning and welfare. The manager demonstrates the ability and drive to identify and make improvements and has worked hard to overcome the staffing issues. As such, the pre- school has a good capacity to improve and drive up standards.

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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 EY270955 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 998509

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 34 Number of children on roll 50 Name of provider Little Robins Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 10/02/2011 Telephone number 07906 747077

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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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