Piccolo Pre-School Nursery

Piccolo Pre-School Nursery Chute Recreation Ground, Vyne Road, Sherbourne St. John, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 9HX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/12/2014 06/10/2009

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early years provision

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

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This provision is outstanding

 Children settle quickly and are well motivated in their play, because careful thought and consideration is taken to provide a stimulating and interesting environment.  Inspirational leadership drives continuous improvement in the nursery and supports staff to achieve a high level of quality in their practice with the children.  Children demonstrate increasing abilities to manage their behaviour and interact in a positive way. Simple but sensible resources help them learn to take turns. This builds on their self confidence and abilities to regulate their own behaviour.  Every aspect of safeguarding is managed carefully and thoroughly to ensure children's welfare is promoted effectively at all times.  High quality support and guidance enables the staff to create a happy child focused, and stimulating child-focused learning environment.  Children's individual needs are effectively identified in partnership with parents and

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This provision is outstanding

other agencies, and where required additional advice and guidance is promptly sought. This helps to ensure children get the support they need to thrive and achieve their potential.  Highly successful systems are in place to evaluate and monitor all aspects of the provision and inform continuous improvement.

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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 toured the premises and resources with the manager.  The inspector observed the children and staff at play.  The inspector examined records and documents provided by the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the sought pre-school with five parents' views of their experiences with the pre-school.  The inspector read and discussed the pre-school self- evaluation document.

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Information about the setting

Piccolo Pre-School Nursery was registered in 2008 and is owned and managed by the manager and deputy. It operates from a hall at the Chute recreation ground, which is located in the village of Sherbourne St. John, near Basingstoke. Children have access to a small secure garden, and also use the playing fields and play park. The pre-school nursery is open each weekday, from 9 am to 12 noon, term time only. They also open for extended hours on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday until 3 pm. Children may attend for sessions starting at various times throughout the day or for the whole day. The pre-school nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 45 children on roll in the early years age range. There are seven members of staff, including the owners, who work with the children. The manager has Early Years Professional Status and five members of staff are qualified to level three in early years. Children attend from a wide

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Information about the setting

geographical area. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education funding for children aged , two, three and four. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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

 further improve opportunities for children to enhance their independencetly access their belongings and hang up their coats to enhance their independenceskills.

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who attend

Staff gather comprehensive information from parents and get to know children well in the settling- in period. This helps to build a full picture of each child's interests, needs and abilities. Children are very curious and enthusiastic in their play, and staff guide this learning extremely skillfully so that children achieve their full potential. Detailed observations and records of children's progress are maintained, which they use to plan the next steps for children's learning. Information is shared with parents and staff recognise that parents know their children well, and are important educators.

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who attend

Parents and professionals are invited to talk to children about their jobs, interests or experiences. For example, children recall, as they look at a photograph display, the day the farmer brought a tractor. Photographs show children's fascination as a workman shows how wooden toadstools are made from tree trunks. Parents and grandparents sometimes lead cooking or art activities, which extends children's knowledge and skills. Children learn about the diversity of the wider world through activities. For example, a parent shared information about a Japanese custom regarding elderly people. A visit was arranged to a local care home, where the children sang to elderly residents. They talked about growing older and how grandparents increase children's awareness of relationships, families and ageing. Photographs of this event, displayed at low level, encourage children to recall what happened, and recognise themselves and others in the photographs. These

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who attend

experiences broaden children's knowledge and provide meaningful opportunities to recall events and, consequently, encourage language development and understanding.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate an excellent knowledge of how children play and learn. This enables them to provide an extremely rich, varied and enabling learning environment in the nursery. Children thrive, and thoroughly enjoy exploring and investigating a wealth of toys and resources, both indoors and outdoors.

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who attend

Teaching is consistently of very high quality as staff engage and challenge children extremely well. Many children are articulate and staff support them expertly to build on their communication skills and vocabulary even further. For example, staff challenge children to find dinosaurs they have hidden in the garden. Staff encourage awareness of position as they tell children to look, under, inside and on top of equipment for the dinosaurs. Children recall where they find the creatures developing their use of the positional language. When they have collected them they count them carefully lining them up on the bench, developing their awareness of numbers and quantity.

