Alderley Edge Pre-School

Alderley Edge Pre-School Church Lane, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK9 7UZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/11/2014 20/01/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 3 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Teaching is outstanding as staff expertly support and extend children's learning at every opportunity. They encourage them to develop critical thinking skills and to become active learners. Consequently, children make excellent progress in all areas of their learning and development.  Children are emotionally secure in this vibrant and welcoming pre-school. This is because staff take the time to get to know their unique needs, through initial home visits and a highly effective key-person system.  Children are exceptionally well prepared for their next stage of learning in school. This is because staff enable them to become competent in their self-help skills, develop their skills in literacy and mathematics, and teach them about social behaviour in group situations.  Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding and how to protect children from harm. This is underpinned by ongoing training and the robust policies and procedures

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This provision is outstanding

that are in place, which are regularly reviewed and updated.  Leadership is inspirational. Meticulous self-evaluation and reflective practice ensures that staff, parents and children are all highly involved in the setting's continual improvement. Consequently, staff are highly motivated and have high aspirations for the children and all areas of the pre-school's practice.  Partnerships with parents are exceptional. As a result, opportunities for parents to share information about their children and to become actively involved within the pre- school are promoted continuously.

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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 activities and interactions between the staff and children in the main playroom, cloakroom and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and the chair of the pre-school committee and spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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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 suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the pre-school's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Alderley Edge Pre-School opened in 1976 and was registered in 1991 on the Early Years Register. It operates from a classroom in Alderley Edge Community Primary School, in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, and is run by a committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs six members of child care staff. Of these, the manager has Early Years Professional status, another member of staff has an early years degree at level 6 and three have level 3 early years qualifications. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, during term time. Sessions are from 8.45am until 3.15pm and are for children aged two years to five years. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 35 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two- three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of

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Information about the setting

children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school works closely with the host school.

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

 enhance the youngest children's concentration skills to their fullest potential, for example, through reviewing the timings during the day, to enable more individual groups to utilise the small room.

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who attend

Staff are highly experienced and enthusiastic, thoroughly enjoying their interactions with the children. They expertly support and extend children's learning and development at every opportunity, encouraging them to develop critical thinking skills and become active learners. An exceptionally varied range of activities and experiences are planned and provided for the children, both indoors and outdoors. These experiences are identified through innovative learning audits, which staff carry out throughout the day, observing how children are using the environment and resources. For example, staff observe the children posting items through the letter box in the role-play area door. As a result, they develop the role-play area into a post office with the children. This encourages the children to take on a range of roles and to develop their understanding about the different purposes for the post office. Through a learning audit outdoors, children are observed

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who attend

making 'soup' from resources they find outdoors. This prompts staff to provide a range of resources, such as soil and pebbles, to develop this interest further. Indoors, they provide flour, water and spices for the children to create different mixtures. The children use scales to weigh their ingredients, which staff use to enhance their mathematical understanding of weight and measure. Children's individual learning targets are excellently supported through focussed group times with their key-person. As a result, children make excellent progress in all areas of their learning and development.

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who attend

All staff are highly confident and knowledgeable about child development, and they competently assess children's progress to ensure that all areas of their learning and development are being provided for. Teaching is exceptional, as staff are constantly attuned to what the children are doing and when it is appropriate to intervene to support and extend their learning opportunities further. As a result, children are confident, motivated learners who are developing excellent skills for the future. Children's communication and language skills are superbly supported at all times. Staff provide excellent commentary and open-ended questions for children during their play, to engage children in practising their language skills. Focussed group times have a strong emphasis on listening and speaking skills. For example, staff implement an early language programme devised by speech and language therapists. This is highly successful in

