Bellinge Community Pre-School

Bellinge Community Pre-School Bellinge & District Community Centre, Fieldmill Square, NORTHAMPTON, Northamptonshire, NN3 9AQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/12/2014 21/04/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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's development in communication and language is continually promoted exceptionally well by staff as part of the daily routines and activities. They talk to the children during their play and children are surrounded by interesting displays that prompt conversation and discussions.  The manager monitors the educational programmes for the prime and specific areas of learning with full effect. As a result, every child participates in purposeful play and exploration and is consistently challenged to reach the next stage in their development.  The manager and staff use a range of highly effective methods to engage parents. As a result of their fully valuing the information parents provide, information is consistently shared about children's learning and development so that they can continue their learning at home.  The manager and staff are skilled in identifying risks and take active steps to minimise

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This provision is outstanding

potential hazards to the children. Their knowledge of child protection, safeguarding procedures and awareness of their responsibilities to protect children ensures that the children in their care are fully safeguarded.  Children are very well supported by the staff to be confident in the pre-school. They thoroughly enjoy the staff's highly positive interaction with them during their play and benefit from the very well-planned activities that follow their interests and suggestions.

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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 main playroom and in the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held meetings with the manager and with two members of staff.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with the children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plans.

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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 setting's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Bellinge Community Pre-School was first established in 1978 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in the Bellinge area of Northampton and is managed by a committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2, 3 and 6, including one with Early Years Professional status. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 8.45am until 3.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 59 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 extend even further the already excellent opportunities for children to think critically and be involved in the planning of their own activities, for example, by helping them to consider the potential risks involved and how they can minimise these to keep everyone safe.

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who attend

Children make rapid progress in this superb and vibrant pre-school because the staff team are highly skilled in their teaching. They work to a higher than required adult to child ratio which results in all children receiving high quality interactions during all activities which significantly contributes to how they are learning. For example, when children are exploring a large tray filled with seeds the staff talk to them about the textures and colours. When the children bring model penguins to the tray they suggest that the penguins might want to eat the seeds. The children become completely engaged with the staff, listening to them and responding to these suggestions. They laugh together when the child demonstrates how a penguin waddles along. This sensitive support from the staff actively promotes children's growing confidence and self-esteem. Children's awareness of mathematics is growing rapidly because the staff use every opportunity to involve

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who attend

numbers and counting. For example, when children have their snack they look at number cards that tell them how many pieces of fruit they can take. They recognise the number and count each piece as they select from the tray. Older children are able to consider how many pieces of their chosen fruit are left. They ask for some orange and listen to the staff when they remind them to leave one space for their orange. The staff provide an exceptionally well-planned range of activities that cover the seven areas of learning for the children. Their interests and ideas fully inform this planning as the activities progress each day. Children are encouraged to move the resources around the room as they wish. This fully enables them to enhance their own play and exploration which results in them being curious and keen to lead their own play. The impressive range of experiences offered to the children fully supports them to be ready for the move onto

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who attend

school when the time comes. All children are fully supported in their personal, social and emotional development by the staff to work together and to think of others. Because the planning takes account of the children's interests they are all excited and eager to participate and demonstrate a real enthusiasm for their learning. Children are encouraged throughout all their activities to be independent. They are familiar with the daily routine and work together very well. They are actively supported to develop an awareness of text. For example, they find their names on the board at snack time, and their own named peg when they need to hang a painting up to dry. This attention to detail means that children are very well prepared for their eventual move onto school. Children who speak English as an additional language are extremely well supported by the staff. As a result, they are able to settle quickly and take part in all the activities, while developing their English skills.

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who attend

The staff fully value and embrace their home language because they work closely with parents, asking for translations so they can say hello and goodbye to the child in their home language, for example. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are equally well supported because the staff work in close partnership with their parents to discuss their needs and make any adaptations that are required. Other agencies who are involved with the children are welcomed into the pre-school which promotes a very consistent approach to their care and learning.

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who attend

Children's progress, given their individual age and level of development is clearly evident in their records of achievement. The planning is fully responsive to each child's needs. Staff are highly skilled in working with children's parents to seek information from home that is used alongside their own observations and regular assessments to show how the children are learning. The staff make very effective use of the progress summary that is produced for children between the ages of two and three years. They welcome comments from the child's parents and use this to inform the child's next steps in learning. Their next steps are identified to provide interest and challenge that contributes to children continually moving on in their learning. The staff fully value the information provided by parents and they offer regular and detailed feedback about what the children are enjoying. For example, each week the key persons have a small group session with their

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who attend

children. They plan specific and targeted activities for them. They make observations during this time and take photographs. The session is then evaluated by the staff to assess what the children were gaining from the activity and this information is displayed for parents when they collect their children. The key person spends time talking with the parents to explain how their children learned through the activity. This means that parents develop an understanding of the purpose of activities and can access information about activities that they can do with their children at home.

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

Children attending this pre-school demonstrate clearly that they feel very safe and secure. When they start attending they are very well supported by the staff to separate from their parents because they work with each family, often providing reassurance to parents as well as the children. When they arrive, children quickly settle to play because they are inspired to be curious and get involved with the excellent range of play materials that are available to them. The children fully benefit from the high staff to child ratio. The staff are able to spend time with individual children if they need extra support or comfort, to read stories or to get fully involved with children's play. This involvement is significant in helping children to have their individual needs met throughout the session. For example, children thoroughly enjoy sitting with the staff in the book area reading stories and talking about the pictures. Young children who enjoy drawing and making marks on the easel

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

proudly show their work to the member of staff who provides really positive praise through her words and facial expressions. This results in children feeling valued and to have a sense of achievement. Children are confident to move between their chosen activities and to ask for assistance as they need it. They clearly show that they have developed attachments to the staff because when a staff member arrives they become excited and run up to them, throwing their arms around their neck for a cuddle.