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who attend

Children work well in the open-plan room, and this enables staff to notice how children use the resources and the environment. This means that the provision evolves to meet the changing needs of children being cared for, throughout the year. Staff reflect on the lay outlayout of the environment, and adapt and change it to makeing excellent use of all the available space. Children become involved in elaborate role play. They, makeing good use of the resources, and useing their real -life experiences and imaginations to inspire their play. Children use paint to create their own beautiful creations both indoors and outdoors. Staff are interested and helpful, but allow the children to make their own choices. They extend children's language skills by asking open questions which encourage the children to think before they reply. Children make good use of opportunities to play outdoors in the water trays outdoors or dig in the sand. Children use rolling pins, and plastic knives and

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who attend

cutters in the dough with increasing skill and concentration. Staff supervise and encourage the younger children enabling them to enjoy the tactile experience, and develop their finer coordination skills as they manipulate the dough and try to use the tools.

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who attend

A cosy, enclosed area with comfy seating and well chosen books, attractively displayed, is used frequently by the children to independently look at books. They also like to share books with staff and sit snuggly together while they turning the pages and listening to the story, or talking about what they can see. Children develop their physical skills very well through their use of wheeled toys, and the broad variety of activities they undertake which encourage both large and finer movements. Children climb the trellis with supervision to watch the farmer in the adjacent field, and have regular opportunities to climb and use the park play equipment. Staff encourage children to be extremely creative, for example, as they decorate a Christmas tree, use chalks, paint and experiment with foam and food colouring.

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who attend

Staff plan the environment meticulously to ensure that the resources children may need are easily accessible. This enables children to extend their play independently. Staff ensure each aspect of all areas of learning are included in children's activities. Careful long term planning along with the ability to adapt and be flexible enables the staff to provide a rich learning environment that can encompass and encourage individual interests and skills. Children are well prepared for school. In the term before they start school there is a strong focus on ensuring each individual has the skills and confidence to adapt to the change in their learning environment.

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who attend

Children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported through close working with parents and outside agencies. The multi-lingual staff team are an excellent asset to the nursery, sharing their language skills and cultural knowledge, and enhancing the opportunities for all children. Staff identify and monitor any concerns very effectively and successfully so that early intervention is secured.

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

Children play with well with others and share resources, they learn the boundaries of behaviour and are very well behaved. The introduction of large egg timers helps children learn to take turns on play equipment. They patiently watch the sand drip through before they take their turn. Children learn to take care of the resources as they all help to tidy the play environment and ensure toys go back where they will be able to found again another time. Many confidently ask for support from staff, for instance, to find their wellington boots or coats. Independence is encouraged from an early age. This helps to build children's self confidence and self esteem as they can do things independently. HoweverAlthough, due to the shared nature of the premises children do not have easy access to suitable coats hooks or storage for their belongings to fully enable them to develop personal independence. Staff have a good understanding of behaviour

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

management and are able to devise strategies to effectively manage challenging behaviour. They also recognize when additional specialist help and advice is required, and work sensitively with parents to seek support.

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

Emotional well-being is fostered exceptionally well in this environment. Each child's settling -in period is adapted to meet individual needs. This helps to ensure a highly positive start in the nursery. Parents are welcome to stay and this helps to build children's confidence in the nursery. Children's feelings of safety and trust develop as they form very strong bonds of attachment with key persons and other staff members.

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

Parents are encouraged to send healthy foods for their children's lunches, and children learn about the benefits of healthy eating as staff encourage discussions about food. The nursery provides healthy snacks, such as grapes, cheese and wholemeal bread and butter, along with drinks of milk or water. Some children confidently explain that milk makes you strong, indicating they are developing knowledge of how important food is. Individual water bottles are within reach at all times and children confidently use them. Staff are vigilant to ensure children's special dietary needs are met effectively at all times. Information about dietary needs and allergies is clearly displayed to inform staff and promote the children's safety.

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

Children's safety is given a very high priority at all times. Staff remind children about safety, and some children remember and tell their playmates. They are developing their knowledge and sharing it to promote a safe environment. With careful supervision children develop the skills to use tools effectively and safely. For example, they learn to use knives, scissors and rolling pins as they undertake their activities. Children lift the jugs of water and milk, and pour their own drinks. Children responsibly wash up their own cups and plates after snack, further developing their independence and self- confidence. They are taking sensible supervised risks in their activities. Staff set an excellent example to the children as they calmly supervise and help where required. Consequently, children copy them and behave in a similar way. First -aid kits are easily accessible both indoors and in the garden, and all staff are first -aiders qualified.

