Marsworth Pre-school

Marsworth Pre-School Marsworth Millennium Hall, c/o 3 Vicarage Road, Marsworth, Tring, Hertfordshire, HP23 4LR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/12/2014 26/03/2009

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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

 The leadership and management have effective procedures to monitor children's ongoing learning and development. These ensure staff focus their teaching to meet children's developmental needs.  The leadership and management support staff's professional development, to enrich their understanding of how children learn.  Staff have good partnerships with parents and other professionals. Staff inform parents about their children's progress and help is sought for children with additional needs in a timely way. This means all children make good progress in their learning.  Staff provide a good range of creative resources. Children freely express themselves using a range of tools and materials and have prolific opportunities to practise writing for a purpose, such as their names.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always give children the time to respond to questions, allowing them to put their thoughts together before answering.  Staff do not always maximise learning opportunities to strengthen children's independence skills further or enhance learning about a healthy lifestyle.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities indoors and outdoors, and carried out a joint observation of an activity with the pre-school leader.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability, self-evaluation processes, and documents that support the running of the pre-school.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and the planning documentation.  The inspector held a meeting with the pre-school leader.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Marsworth Pre-School is a committee-run group and registered in 1972. It operates from the Millennium Hall, in Marsworth, Buckinghamshire. The group use a large hall and a room for quieter activities. There is an enclosed outside area. The pre-school is open four days a week during school term times. The sessions run from 9am to 11.30am and 12.30pm to 3pm. There is also a lunch club from 11.30am to 12.30pm.

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Information about the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school receive funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are currently 42 children aged from two years to under five years on roll.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs eight staff. Four of the staff, including the pre-school leader, hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two staff are currently training towards a level 3 qualification.

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

 give children more time to respond to questions, allowing them to put their thoughts together before answering

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

 maximise the learning opportunities to strengthen children's independence skills further and enhance their learning about a healthy lifestyle.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. Staff make good observations and accurately assess and monitor children's ongoing development. Parents receive good information about their children's progress. Staff encourage parents to share what their children are learning at home. If children require some additional support, the special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and other professionals. This means they are clear about how they will work together to provide the support required. Consequently, children receive the additional help they need to help them make good improvement in their learning. The staff use their assessments to plan for children's next stages of learning. Children make good progress overall and they are acquiring the skills they will need in readiness for school. Staff organise the environment well; the layout provides familiarity and staff add resources to enhance the children's interests. The staff position resources in easily accessible

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who attend

drawers or on tables positioned around the room. This enables children to make independent choices and make decisions about what they want to use. They make plans, carry them out, and explore different strategies when things do not go to plan. For example, children who were making a Christmas card used a different glue to help stick the shiny paper in place.

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who attend

The staff have good strategies in place to help children develop their communication and language skills. Staff build up the children's vocabularies as they play, introducing new words that reflect their experiences. During a small group activity, children thoroughly enjoyed a game of sound lotto. Teaching encouraged the children to listen and identify sounds. They placed a counter on their picture board when they had identified the sound. This helped children learn to distinguish sounds. Staff develop children's appreciation and experiences of rhythm and rhyme in speech. Older children are learning to say the initial sound in their name and other words. Skilful teaching helps children to build the foundations for early reading and writing.

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who attend

Staff help to extend children's learning through a good range of open-ended questions. However, staff do not always give children the time to respond to questions, allowing them to put their thoughts together before answering. Children explore and engage in activities and join in some more structured activities that staff plan to support children's individual learning. Staff provide a good range of puzzles that children are learning to complete. They look for patterns and colours and match the pieces together. This strengthens the children's hand to eye coordination and helps them learn how to problem solve, fitting together the parts to form a whole.