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

Children are learning about the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle with active support from the staff. For example, they enjoy the opportunity to play outside in the exciting pre-school garden every day. They have access to a wide range of activities that promote their physical skills and the children get involved with great gusto. For example, they scoot around on the bikes and ride on toys, successfully managing to negotiate the space around them. They are able to choose freely and are very confident to move around the different activities. Inside, children take part in a range of movement activities to songs and rhymes. They watch the staff and copy the actions, moving in time to the songs they have learnt. Their small muscle skills are promoted through a wide range of activities that support their hand and eye coordination, such as threading, and using tools, such as play dough cutters and scissors. Children really enjoy the snacks they are provided with.

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

They are able to choose from a selection each day including fruit, noodles and cereal. They are learning about the food because they see the whole fruits in a bowl in the middle of the table and talk with the staff about them. They are learning to be independent through the choices they make and because they pour their own drinks and serve themselves. The snack table is positioned close to the sink so the children can wash their hands before eating. Each day a small group of children are chosen as the snack helpers. They help bring the food from the kitchen and lay out the cups and bowls. This also significantly promotes their independence skills and sense of responsibility. Some children stay for lunch. They bring packed lunches from home. Parents are provided with suggestions for healthy and balanced food choices. The boxes are checked by the staff each day and any unsuitable items are removed and sent home with a letter explaining to

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

Children behave very well. They learn about the expectations for behaviour through discussion and support from the staff who know them very well and are aware of those who require extra support. Some children have behaviour targets on their individual educational programmes. All the staff are aware of these targets and this ensures that the children receive a very consistent approach because everyone works together to support them during activities. The key-person system in the pre-school is of a consistently high standard to enable children to have their unique needs met. The pre-school manager and staff have developed very close links with the local school. This means that children have an easy transition when the time comes because as part of their preparation they go for visits and the teachers visit the children at the pre-school. The key person shares information about the children's progress that contributes to their starting points when

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

they go to school. Children are learning about how to keep themselves safe through entirely appropriate discussions with the staff and through the daily routines. For example, they all enthusiastically get involved in helping to tidy away. They collect the broom, dustpan and brush and help to sweep up. They listen to the staff when they talk to them about why certain behaviour may not be safe. The staff team are keen to continue to develop children's awareness of their own and others safety and to consider the possible risks involved in their play through involving them even more in the risk assessment of their own activities.

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provision

Since the last inspection, the manager and staff team have continued to enhance their already very high standards and quality of care, teaching and learning they provide for the children. The manager and staff team demonstrate a strong understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, all staff have a full understanding of how to safeguard children and most are experienced in managing child protection issues. They understand the importance of following the procedures outlined in the pre-school safeguarding policy such as, recording and reporting any safeguarding concerns. The committee and manager have developed robust procedures for the recruitment and retention of suitable members of staff. For example, during their annual appraisal, the staff sign a declaration form to confirm their ongoing suitability. Detailed risk assessments are in place that are reviewed and updated as

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provision

necessary and children are kept safe because the staff take active steps to minimise the risks to children. For example, during arrival and departure times two members of staff monitor the main entrance to the premises and the entrance to the playroom to ensure that children are not able to leave the premises unaccompanied.

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provision

The manager and staff have continued to develop their understanding and implementation of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage for each of the children attending. They are skilled in observing and assessing the progress the children are making and how to tailor the play opportunities and the organisation of the provision to meet their needs. For example, they have significantly increased their provision of resources and furniture to enable the two year old children to take a full part in all the activities on offer. The manager is highly effective in tracking the children's progress in order to focus the planning and resourcing of the group in a targeted way to close any gaps in children's learning. This has been proved effective because the manager received a letter from the local school complimenting the pre-school on how well prepared the recent cohort of children were before they started school. The committee and

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provision

manager are fully committed to the staff attending training courses on areas of interest or specialism and to achieve qualifications. The manager said the staff's ongoing training has had a significant impact on the already high quality of teaching. She said this has also developed their confidence to take a full role in the planning and evaluation of activities and when speaking with parents. She regularly monitors the staff's practice through observing them during their work and provides feedback as part of their ongoing professional development.

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provision

The highly effective partnership working with children's parents, the local school and with other agencies who are involved with the children means that their needs are met. The involvement of parents is truly valued by the staff and parents report very complimentary comments about their commitment to their children and how well they work with their children. The manager has been involved in developing a local authority document to support families who speak English as an additional language and she has had some aspects of the settings policies translated to a number of languages. The pre-school has a strong reflective aspect to all areas of its work. The staff evaluate the activities to ensure they are responding to the children's needs and the staff team are encouraged to be reflective as part of their supervision and appraisals. They have weekly meetings where they discuss all areas of their work and identify their priorities for ongoing development.

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provision

The manager brings the teams and individual's ideas and aspirations together as part of the ongoing improvement plans they set for themselves. As a result, this pre-school is highly successful and responsive in working with each child and their parents and they continually strive for further improvement through extremely well-targeted plans.

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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 220141 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 854540

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 59 Name of provider Bellinge Community Pre School Committee Date of previous inspection 21/04/2010 Telephone number 01604 409375

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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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