Cowcliffe Preschool

Cowcliffe Pre-School Playgroup Fixby Junior & Infant School, Lightridge Road, HUDDERSFIELD, HD2 2HB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/12/2014 10/06/2010

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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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff are confident and experienced. They use effective teaching techniques that support children in making good progress. They efficiently assess children and use this information to plan activities that stimulate and interest them.  Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language, receive individualised support, which ensures that any gaps in their learning are quickly closing and they make good progress.  Children's emotional well-being is given a high priority. Staff ensure that children form exceptionally close attachments to their key person and have excellent relationships with other staff and children. Children settle well because staff use effective strategies to help them to feel safe.  Staff have a very good understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children. They regularly update their knowledge by attending relevant training courses in order

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This provision is good

to protect children.  Staff work effectively with parents and other professionals to ensure children benefit from continuity of care.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Partnerships with other providers that children attend are not maximised. Staff do not consistently share information about children's progress to make sure the information gained is fully robust.

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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 at various times of the day in the playroom and outdoors.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and children throughout the inspection.  The inspector viewed a sample of the children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the staff, self- evaluation, risk assessment and some policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken with on the day.

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Information about the setting

Cowcliffe Pre-School Playgroup was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register. It is managed by a voluntary committee. It operates from a portable cabin in the grounds of Fixby Junior and Infant School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area for outdoor play. The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff; all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. The manager is qualified to degree level and the deputy manager has attained Early Years Teacher Status. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, from 9.15am to 3.15pm during term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 32 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school 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,

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Information about the setting

and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school is member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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

 introduce more ways of involving other early years providers in children's learning so that the sharing of information is more consistent and robust.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is consistently good with some aspects being outstanding. As a result, children make good progress from their respective starting points. Effective systems for observation and assessment enable staff to accurately identify children's next steps in their learning. Staff use this information to plan interesting learning experiences for children. The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who speak English as an additional language is very strong. There are bilingual staff employed to support children in their home language. In addition, staff use excellent strategies, such as a visual timetable and body and sign language, to support children to engage in the activities. One-to-one activities are used, and staff reinforce areas identified on children's individual education plans to enhance their learning. For example, staff plan well-organised sessions to support children's communication, listening and attention skills.

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who attend

Children's development records are well documented and show that they are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, and share it with parents to promote a consistent approach to supporting children's learning. Any additional needs a child may have are identified, and interventions are sought quickly to ensure children reach their full potential. Parents are fully involved in all aspects of children's learning. For example, they are encouraged to record their own observations of their child's development on the 'achievement tree' or in their child's development records. Parents are also encouraged to extend their children's learning at home. For example, they see the next steps for their child's learning in the development records, and they borrow toys and books from the pre- school to support their child's learning at home.

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who attend

Children are well motivated, move around both indoors and outdoors confidently, and happily engage in a range of purposeful activities of their choice. Children choose and share books in the book corner, and are taught how to handle books carefully. Staff differentiate learning very effectively to meet the needs of the children. Children, whose literacy skills are above average, are encouraged to further develop their understanding about how to use books more effectively. For example, staff help them understand how to use the contents page to navigate around a book. Staff monitor children's engagement in activities, and know when to sensitively intervene in order to extend and support children's learning. Children's language and communication skills are well supported. Staff constantly talk with all children, and particularly the younger ones, and those children who speak English as an additional language. They talk about what children are doing, which

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who attend

helps link words to actions. In addition, staff encourage children to recall past events and activities in their own words and give them time to think and respond to questions. As staff play with the children they encourage them to think critically and creatively. For example, as children play with the dough staff model thinking skills when they think out aloud and ask, 'I wonder what will happen if...?'.

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who attend

Children's mathematical development is well promoted. Staff provide good opportunities for counting, number recognition and shape recognition. Children enthusiastically join in with number rhymes, and learn to subtract numbers as they sing and perform popular rhymes. Children begin to gain an understanding of the world as they observe seasonal changes and hunt for mini-beasts. They also grow vegetables and fruit in the garden, and learn about growth, decay and changes over time. Staff provide lots of opportunities for children to explore information and communication technology. For example, older children use the computer and learn how to operate the mouse to complete programmes. Younger children use phones and remote controls and press buttons to see how things work and happen. Consequently, children build good skills in readiness for school.

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

Children and their families are very warmly welcomed into this friendly pre-school. A highly effective key-person system, and close relationships with parents, ensure that the care and health needs of the children are very well met. The well-established settling-in process is tailored to meet each child's individual needs. Children of all ages develop very secure attachments with their key person and other staff members, and they separate well from their parents. As a result, children settle quickly and are very happy. In addition, there are very strong procedures in place to prepare the children for their move onto school, which ensures that they do so with ease. For example, staff share children's development records and transition documents with teachers, and key persons take children for a visit to school. In addition, they prepare children emotionally by reading stories with them and providing pretend play resources, such as school uniforms, so that

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

children can express their thoughts and feelings as they act out what it will be like at school.

