Chafford Hundred Preschool Playgroup

Chafford Hundred Pre School Playgroup Clifford Road, Chafford Hundred, Grays, Essex, RM16 6BZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/11/2014 02/06/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 2

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This provision is good

 Staff extensively promote children's emotional well-being to instil high levels of self- confidence and independence. This supports successful transitions to the next place of learning.  Staff strongly promote children's communication and language through effective questioning, developing their speech and critical thinking.  Children are safeguarded effectively. Staff have up-to-date knowledge of steps to take to promote children's ongoing welfare.  The assessment programme is effective in monitoring, planning and enhancing children's experiences and identifying gaps in their learning.  A proactive and professional staff team work cohesively to continually improve their practice. This has a positive impact on children's experiences.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Effective teaching strategies used in child-initiated and adult-led play are not always extended to group sessions to fully enhance children's learning.  Information gained from parents, about children's achievements at home, are not always effectively used to create a full picture of children's progress.

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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's play and staff's practices both inside and outside.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager.  The inspector took into consideration the preschool's self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of records, including policies, information about staff qualifications and vetting checks and children's learning and development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Chafford Hundred Pre-School Playgroup opened in 1993. It is run and managed by the Chafford Hundred Pre-school Committee. The pre-school operates from a demountable building in the Chafford Hundred area of Thurrock, Essex. It serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding areas. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, during school term times. Sessions are from 9.15am to 12.15pm and from 1.15pm to 4.15pm. An optional lunch club operates between 12.15pm and 1.15pm. During the school holidays, a holiday club opens on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9.15am to 1.15pm, according to demand. Children are cared for in two playrooms and have access to enclosed areas for outdoor play. There are currently 105 children attending who are within the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports children for whom English is an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 17 staff working directly with the children. Of these, 13 staff hold early years qualifications at level 3 and there is one member of staff with qualifications at level 2. The pre-school receives support from the local authority. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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

 enhance the use of information gained from parents about children's learning at home to promote a bigger picture of children's all round development and progress

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

 use the established high standards of teaching, implemented in free play situations, to engage, challenge and encourage participation and further learning for individual children within short group activities.

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who attend

Children are making good progress due to the well-balanced educational programme. They are confidently and competently gaining the skills, attitudes and dispositions required for their next stage of learning. Children's communication and language skills are particularly well supported. Staff provide focused opportunities for children to extend their vocabulary, introducing new and complex words to their play. Staff use very effective questions to extend children's thinking and responses. Children take time to think about the question, absorb the information and respond using clear language, gestures and expressions, to communicate their understanding. This effective teaching supports children who speak English as an additional language particularly well. For example, when writing letters to Father Christmas, staff ask about what they would like for Christmas, how they are going to write this in their letter and what they are going to do next with the

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who attend

letter. Staff plan for their responses by organising a good range of mark-making materials, such as, letter stamps, pencils, pens and crayons, as well as a range of paper and envelopes. They discuss how Father Christmas is going to receive their letter and follow this up by taking small groups of children to the local post box to post their letters. The well-planned activity highly promotes children's self-esteem as they complete an activity to their satisfaction.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy the choice of playing indoors or outdoors. Staff organise experiences for children well to ensure all areas of learning are promoted effectively in both environments. Staff have a very clear understanding that when children play inside and outdoors they experience different results from activities due to the change in environment. Children thoroughly enjoy exploring the world around them, growing bulbs and experiencing the changes in seasons. Staff cleverly differentiate their teaching practices throughout child-initiated and adult-led learning. They change the way that they question and make positive statements to encourage children's creative thinking and problem solving. For example, during messy play outside, staff ask simplified questions to younger children, to support their explorations skills and confidence, encouraging them to get their hands in the cornflour mixture. Staff pose more extensive questions for the older,

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who attend

more able children, exploring the texture and properties of the mixture. This clearly supports individual children's learning needs. However, on some occasions, during short group sessions, staff do not always differentiate as successfully. For example, when children are learning about phonics and sounds, more able children are not fully extended to explore their understanding of blended letters and other children's interest and concentration is not fully supported by consistently high staff engagement.

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who attend

Staff makes good use of the effective assessment programme to observe, monitor and track children's development. Starting points are gained on entry and successful plans are make for children's ongoing learning. All staff input into planning to provide for children's individual progress. Gaps in groups of children's progress are successfully identified and these are carefully planned for and monitored. Staff share children's achievements with parents on a daily basis through displayed celebrations. Parents receive regular written summaries of children's progress and participate in planning for their children's next steps. However, children's achievements from home are not always actively used by staff to provide a full overview of children's progress.

