Sonning Common Pre-School

Sonning Common Pre-School Grove Road, Sonning Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 9RJ

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/12/2014 20/01/2009

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 Children are settled and enjoy their time at the pre-school because staff provide a friendly and caring approach. This increases their independence and self-confidence.  Staff follow children's interests very well to provide a range of stimulating activities which motivate children to actively learn and explore. This means children make good progress.  Parents, staff and other providers regularly share information about children's development. This promotes continuity of care and learning for all children.  Leadership and management of the setting have a dedicated and proactive approach to driving improvement of practice to benefit all children.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 While staff support children's interests through active play, they do not always recognise when to intervene to offer greater challenge for children's creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching, learning and care practices in the main playroom and outdoors.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector and manager undertook joint observations of teaching practice and discussed this.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection and held a meeting with the manager to discuss leadership and management.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed samples of documentation including policies, staff qualifications, staff suitability checks, and children's learning records.  The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views.

p.2

Information about the setting

Sonning Common Pre-School registered in 1966 and moved to the current site in 1981. It operates from purpose-built premises, with its own garden, on the Sonning Common Primary school site in Reading, Berkshire. The pre-school opens five days a week during term time only and is run by a parent management committee. Sessions are from 9am until 12pm and from 12pm until 3pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre- school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 40 children on roll in the early years age group. There are 11 part-time staff working with the children, of whom, 10 have relevant early years childcare qualifications.

p.3

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

 support staff to more consistently recognise when to intervene to build on children's interest in activities to more fully extend their problem-solving and creative thinking.

p.3

who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They use regular observations to form an overall picture of children's progress from their starting points. Staff clearly identify children's next steps in learning and successfully use these to guide future planning so that children make good progress. Staff regularly monitor children's progress so that any gaps are promptly identified and necessary support planned. Staff complete development checks for children aged two years in partnership with parents. Staff provide parents with a written summary of their children's progress and next steps for learning.

p.3

who attend

Staff provide a range of suitable and stimulating activities to promote children's development. For example, children benefit from group time, where they enthusiastically create their own story with some basic prompts and ideas provided by staff. This helps children's language skills develop as they use words to describe what is happening. Staff provide messy play opportunities so that children can experience different textures. For example, during the inspection, children used salt dough to create their own Christmas tree decorations. They commented that the flour was like snow as they sprinkled it. Children had fun as they kneaded and rolled the dough, using cutters to create their individual designs. Activities of this kind help strengthen children's hand and arm muscles, and promote their coordination. Children used their fingers to make marks in the dough. This, along with use of resources such as crayons, whiteboard pens, pencils and paints,

p.3

who attend

help children to develop their early writing skills. Children drew and painted Christmas cards for their loved ones and some children wrote their name and message in the card, showing their high levels of literacy. Staff promote literacy further through activities such as making alphabet soup in the mud kitchen, singing along and discussing some of the sounds and letters.

p.4

who attend

Staff listen to children's ideas and support them to make decisions about their play. For instance, they engaged the children in conversations about how to create an outside den. They encouraged children to think about what tools and equipment they would need and to consider how many children could fit inside. As a result, children learnt about the needs of others and they spontaneously made suggestions to show their creative thinking skills. However not all staff make full use of opportunities to extend children's creativity and problem solving skills. For instance, when making the salt dough, staff did not respond to all children's observations about the texture to encourage them to explore this further. Children enjoy singing and have their favourite songs. They enthusiastically carry out the actions to songs, helping to promote their imaginations as well as helping them to consider mathematics during song involving counting. Staff teach children about the order

p.4

who attend

of numbers and use play items to help them count objects and recognise the numerals.

p.4

who attend

Staff encourage children to take responsibility for tidying up, by sounding a horn. This helps children to understand routines and to develop their social skills as they take responsibility for their environment. Staff remind children to wear outdoor clothes when going outside to play, and therefore children learn to dress for different weather conditions. Children enjoy their play outside. They run up and down and practise balancing on stepping blocks. Children also develop their coordination as they manoeuver small cars around the garden, pretending to fill up the car with petrol before they resume their journey. This shows how some activities help children make connections with their experiences elsewhere.