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

Children play in excellently prepared and resourced facilities both indoors and outdoors. The numerous activities offered are enticing, and vigilant staff ensure that all children are engaged at all times. Resources are organised well and they are stored in low-level units and are accessible to all children, so that they are able to make choices about what they would like to do. The environment is rich in text and the walls are adorned with children's artwork and photographs of them at play. This gives children a sense of belonging and a feeling of being valued. Children are encouraged to display their artwork where they like in the playroom. For example, a large piece of artwork, that the children completed outdoors, was brought indoors. Children had a discussion with staff, about where they would like to see it displayed and staff allowed children to do this. This promotes independence and self-esteem exceptionally well. Behaviour is very good. Children learn to

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

share and take turns very well through well-planned activities. In addition, they have been involved in creating behaviour rules, which are displayed in photographic form for everyone to see. Staff give gentle reminders to children, for example, they ask 'what do we say when we need to get past someone?', so that children learn to be polite and considerate to others. Children are very independent within the pre-school. They confidently help themselves to snack, pour their milk and access water from the water cooler very competently. Therefore, their confidence in being self-reliant is greatly enhanced.

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

Children learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe exceptionally well. Outdoors children learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies as they take part in movement to music. In addition, staff are on hand to support children to explore the apparatus and activities boldly, yet calmly. Children learn about taking risks and challenge their bodies as they climb and balance on the equipment. Consequently, they build confidence in their own abilities very well. Children learn to keep themselves healthy through well-established daily routines, such as washing their hands before snack. Children describe the importance of doing so to make sure their hands are clean. The pre-school provides a snack, which is balanced and nutritious. During discussions at snack time, staff and children talk about how fruit is good for keeping you healthy. This raises children's awareness about making informed healthy food choices. This is further extended at home when fruit and

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

vegetables, that children grow and harvest, are taken home to eat. Meal times are used as social occasions which create excellent opportunities for staff to model conversation and promote the social importance of sitting down together. Dietary needs and preferences are discussed with parents and adhered to carefully. As a result, children's health and well-being are promoted exceptionally well.

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provision

Managers and staff consistently implement the pre-school's safeguarding procedures, and so ensure that children's welfare is effectively promoted. All staff have attended training in this area, and show a good understanding of the process to follow should they have any concerns about children. Children's welfare is well considered across all areas of practice. For example, staff follow clear guidance to ensure that mobile telephones and cameras are always used appropriately. There are very robust recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Appropriate suitability checks are also carried out on all members of the management committee. Staff regularly review the risk assessments in order to check that the environment is safe and suitable for children. All of the required documentation is in place and underpins the pre-school very well. Staff and management have a clear understanding of the safeguarding and welfare

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provision

requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure the children are fully protected.

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provision

The manager effectively monitors the educational programmes and planning. Children's continued development is closely analysed to ensure that all children achieve to their full potential. This enables the management team to track individual children's progress to identify any gaps in their learning, and to seek appropriate intervention and professional advice if necessary. In addition, information about groups of children is analysed to provide an overview of the pre-school's performance. This helps the manager identify training needs for staff so that they have the skills needed to enhance all aspects of children's learning and development. Staff have very good access to training through the local authority and higher education colleges to further develop their skills and knowledge. Any training attended is shared between the team, and is used to develop the learning outcomes for the children. The manager provides regular supervision for staff and peer

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provision

observations are in the process of being developed to further support staff in their work. Staff, parents and children are fully involved in the evaluation process through discussions, questionnaires and a suggestion box. Views are fully considered and changes made where necessary to improve the facilities for the children. Managers and staff are very motivated and work very closely as a team to continually drive up quality and standards. All of the areas identified for improvement at the previous inspection have been addressed effectively. For example, the outdoor play area has been developed exceptionally well, documentation has been reviewed, and children's independence skills have been promoted through the self-service snack time. As a result, children's welfare and development is enhanced.

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provision

The pre-school has very successful partnerships with parents and external agencies. Consequently, children receive the support that they need to make good progress. Good systems for communication keep parents well informed of their child's progress and the pre-school activities. Parents receive excellent information about the pre-school through the policies and procedures and a there is a vast amount of information displayed for them in the entrance area. This ensures that they are well informed about the running of the pre-school. Parents speak highly of the staff and are appreciative of the good quality care and education provided. They value the strong support provided for their children. Staff work very well with the schools that children attend through the transition procedures, to enable children to move on and settle quickly. Staff have generally good relationships with other early years providers that children attend. For example, they share information

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provision

about children's care needs and daily routines through the home/school book. However, the sharing of information about children's learning and development is less effective because this is not achieved consistently. Staff do work very closely with other agencies involved in children's care and learning, such as health visitors, speech and language therapists and the inclusion team, to ensure that children with additional needs reach their full potential.

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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 EY333633 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 862576

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 32 Name of provider Cowcliffe Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 10/06/2010 Telephone number 01484 424425

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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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