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

The key-person approach helps children to settle, and feel safe and secure in the pre- school environment. Staff effectively focus on finding out about the children and their families during their settling-in visits. This means that all children receive sensitive help to form strong relationships with their key person, other staff, and children. Children are confident to explore and ask for resources they cannot see or to search through the labelled drawers to find what they are looking for. They are involved and engaged in the familiar pre-school routines and activities. As children grow older, the staff help them to achieve the skills they will need for school. For example, they practise sitting and listening, and learn to manage dressing and undressing independently. Management invites the children's new schoolteachers to visit them at pre-school; consequently, they are prepared for well for school.

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

Staff provide children with reminders about using the toilet, cleaning hands and washing away germs before snack. This means children are learning to manage their personal needs and to follow good hygiene procedures. Since the last inspection, the staff have made improvements to encourage children's independence at snack time. Staff provide small jugs for children to pour their own drinks and children assist in laying the table. Staff use this time well to help children to develop their mathematical skills, for example by ensuring there are enough plates and cups for every child. However, staff do not always sit down with children for snack. This means they do not always maximise learning to further strengthen the children's independence skills or enhance learning about a healthy lifestyle.

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

Children are learning to move skilfully and negotiate space successfully, adjusting their speed or direction to avoid collisions. Before a music and movement session, staff helped children to prepare for an energetic session by warming up their muscles. This helped children to understand that they need to warm up their muscles gently before physical exercise. Children are learning to experience and manage some risk, and rise to the challenge. For example, they make good use of the climbing frame and confidently climb up, go under and over, through and slide down.

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

The staff are positive role models and give consistent guidelines that support children to manage their emotions and to adjust their behaviour around other children. Staff encourage kind and friendly behaviour with a reward. This proves very positive with the children who use the chart to count the stickers and look forward to their small reward. The clear guidance means that children are aware of the behavioural expectations in pre- school. The good teaching strategies boost children's self-esteem and also help them learn how to keep themselves safe. They are reminded of rules and how to keep each other safe with consistent messages.

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provision

Leadership and management effectively oversee the delivery of the educational programmes and monitor the staff's teaching practice. For example, there is a daily meeting before the session starts, to review the planning and routines. This ensures staff focus the quality of teaching to meet children's developmental needs. Regular meetings with staff mean that the management monitors children's development and progress, and discuss any identified gaps in children's achievements. Management also completes an overview of children's learning each term. This means staff plan effectively for individual and groups of children and provide additional support to ensure any gaps in children's learning are narrowing.

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provision

Staff have good partnerships with parents and other professionals. Staff share children's learning with parents regularly and seek help for children with additional needs in a timely way. One parent expressed how pleased she is with the pre-school, 'Staff worked really hard to help my child become more confident and join in. She is quite nervous of new people so the key-person has really helped her gain confidence with other staff and children'. A parent's comment in their child's development record says, 'Our child's time at Marsworth is continuing to enrich her innate love to learn. We could not be happier with her development so far'. Leadership and management have good systems that demonstrate their reflective practice. Since the last inspection, the staff have made improvements to the garden, which helps children develop an understanding of growth and show care for plants they have grown. Their self-evaluation highlights their strengths and identifies areas to

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provision

improve, which they include on their development plan. Leadership and management work closely with the local authority and attend a variety of network meetings to enhance their knowledge.

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provision

Leadership and management have good systems in place for safe recruitment. The staff team have been together for a long time and work well as a team. Management encourage all staff to develop professionally with the attendance at three courses each year. They value the time given to learn and to share and update others who have not attended. This shared learning helps to ensure all staff benefit from training and enhances their good teaching practice.

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provision

Staff have all attended training in safeguarding and they fully understand the pre-school's safeguarding policy and procedures. Management regularly monitors their knowledge. They can demonstrate the signs that maybe a cause for concern, such as changes in children's behaviour and know how to report these. The staff keep the premises safe and secure, they follow effective procedures carefully to minimise hazards. This ensures a safe environment for children. All staff receive training in first aid. This means that all staff can deal with accidents in an emergency in any area that children are.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 151294 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 841889 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Marsworth Pre-school And Mother And Toddler Group Committee Date of previous inspection 26/03/2009 Telephone number 01296 660919 or mobile 07506179658

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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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