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

The well -established routine in the nursery ensures children feel confident and secure because they know what happens next, and what they can do to be part of it. Staff are vigilant and ensure children who need to rest have a safe and comfortable opportunity to do so. They are checked on regularly ensuring their comfort and safety. Excellent routines help to prevent the spread of infection. Parents are always well informed of any illness which is identified in the nursery. Children demonstrate excellent awareness of good hygiene routines appropriate to their age and understanding because staff talk to them about good hygiene practices, and why they are important.

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

Staff are vVery effective transitions at supporting children's moves to school and other early years settings. For example, staff are achieved through implement careful planning, structured activities and effective partnerships with other services. Transitions are always managed effectively. For example, children are very well prepared for school, they are able to take independent care of their self- care needs, listen and make their needs known. They will have met their teacher and be aware of the school they are going to attend. Key people develop strong links with parents enabling a confident two -way flow of information leading to mutual understanding of the individual child. Consequently, this nurturing environment and staff practice significantly supports children very significantly during their time in the nursery.

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provision

The management team ensures high quality systems are in place to safeguard children at all times. This ranges from assessing risks in the environment and keeping the premises the secureity of the premises, including risk assessments,. In addition, the suitability of the staff is thoroughly checked and through to staff are all aware of child protection concerns procedures and the action that isneeds to be taken to safeguard children. Practice is rooted in strong knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures. Staff are knowledgeable about their responsibilities to protect children at all times. Policies are reviewed regularly and staff attend child-protection training. The effective implementation of these procedures ensures children are substantially protected. Robust procedures ensure that adults are suitable to work with children, and ongoing suitability is an issue discussed with all staff. This helps to effectively promote safeguard children's welfare and

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provision

The experienced and knowledgeable management team is strongly focused on maintaining continuous improvement in the nursery. Staff and parents contribute their views and ideas through meetings, conversations and questionnaires to help inform self evaluation. This enables the nursery to continuously evolve and develop the high- quality service offered.

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provision

The management team successfully develops close working relationships with parents. They value parent's' comments and ideas. For instance, in response to suggestions from parents they have ensured there is a large mat in the cloakroom, making this a less clinical and more comfortable environment. Staff observe the children and how they use the resources. They adapt the environment to create a stimulating and enabling environment, where excellent use is made of the available space and resources. Reflection is an ongoing process for this skilled staff team under the knowledgeable guidance of the management team. They have clear plans for further development of the garden that will enhance the children's abilities to make more use of the outdoors.

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provision

Strong and effective partnerships with external agencies, such as the local authority, the children centre and individual professionals, such as speech and language specialists, are cultivated and highly valued. Effective working arrangements with the external agencies ensure that the special needs coordinator receives information and guidance, which is tailored to children's individual needs. The management team encourages staff to take on responsibility and support them to develop their skills. Staff share information with colleagues, try new ideas and reflect on the outcomes further enhancing their skills and opportunities for children. Annual appraisals, in addition to regular supervision, are used to identify performance and training needs. The management team lead by example, and are very active hands-on members of the staff team.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are very strong. Parents receive copies of the prospectus to ensure they have comprehensive information about all aspects of the nursery provision. Parents praise the nursery staff very highly. They are tremendously satisfied with the support their children receive and comment positively on the progress their children make in the nursery. Parents describe staff as friendly, supportive, approachable and committed to providing a stimulating environment for the children. A regular newsletter keeps parents up to date about changes and events planned in the nursery. This helps parents to become engaged in their children's nursery learning. A notice board in the entrance area provides a wealth of information for parents, including information about the local children centre. Parents have planned termly meeting with their child's key person to discuss progress both in nursery and at home. This enables everyone to work in a consistent way

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provision

to achieve positive outcomes for each individual child.

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provision

The manager oversees all the records relating to children's progress. She knows all the children well and ensures records provide an accurate reflection of children's abilities and progress. In this way they can identify at an early stage if a child needs additional help to achieve their potential. The manager is proactive in seeking additional help when required. The management team and staff create a warm, welcoming and friendly environment, and provide an exceptional educational programme and, consequently, so children make considerable progress in their development.

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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 EY371480 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 829231 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Piccolo Pre-School Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 06/10/2009 Telephone number 07528726248

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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

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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