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who attend

developing children's confidence and their communication abilities. However, there is scope to review how these sessions are delivered, to ensure that the youngest children are not distracted by other group activities taking place in the room at the same time. Staff are trained to use some sign language, and use many visual cues to help children communicate and understand. Books and reading materials from many cultures are readily available and children enjoy the one-to-one experience of sharing them with staff, or participating in group story time. Staff skilfully use tone and intonation as they tell stories and share books with children. The whole environment is rich in print and staff encourage children to draw and write, both inside and out in the garden, supporting children's developing literacy skills, in readiness for the next stage in their learning, such as school. Children use their creative skills and explore media during art and craft activities, where

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who attend

they have free access to paper, glue, scissors and pencils. Older children have daily letters and sounds sessions where staff introduce a different sound each week. Children identify the letter, repeat the sound and then identify objects which begin with the letter. They eagerly write the letter in the air with their finger, listening to the way that staff instruct them to form the letter. Staff then encourage the children to write the letter on individual whiteboards, to develop their writing skills. The system that staff use with the children is one that the children will continue to use when they move into the host school. Therefore, their literacy skills are excellently promoted and they are extremely well prepared for this next stage of their learning in school.

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who attend

Systems to assess children's starting points and ongoing progress are well-established, robust and include all those involved in their learning. Staff engage parents, carers and others in children's learning and development, providing regular opportunities to discuss children's needs and progress. They are fully aware of the requirement to provide parents with a progress check when their child is aged between two and three years, and complete these where necessary. Parents receive regular, highly comprehensive feedback helping them to feel included in their child's learning. For example, they are provided with both daily feedback through communication books and more detailed learning and development summaries periodically, showing them what their children have achieved. They are invited to attend parents' meetings with their child's key person on a regular basis and can view their child's learning journal at any time in the setting, or at home.

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who attend

Parents describe the pre-school as 'fantastic' and state that their children have 'come on leaps and bounds' in areas, such as social skills, language development and their understanding of letters and sounds. Observations, which parents have made at home of their children, or photographs showing them engaged in new skills or experiences, are enthusiastically received, contributing to both assessments and planning within the setting. In addition, parents have easy access to a wide range of information about activities and learning objectives within the setting. This extends to library books, and a range of communication and learning bags, which they are able to share with their children at home. Consequently, parents are fully included and are helped to understand how to further support their children's learning at home.

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

Children are emotionally secure in this vibrant and welcoming pre-school. This is because staff take the time to get to know their unique needs. Parents speak highly of the initial home visits, which staff from the pre-school arrange with parents, prior to children starting to attend. This enables relationships between the key person, children and parents to be initiated in an informal way, which parents state has supported their children to settle more easily into the pre-school. These visits also provide an opportunity for parents to share information about their child's individual care needs and specific interests and skills. Therefore, by the time children starts in the pre-school, staff have a good knowledge about the types of activities they will enjoy during their settling-in visits. During the settling in process, children develop excellent relationships with their key person, which provides them with a secure emotional base from which to develop their social skills

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

and confidence with other staff and children. When the time comes for children to move on to school, this is also excellently supported by the pre-school staff. Teachers from both the host school and other schools which children transfer to are welcomed into the pre- school to visit the children. This enables the staff to share information about each child's skills and interests, to support continuity of learning. Staff attend visits in the host school, alongside the children and their parents, so that the children have a familiar face to aid their confidence and sense of security. In addition, children eat their lunch in the school hall during the last term before leaving the pre-school, to familiarise themselves with this aspect of the school routine. As the pre-school is within a school environment, this prepares children extremely well for being part of a larger group of children and a school community.

