North Common Pre-School

North Common Pre-School Independent methodist Church, Mill Lane, Warmley, South Gloucestershire, BS30 8BJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/12/2014 08/09/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 All children make good progress in their learning and development because staff use their clear understanding of how children learn to accurately identify what they need to learn next and then plan interesting activities to help them progress..  Children learn to behave well because they learn the day's routines and know what staff expect of them. Children confidently take on small tasks.  Staff give high priority to safeguarding children and provide a safe and secure environment in which they play and learn.  Leadership and management are of good quality. The pre-school supervisor supports ongoing improvements and there is an good sense of teamwork

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff miss chances for children to experiment with writing to enhance their early literacy skills, such as in the creative area.  Staff do not consistently make to most of chances to encourage children to be as independent as possible in their personal hygiene.

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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 in the playroom and outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the pre-school supervisor and spoke with the staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the children's learning records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the nursery, a selection of policies and procedures, and a range of other documentation  The inspector invited the pre-school leader to undertake a joint observation.  The inspector took talked with some parents to gain their views on the pre-school.

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Information about the setting

North Common Pre-School opened in 1972 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. It is run by a committee. It operates from the Independent Methodist Church Hall in Warmley, South Gloucestershire. Children have access to an enclosed outside area. The pre-school is open on Mondays and Fridays during term time from 9am until 12 noon, and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 3pm. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 30 children on roll in the early years age group. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or learning disabilities. There are five members of staff who work directly with the children. All hold recognised early years qualifications.

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

 extend the opportunities for children to experiment with early writing and to practice their emerging writing skills, such as during creative play and other activities

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

 take all opportunities to teach children personal care skills to enhance existing levels of independence, such as by encouraging them to wipe their own noses.

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who attend

Teaching techniques are strong and staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. Staff complete regular observations and assessments of children and use these effectively to identify children's next steps in learning. Staff then uses this information to track children's progress and plan for children's individual interests and abilities. Consequently, children make good progress in their learning and development.

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who attend

Parents are continually involved in their children's learning. Parents meet with key staff to discuss their children's development and help complete the progress check at age two years. This helps to ensure that parents are effectively included to provide a shared approach to learning between the pre-school and at home. This means children receive consistent messages about what is expected from them.

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who attend

Staff place a strong emphasis on the children talking and developing their language skills. Children are confident to contribute to stories and rhymes by predicting what will happen next in a story, or discussing what is happening. For example, children listened to a favourite story and confidently repeated the words staff used, whilst staff pointed these out. This strategy helped to develop children's understanding that print has meaning and developed their listening skills. Staff encourage the children to share their experiences, so they have lots of opportunities to talk about what they are doing and communicate their ideas.

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who attend

Children come together for singing activities, which enables them to work as a group. Children have good opportunities to be creative; for example, they painted with a selection of colours and stuck tissue paper onto their pictures, understanding that the paper will stick to the paint. Staff do not always have the very highest expectations of children in regard to developing their early writing skills. For example, resources such as pens and pencils were not always readily available to allow children to try writing their names on their creative work. Staff often wrote children's names for them. This lack of expectation slows progress in learning to write in readiness for the move to school.

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who attend

A good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities results in children being motivated, active learners. Staff give good attention to developing children's early mathematical skills. They build on children's understanding of number and mathematical terms by routinely a including these throughout daily activities. For example, whilst outdoors staff encouraged children to count how many were present. Staff extend learning in this area well, such as by introducing counting in twos. Sand and water play is popular with children and staff encourage children to explore shape, space and measure as they fill and empty containers and experiment with quantities. Children have good opportunities to see written numerals in their environment and then to use these and make connections to their counting.

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who attend

Each day all children spent time outdoors, which provides them with a variety of opportunities to develop their co-ordination and physical skills. For example, children enjoy practising their physical skills by running around and avoiding obstacles. They learn to throw and catch balls. These activities stimulate and interest the children so they are ready for the next stage of learning.

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

There is a very relaxed and happy atmosphere within this pre-school. This is because staff are warm and approachable which helps children be settled and confident in their surroundings. Children enjoy trusting relationships with the designated staff member to cares for them. Consequently, children feel a strong sense of belonging and build secure attachments. This helps them be emotionally secure and ready for the next stage in their early education.

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

Children behave well and know what staff expect of them through receiving consistent messages from them. Staff give praise and encouragement to children, such as for 'good listening' and 'good sitting', which reinforces expected behaviours. Children use good manners with each other, often unprompted. In addition, staff are effective role models for desirable behaviour, such as sharing toys, with explanations given so that children understand the feelings of others. Children show that they understand safety rules and are aware of their own and their friends' personal safety. For example, children reminded each other not to run indoors and to remain seated whilst using scissors. This means children develop high levels of self-esteem and learn to value one another.

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

Staff promote children's health effectively. For instance, children have frequent opportunities to use the outdoor area each day. This means they benefit from lots of fresh air and have freedom to move around and play on a larger scale. All areas have a good range of equipment, so children develop good physical skills. Staff provide children with a varied range of fruit and crackers at snack time. Children enjoy snack time where they chat to staff and each other about their experiences. Children serve their own snack food and drinks, willingly taking on such responsibilities. Children learn to attend to their personal hygiene when visiting the toilet. Not all staff consistently expect children to carry out other self-care tasks for themselves, to gain further personal independence, such as teaching them to use tissues to wipe their own noses.

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provision

The management team has a good understanding of their responsibilities for meeting the safeguarding and welfare, and the learning and development requirements. All staff complete first aid and safeguarding training. The management team has clear policies and procedures that include safeguarding, and the use of mobile phones and cameras. All Staff have a thorough knowledge of child protection procedures, which means they know what action to take if they are concerned about a child or adult at the pre-school. The management team has vetted all adults working in the pre-school and implements robust recruitment, induction and supervision procedures. Further procedures to safeguard children in the pre-school include the supervisor monitoring the required records to check for repeated accidents. Detailed risk assessments and daily checks also help ensure that staff minimise potential hazards, both inside and outside of the premises. As a result, staff

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provision

The pre-school manager, known as the supervisor, has high expectations of her staff and routinely observes them, providing regular feedback on their practice and performance. The supervisor oversees the thorough planning of activities and children's learning and development records. Staff regularly meet as a team to check children's records are maintained and that these accurately reflect children's individual needs. The management team actively encourages professional development and staff have attended a variety of training courses to enhance their knowledge and practice. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff reflect on their practice to review and improve it. Evaluation routinely takes into account the views of the management team, parents, staff and children. Leaders use this feedback to establish priorities and appropriate targets are set to ensure good outcomes for all children's learning and

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provision

development. The pre-school supervisor liaises closely with other providers and a wide range of professionals, and they work together to support children and their families very effectively. The supervisor has forged good links with many local schools. When children are moving on to school, staff invite the reception class teacher into the pre-school to meet the children. Parents' comments are very complimentary on how welcoming all the staff are, and how much their children thoroughly enjoy coming to the pre-school. Staff keep parents well informed of their children's progress and needs. Parents state they feel confident to discuss any issues they may have about their children with the staff. This liaison supports a shared approach to the children's learning, and children are well prepared to move onto school when the time comes.

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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 EY286695 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 833688 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider North Common Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 08/09/2009 Telephone number 07814108732

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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