Little Tinkers Preschool

Little Tinkers Preschool Simpson School, Simpson, MILTON KEYNES, MK6 3AZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/12/2014 24/02/2010

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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

 Staff support children to make extremely good progress in their physical development and highly promote their independence and self-care skills.  The learning environment is vibrant and staff display children's work around the environment. This develops children sense of belonging, and encourages them to play freely and to make purposeful choices about what they do.  The leadership team achieves successful partnership working. Staff value and act on information from other professionals and parents to support children. This helps children to make good progress from their starting points, and is very beneficial for children with special educational needs and or disabilities.  The staff create a secure environment, and implement the policies and procedures effectively to safeguard children and to promote their welfare.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always share their key children's next step for learning to achieve team cohesion, to support every child to further advance their good progress.  At times, staff miss some opportunities, during large group activities, to captivate and hold children's attention and deepen their understanding.

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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 children's activities indoors and outdoors, and spoke with children and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector tracked children in the preschool, reviewed their records, looked at a sample of documentation, and carried out a joint observation with the preschool supervisor.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed, qualifications, suitability information with the preschool supervisor.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the supervisor/registered individual, a senior member of staff and parents.

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Information about the setting

Little Tinkers Preschool was registered in 2007 and re-registered at Charles Warren Academy in 2009. It operates from a classroom within the school. The preschool is privately owned. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and the voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Preschool children share the washing and toilet facilities with the Foundation Stage class children. There is a secure outdoor area for the children's outdoor activities. Currently, there are 46 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The preschool receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. The preschool supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. The preschool opens weekdays during term time. Opening times are from 9am until 3pm and children attend a variety of sessions. The preschool employs eight

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Information about the setting

staff. The preschool supervisor holds relevant early years qualification at level 6, and other staff hold relevant qualifications in childcare and education.

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

 enhance how staff share information with each other about key children's next steps for learning to help all staff to consistently support every child, by increasing their opportunities to make rapid progress in their learning from their starting points

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

 strengthen teaching techniques to enhance how staff manage large group activities to captive and hold children's attention, particularly for older children.

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who attend

Staff provide very enabling learning environments for children, and they support children extremely well to make excellent progress in their physical development. Children play freely outdoors and enjoy a wealth of experiences out there. This increases their physical skills and their personal independence. For example, children play energetically in an inviting outdoor classroom that supports their learning across all areas. Children learn about safety as they use a range of tools in the garden. Staff help children to learn about how some of the foods they eat are grown. They plant and grow vegetables to deepen children's understanding of foods that are good for health. For example, children prepared and cooked potatoes that they grew, and enjoyed eating them. Additionally, they shared some of the salad vegetables they grew with their families. Children are sharing their knowledge of healthy eating with parents, as a result, the quality of foods in their packed

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who attend

Staff use their good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop to engage children in learning that interests them across all areas. However, at times, they miss some opportunities during large group activities to captivate and hold children's attention. This means that they do not always fully achieve the learning intention they identify for the large group activities that they lead. For example, during the inspection, the adult-led activity went on for too long. Consequently, some children lost focus and interest. Even so, staff routinely observe and assess children's progress. They link children achievements closely to information about their starting points and published child development guidance. The preschool's staff seek professional support, at the earliest possible stage, to gain intervention for children with special educational needs and or disabilities. Staff are persistent in their efforts to put the right strategies in place for these

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who attend

children. The provision that staff make for children is well suited to their varying abilities and starting points. Consequently, they support all children well to make good and steady progress from their starting points, in readiness for school. As a result, all children enjoy learning through play in a vibrant environment. Staff routinely identify children's next steps for learning, and they make good use of the information to inform planning. However, key persons do not always share the information for children's next step for learning in enough details with their colleagues. This aspect of staff's practice is not fully developed to help all children to sustain rapid progress. For example, there are times when some older children move quickly between activities because the challenges are not precise enough to extend their concentration.

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who attend

Children engage in a range of creative activities, and they use these activities to consolidate learning. For example, during the inspection, they explained that when they take the play food out of the microwave it is hot and this is why they are wearing gloves. Children get messy with paint as they make cards and crowns in preparation for their cultural celebrations. The range of creative resources available makes it easy for children, of varying ages and ability, to practise their early writing skills. For example, during the inspection, children wrote for different purposes as they played shops and as they made patterns with their fingers and tools in the shaving foam, and sand. Children enjoy the sensory experience of using these varying materials and tools. Children show that they feel secure in the preschool, and happily dress up and carry on with their activities around visitors. This enables children to use their creative experiences to practise life skills.

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who attend

Staff plan well for developing children's mathematical skills. These activities and the use of good quality equipment helps to promote children's awareness of mathematical concepts well. For example, during the inspection, they used rulers and weighing scales to practise weighing and measuring. They use large equipment, such building blocks, to create their own structures and to change the learning environment. For example, children used the large umbrella and a cover to create a dark area. They use the dark area to experiment with technology as they used torches to create light and dark, and recording resources to record and hear their voices. Children further develop their understanding of technology as staff support them to use the computer to complete simple programmes. Staff support children to work cooperatively at the computer and, as a consequence, children learn to share and to take turns. This helps them to understand that it is important to behave well,

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who attend

so that they can all have their turn. Children are learning useful skills in readiness for school.