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

Children develop excellent independence and self-help skills. They take care and pride in their environment as they look after the toys and resources. When calm music is played, this signals to the children that it is time to tidy away the toys and they do this enthusiastically. Staff have implemented a highly effective cafe style snack system. This means that children can continue with uninterrupted play, until they are ready to have their snack. Staff organise the resources, so that the children can peel and slice their own fruit or butter their crackers, developing excellent physical skills. Children pour their own drinks of fresh water or milk, mopping up any spills and clearing away their cups and plates when they have finished. Children are eager to help staff to wipe the tables and to fold the tablecloths together. Staff use this as a learning opportunity, discussing how many corners and edges the tablecloth has. The children go on weekly shopping trips with

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

staff to purchase foods for snack time. This provides opportunities for children to learn about different foods and for staff to support them to make healthy choices. At lunch times, parents have the option to provide a packed lunch, or to purchase a hot school meal for their child. The majority of the children have a school meal, which helps to prepare them in readiness for school. Staff provide parents with information on healthy lunch box options. All children use the bathroom and wash their hands independently, supported by staff if needed. Snack and meal times are sociable occasions. Staff join in children's conversations and encourage children to talk socially about their interests, developing their confidence in social situations.

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

Staff create a very inspiring and enabling learning environment, indoors and outdoors. Excellent quality toys and equipment are in good order and easy to find. The learning environment enables children of all ages to independently select resources of their choice, supporting them to extend their play and their developing imagination. Positive behaviour is highly evident and children happily play together in this calm and caring environment. This is because the staff promote consistent behaviour expectations during group activities, such as good sitting, looking and listening. Because children are stimulated and actively engaged in play, they behave well with one another. Staff have excellent strategies in place in the event of any unwanted behaviour. These involve providing children with gradual warnings about their behaviour, and if children find this difficult, staff discuss their emotions with them, to enable them to identify and respond

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

appropriately to their feelings. Staff are exceptional role models in being kind and respectful to one another and children are observed to use excellent manners. These personal skills in managing their emotions and developing positive relationships support children extremely well towards the next stage of their learning, such as school. Children have wonderful opportunities for daily fresh air and exercise, developing physical skills and confidence as they enthusiastically play in the well-equipped outdoor area in all weathers. Staff supervise children in using a wide range of resources, which they are able to move around, using these to construct imaginative structures and ramps to ride their wheeled toys along. Children explore mud and other natural resources to develop their physical skills and their imaginations, making their own creations, such as 'soup', which they enhance with additional materials, such as pebbles and twigs. Children also have

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

opportunities to explore the on-site woodland area and use the school field for running in a large open space. Staff support children to understand about how to keep themselves safe during the journey to and from the shops each week to purchase their snacks. Children identify that they need to hold hands while walking and cross the road safely, looking out for traffic at all times.

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provision

The manager has an excellent understanding of her responsibilities with regard to meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. At the last inspection by Ofsted, actions were raised regarding the timely completion of Disclosure and Barring Service checks for new committee members. In addition, records of those in place for all committee members were unavailable for review at inspection. Although this did not seriously impact upon the children's well-being, it is, however, a requirement of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. The manager and chair of the committee have been highly proactive in ensuring that these checks are in place, and that a record is kept on site and updated immediately when new members join the committee. As a result, management have met the previous actions, assuring the children's safety. This reflects the strong leadership and management of the pre-school and the effectiveness of

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provision

partnership working with the committee. All staff have an excellent understanding of their role and responsibilities with regard to safeguarding the children in their care. They have an excellent knowledge of potential signs that a child may be at risk of harm and when and how to report these. All staff receive regularly updated safeguarding training and thorough policies are in place to ensure that correct procedures are followed in the event of any concerns. The designated safeguarding lead receives updated training every term, which is then cascaded to all of the team in staff meetings. She has also issued all staff with cards containing concise information about the appropriate action to take, and staff carry these cards with them at all times. Staff recruitment is robust, as the manager has completed safer recruitment training and completes all of the necessary checks to ensure the suitability of staff. On recruitment, a thorough induction process is implemented,

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provision

which enables management to support staff to fulfil their role effectively. New staff receive direction from a designated 'buddy' who role-models the high standards that staff are expected to aspire to. The manager is highly pro-active in ensuring the safety and well- being of all who use the pre-school, and frequently reviews policies and procedures to ensure that robust practices are in place and are meticulously maintained.