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

Children's emotional well-being is promoted exceptionally well. Staff know children extremely well. Children settle quickly due to the very successful key-person system. Staff use the rich information they gain from parents to provide children with familiar and favourite activities and resources from their first session onwards. They make close and highly effective attachments with children, enhancing the children's sense of security and confidence. Children take ownership of their environment, making independent and confident choices about where they play, whom they play with and what to play with, both inside or outdoors. Children's self-help skills are fully embedded, as they put their own coats on, attempt to do up zips and buttons, and eat their snacks and lunch independently. This demonstrates that children are emotionally well-prepared for the next stage in their learning. This is a particular strength when children move to school and from

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

the younger group room to the older group room.

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

All children have access to fresh air throughout the session and flourish through a vast range of physical exercise and resources to extend their physical skills. Children demonstrate a significant understanding of hygiene practices, giving clear explanations about protecting their clothes from messy play and using extra paper towels to dry their hands properly. Staff give very clear explanations of the impact of poor hygiene practices. Children's behave extremely well. They show great care towards each other, inviting others into their play, showing concern for others and using exceptional manners. This is because, staff act as very good role models, working together as a cohesive team to support each other and providing a calm and positive environment for children's play. Children have a highly reflective attitude towards keeping themselves and others safe. They talk about the importance of holding hands when going out for walks, using public

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

transport safely and moving equipment to prevent others from tripping.

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

Children learn about the positive differences in society to a high degree. Staff provide a very inclusive environment, enhancing children's participation in activities according to their needs. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported extremely well, with a vast range of activities, resources and practices to value and reflect their home language and culture. Children learn about different festivals, using creative, cooking, singing and story activities to promote their understanding and interest in other people's lives.

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provision

Those in charge of the pre-school have made significant improvements since the last inspection, when Ofsted issued a notice to improve. A subsequent monitoring visit took place to assess the action taken to improve the provision. Children are safeguarded effectively. Ofsted have now been fully informed of all changes to the members of the management committee and the relevant suitability checks are now in place. Staff have up-to-date knowledge of the steps to follow if they have concerns about children in their care. They attend regular training and have current and correct procedures readily to hand in order to take swift and appropriate action if necessary. Children play in a safe and secure environment due to robust risk assessments and a well-deployed staff team who supervise children responsibly. Children play with a vast range of resources that are appropriate for their stage of development, well maintained and accessible. Staff are

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provision

appropriately qualified and have relevant suitability checks completed. This is due to concise recruitment procedures. The management team carry out ongoing suitability checks for staff and the committee to promote children's ongoing welfare. Documentation, such as attendance, medication and children's registration details is recorded and stored confidentially to promote safeguarding.

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provision

The management team has a clear understanding of their responsibility to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They successfully monitor staff's practice and the quality of teaching through regular supervision and appraisal meetings. Staff discuss changes in practices and monitor the effectiveness on children learning and development. Staff attend regular training. Training needs are identified through observations of teaching, the impact this has on children learning and information gained through manager's forums and support networks. Actions and recommendations from the last inspection are successfully met. The management use support systems very effectively to make continuous improvements. Recently, managers and staff have identified gaps in groups of children's learning and have planned for specific experiences to close these gaps. An effective self-evaluation programme helps to identify the strengths

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provision

and weaknesses of the pre-school's practices. Staff, parents and children all input into this programme to ensure all their views are taken into consideration. Staff have very positive attitudes towards developing their practices and implement these accordingly to meet individual children's needs.

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provision

The partnership with parents is strong. Parents make positive comments about their involvement in their children's learning and care. They talk about feeling reassured that children are developing well and are ready for school when they leave the pre-school. There is a wealth of displayed and verbal information for parents keeping them well informed about events, their children's achievements and policies and procedures of the pre-school. Staff and parents have successful relationships, enhancing children's emotional well-being through the sharing of information to promote consistent and continual care. The pre-school has established professional partnerships with local schools to aid children's successful transition to school. Teachers visit the pre-school regularly to get to know children who are going to attend their school. The pre-school has a history of working with other professionals, such as speech and language specialists, to support

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provision

individual children's progress and securing appropriate early intervention.

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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 204346 Local authority Thurrock Inspection number 978714

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 105 Name of provider Chafford Hundred Preschool Committee Date of previous inspection 02/06/2014 Telephone number 01375 480222

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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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