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who attend

Staff in the preschool are experienced at completing the progress check for two-year-old children. They use all of the information from parents and professionals, their baseline assessments and their ongoing observations to inform the summary reports for these children. The written summary of these is shared with parents. If necessary staff provide parents with help and support to make use of resources, such as, the services of the professionals at the local children's centre. This helps all parties to work together to quickly close any emerging gap in these children's learning.

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

Staff are caring and sensitive to the needs of the children, and they are particularly mindful to promote children's individual care routines. They are extra careful to make full use of the information they have for the youngest children, those with special educational needs and or disabilities, and children who are new to the preschool. This helps these groups of children to settle well in the busy preschool. Senior staff make sure that there is a wide variety of activities that particularly well suited to the age and developmental stages of these children. The enabling environment makes it easy for children to make purposeful choices. Staff address the children gently by their names and this helps to affirm children's identity. Staff makes full use of one-to-one time, such as nappy changing, to engage the children in conversation. They use the visual timetable, picture exchange and some sign language to help children with emerging language, and children who are

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

learning English as an additional language, to increase their understanding. The positive engagement between the staff and the children helps the children to develop trust and secure emotional attachments with the adults who care for them. As a result, children settle over time and enjoy their time in preschool. The key-person system is well established to meet the personal needs of the children.

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

Staff provide children with positive images of people in the wider community as a core part of their learning experiences. They all acknowledge and participate in different cultural celebrations. Staff are supporting children well to increase their understanding of similarities and differences, and they encourage them to share their cultural experiences with others. Through activities and good role modelling staff help children to learn to behave well. Children show consideration for others, and this enables children who are at different stages of development to enjoy the learning opportunities at preschool.

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

Overall, parents state that they are please with the care and service that the preschool provides. Parents welcome the opportunities to review and contribute to their children's progress records. They say that their children are making good progress in learning and development. Parents praise the staff for the support they provide to progress children's development from wearing nappies to toilet training. Parents generally speak positively of their children's increased confidence to sing nursery rhymes and to use numbers. They especially praise the preschool staff for increasing children's knowledge of healthy food choices. Staff fully understand the benefits of partnership working to gain continuity, and to drive improvements for children's education and welfare. The preschool staff welcomes parents and professionals, and they work closely with them to make sure that the correct arrangements are in place for individual children, as necessary. In addition, to the

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

arrangements for professionals to work with the children in the preschool, the leadership team routinely supports parents to make use of resources, such as the local children's centre. The preschool's leadership team and staff achieve equality and inclusion well for all children. Children's behaviour and interaction with others shows that they feel valued and welcome in the preschool.

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

Children play and learn in safe preschool environment, because the staff make effective use of risk assessment processes and hazards checks in the premises and for outings. In addition, to supervising children closely, staff are creative to help children to increase their understanding of personal safety. For example, staff role play with children to help them to understand about stranger danger. Activities such as these consolidate children understanding of practices that help to keep them safe. Overall, children's confidence and growing independence demonstrates that they are making good progress in readiness for school.

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provision

The leadership team supports staff effectively to implement the preschool's policies and procedures. As a result, they meet the requirements for learning and development, and to promote and safeguard children's welfare efficiently. There are good systems in place for the planning, observation and tracking of individual children progress, and to monitor the overall performance of the preschool. Staff use these well-established systems to effectively support all children to make good progress in their learning and development. Therefore, overall, this promotes their readiness for school very well.

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provision

The leadership team manages all aspects of safeguarding effectively. For example, staff have good understanding of child protection matters. They are familiar with the child protection policy and know what to do if they have concerns about children's well-being. Staff take account of communication updates from the leadership team and from other professional bodies, such as the Local Safeguarding Children Board and Ofsted.

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provision

The recruitment procedure is robust and is based on safer recruitment practices. All staff are properly vetted, and there are systems and practices in place to make that all staff fully understand their responsibility to report changes to their suitability. The leadership team ensures that only staff who are suitable, are alone with children. All staff complete a comprehensive induction process. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities, and have a good understanding of the preschool's policies and procedures. Staff complete risk assessments and daily hazards checks effectively. They use these procedures to create and maintain safe and secure environments for children. The safe environment enables children to develop their independence skills and make good use of the preschool's resources, under staff's close supervision.

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provision

The leadership team maintains all the required document that is required to safeguard children and promote their welfare efficiently. For example, accident and medication records include the required information, and attendance records for children, staff and visitors are accurate and up to date. The leadership team has systematic procedures for staff management, these include regular team meetings, mentoring, appraisals and ongoing training. Staff have completed core training, such as first aid and safe food handling. The leadership team provider ongoing support to help staff to gain and improve their qualifications. The leadership team is driving improvement. For example, since the previous inspection, the preschool supervisor has achieved an early years qualification to level 6. To fully evaluate the preschool's performance the manager seeks the views of staff, parents and professionals, such as the local authority's early years consultant. These

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provision

views are then taken into consideration and acted on. For example, from the children's input they have created a wormery to extend children's understanding of other living things. From parents input they have extended the use of the home school link books, and made children's progress records more widely available to them. The preschool has good links with the local foundation class teachers and this helps to ease children's move in to school.

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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 EY397284 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 830790 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 46 Name of provider Little Tinkers Pre-school Partnership Date of previous inspection 24/02/2010 Telephone number 07952638603

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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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