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provision

The management and staff have high aspirations for the pre-school and are continuously developing new initiatives in their drive for excellence. Meticulous self-evaluation is in place, with clearly focussed development plans, which identify improvements and how these will positively impact upon the children. For example, a current development is 'home learning bags', to enable parents to support and extend their children's learning at home. This demonstrates that the needs of the children are at the heart of everything that the staff develop in the pre-school. Regular staff meetings and five inset training days each year enable staff to reflect together upon all aspects of the pre-school and to identify new initiatives to develop. Parents' views on the quality of the provision are sought through open days, questionnaires and committee meetings. Staff value highly any suggestions that parents make. For example, they are now developing opportunities for

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provision

children to do more planting outdoors. Continual monitoring by the manager, observations of staff practice with the children, and effective and frequent supervision ensures that all staff maintain high standards of professionalism and integrity. Training opportunities provided through the local authority, or in-house, enable staff to continue their professional development. Staff identify how further training will be used in the pre-school to further improve outcomes for the children. For example, recent training on meeting the needs of two-year-old children has supported staff in enhancing the provision of age- appropriate group time activities. In addition, when the host school introduced a new programme to support early reading, writing and phonics, pre-school staff were invited to attend. As a result, they carry out the programme with the older children who will be moving on to school, therefore providing them with an excellent foundation in literacy

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provision

skills. Monitoring of every child's progress every half term enables the manager to identify individual children or areas of learning, which may require additional support. For example, physical development was identified as an area which could be improved further. As a result, one afternoon each week is now focussed upon developing children's physical skills. Staff are fully involved in this process, and strive continually to ensure that all children achieve the best possible outcomes, prior to the next monitoring review. These excellent systems, in place to monitor all areas of practice and the children's achievements, ensure that all children make rapid progress, and that those who are not, receive high quality support to meet their identified needs.

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provision

The manager has Early Years Professional status and is highly pro-active in networking with other settings and professionals, to share and develop high quality practices. This has included involvement in local authority schemes, such as 'leading quality together', to develop management practices with others. As part of the Early Years Professional network, the pre-school has participated in a pilot scheme regarding the tracking of children's progress. This has enabled the manager to implement a highly effective system, which gives her an overview of the progress of all of the children attending. In addition, the pre-school is part of the 'sharing quality together' programme. This means that staff from other settings can observe specific elements of practice, such as the cafeteria style snack time, which is highly successful in the pre-school. Staff from the pre-school have also used this programme to view outdoor areas in other settings, to support them in

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provision

further developments. This demonstrates the willingness of the pre-school staff to share their excellent practice with others, and to further enhance their own setting through learning from others.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are exceptional. Opportunities for parents to share information about their children, and to become actively involved within the pre-school, are promoted continuously. Parent's state that they are 'very impressed' with the pre-school, and how well the staff know their children, describing the pre-school as 'fantastic'. They feel fully informed and included in their children's care and learning at all times, and benefit from regular verbal and written feedback from staff. Parents are invited to attend meetings about their children's progress on a regular basis and to participate in pre-school events, including joining the committee. An extensive range of information is made readily available to parents through frequent newsletters, notice boards and the dedicated website. Partnerships with other settings and professionals are also excellent, in order to provide consistently high levels of support for individual children. Staff share information

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provision

with other settings, which children attend in addition to the pre-school, to promote continuity of learning. They also work in partnership with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to meet identified developmental targets with individual children. Involvement with the host school is also highly evident through joint activities, such as developing a 'wilderness area' in conjunction with the school environmental club. Staff and teachers also work closely to support children with the move on to school, when the time comes. These positive links with parents and other professionals ensure that they work exceptionally well together, enabling them to meet the children's needs through a fully cohesive approach to each child's care and learning.

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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 304948 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 962697

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Alderley Edge Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 20/01/2014 Telephone number 01625 599300

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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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