p.4

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

There is an effective key-person system and staff show a strong understanding of their individual key children's needs. Parents are aware that they can speak to their child's key person or the manager at any time. Staff share information with parents and other professionals, such as childminders, to make sure they meet children's emotional needs. This helps children to develop their self-confidence and feel secure. Home visits help children gain familiarity with some staff before they join. This means that children settle quickly and enjoy their time at the pre-school. Staff maintain good links with the on-site primary school. This enables them to make use of some school facilities, such as the library, so children become familiar with a larger school environment. They also share photographs of classrooms and main areas so these are easily recognisable for children. Staff use of group time helps children learn to listen and follow routines. This helps

p.4

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

prepare children for their move to school. Staff remind children about playing safely and walking, rather than running, when inside. Staff encourage children's independence well, for instance children get their own coats and boots when preparing to go outside. Staff are good role models and listen carefully to what children have to say. They provide consistent boundaries and encourage positive behaviour. As a result, children behave well as they feel valued. Children are proud of their achievements and seek staff acknowledgement, for example, they show their craft creations. Staff warmly praise children for their efforts and thank them when they are helpful. This helps build children's self-esteem end encourages their learning well. Children enjoy helping staff and therefore staff appoint a daily snack-time helper. Staff encourage children to share. For example, at the snack table children help themselves to a certain number of pieces of fruit. Children

p.4

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

enjoy a healthy snack together and staff use this opportunity to talk about healthy food. Staff promote good hygiene practices, such as washing hands before eating and after using the toilet. They organise activities so that all resource are low level and easily accessible for children to make independent play choices. Children have good space to move around inside and outside. As a result, they can freely access all activities.

p.5

provision

Management and staff have a thorough understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All staff receive training on safeguarding and have opportunities to extend their professional development by attending other training courses. Staff are aware of reporting safeguarding issues and the procedures to follow if they have any concerns regarding a child's welfare. Reviews of practice, policies and procedures highlight strengths and areas to improve. The manager involves staff and committee members to contribute to their self-evaluation report. The manager explained that they seek the advice of local authority advisers when needed. The manager and staff gather opinions about quality, and further development ideas, from parents through questionnaires. They also ask children for their ideas. As a consequence, the pre-school accurately identifies ways to continuously improve practice. The manager is

p.5

provision

dedicated to driving improvement and evaluating practice, such as developing the outdoor mud kitchen.

p.5

provision

Staff suitability is effectively assessed through a well-structured recruitment and employment process. Staff follow an induction procedure, and have ongoing annual appraisals and monthly supervision meetings with the manager. The manager carries out checks to monitor the delivery and planning of activities to ensure consistency in practice. This means there is a well-qualified and effective team. This, along with strong leadership and close partnerships with the parent committee, leads to good outcomes for children. Management and staff have clear systems for evacuation procedures, which they practise regularly with children in conjunction with the school. Arrival and collection arrangements are well-organised with parents and carers. There are systems to share information with parents and others caring for the children, and this works well. The broad range of experiences for children helps them make progress. Careful monitoring systems make sure

p.5

provision

that children are receiving appropriate support in their learning and development. The pre-school works closely with other professionals, such as childminders and the local children centre, to support individual children. Parent involvement is highly valued and staff use home-school communication books, regular conversations, daily updates of activities and newsletters. Parents are pleased with the progress their children are making and the culture of open-communication. They praise the pre-school staff for the care and attention their children receive. Parents' say they are very happy that their children learn within a safe and secure environment, with caring and professional staff.

p.5

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

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number 403386 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 842154 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 40 Name of provider Sonning Common Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 20/01/2009 Telephone number 01189 724760

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

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

p.10