Whittington Pre-SchoolOfsted inspection, 15 Dec 2014

Whittington Pre-School Building 43, Whittington Barracks, LICHFIELD, Staffordshire, WS14 9PY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/12/2014 23/07/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 provide a broad range of motivating experiences to support children's curiosity and exploration and to help them actively learn through playful teaching. Therefore, children are well prepared for school.  Staff make getting to know each child's background, health and welfare needs a clear priority from the outset, which results in strong support for children and good relationships with their parents and carers.  The manager ensures the required policies and procedures are effective in protecting and safeguarding children.  The staff team are supported well by the manager to raise their skills and knowledge and there are clear action plans in place to support continuous improvement.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The monitoring and coaching of staff are not always precisely focused on sharing the existing high quality practice in rooms, in relation to exploiting fully the use of resources and increasing children's vocabulary.  Staff in pre-school do not always fully exploit opportunities for the older and more able children to consider concepts, such as weight, measures and letters and sounds during their play.

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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 compulsory part 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 in the playrooms and the outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, action plans, the providers self-evaluation form, evidence of the suitability of staff working within the nursery and a range of other documentation.  The inspector also took account of the feedback from parent's and carer's surveys.

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Information about the setting

Whittington Pre-School registered at its current premises in 2007 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is situated at Whittington Barracks in Lichfield, Staffordshire and is managed by Whittington Pre-school Ltd. The pre- school serves the local and surrounding areas. It operates from converted community premises and there are several enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday all year round from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently a total of 64 children attending, of whom all are within the early years age group. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an early years qualification at level 6, and 11 hold a qualification at level 3 of which two are working towards a qualification at level 5. One member of staff

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Information about the setting

holds a qualification at level 2 and the other is unqualified. The pre-school receives support from the local authority.

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

 focus more precisely on sharing the existing high quality practice across the rooms, such as coaching staff in the toddler room to make resources more freely available to increase choice, and staff in the baby room to place the same high level of focus on repeating the new words introduced, to further enhance children's communication and language skills

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

 provide an even broader range of experiences for the older and more able children to consider concepts, such as weight and measures and letters and sounds during their play.

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who attend

Teaching is good. Staff plan and provide a broad range of interesting, motivating and challenging experiences to support the children's curiosity and exploration. Staff use playful teaching and children show good levels of interest and concentration during activities. Staff place a clear focus on getting to know the children through working closely with parents and carers to establish their interests, likes and starting points in learning. This results in children who are keen to try new activities and enjoy their learning. Parents are supported well to be involved in their children's learning. For example, they are encouraged to take home the 'Chatter box', an empty box, which is filled with items of interest and then children are encouraged to share what they have collected with their peers. This is popular with both children and their parents and has resulted in, for example, children talking about their holidays and their favourite pink things. Staff use the

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who attend

children's developmental assessments to identify any gaps in learning and use this information to inform the planning of activities. In addition, children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well and progress well towards the early learning goals, given their starting points. Consequently, all children are well prepared for school.

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who attend

Staff provide good opportunities to promote the children's physical development. The outdoor environment offers a broad range of experiences for children to freely explore and discover and be active. For example, children are supported well to use the physical play resources to extend and test their physical skills. Children in the baby room benefit from a separate outdoor area so they can move freely and safely. Indoors, these children freely use items, such as sit and rides, rockers and a ball pit and are encouraged to crawl, move, roll, sit and stretch. Staff support the children's communication and language well. Staff provide good opportunities for children to share their news at circle time. Staff caring for the older children ask challenging questions to make them think, and introduce new vocabulary, ideas and concepts during activities. Staff are creative in their approach and inspire the children's imagination and skilfully encourage children to talk about their ideas.

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who attend

For example, outdoors, staff introduce and reinforce words, such as 'enormous' and 'high' as they race around with the children and pretend to make a large, imaginary sandcastle. All staff use songs, rhymes and books extremely well to engage the children and encourage them to talk and sing and introduce new vocabulary. For example, the songs and books chosen are challenging and thoroughly enjoyed by the children. Staff caring for the babies have close bonds with the children and engage them well through touch and by using their voice and facial expression to capture their interest. However, on occasions all staff do not place the same high level of focus on increasing the children's vocabulary by repeating more often the new words introduced, to further enhance their communication and language skills.

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who attend

Children have a varied range of opportunities to use writing items, such as crayons, pencils, chalk and paintbrushes. Children show a fondness for making marks. For example, the pre-school children and are keen to post what they have created in the pretend post box. Children learn print carries meaning as they find their name on arrival to show they are present. Staff introduce letters and sounds through using flash cards and by using listening games. However, staff acknowledge there is scope to further develop this by introducing more rhyming activities and reinforcing letters and sounds during the routine of the day. Staff use the daily routine, computer and games to introduce children to early mathematical concepts. Consequently, children show an interest in problem solving, size, colour, shape and counting. Staff make these activities interesting and enjoyable. Resources, such as measuring tapes, rulers, balancing scales and calculators are made

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who attend

available for the children to use. However, the tracking of children's progress shows that children remain less confident in exploring weight and measures. The outdoor area is used well to promote the children's understanding of the natural world. For example, staff place a strong focus on the changing seasons to encourage children to look for changes. Staff provide good opportunities for children to plant and care for flowers, fruits and vegetables. Children show a real interest in using magnifying glasses to look closely at their natural environment and insects. Children explore the light and dark as they use torches in the dark den and when it is dark outdoors. Children also learn about the wider world and about their own and others cultural and religious customs. The programme for expressive art and design is strong. Children, including babies, have good opportunities to explore and use a variety of arts and craft materials. For example, babies enjoy spreading the glue

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who attend

and sticking shiny paper and later, thoroughly enjoy using their senses to explore the shaving foam. Daily, all children benefit from a broad range of activities to explore texture. For example, children use resources, such as the sand, water, dough, paint, water, toothpaste, lotion, soap and pasta. However, in the toddler room these resources are not made as freely available to further increase choice.

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

Supporting the children's personal, social and emotional development, supporting their emotional well-being and meeting their individual care needs are the key strengths of the nursery. For example, staff are sensitive to the children's individual home circumstances and are flexible within the routine to help meet their emotional needs. The assigned key- person system is effective in ensuring staff get to know their key children and their parents and carers. For example, each child has a daily diary, which is used well to share information with parents and carers. In addition, despite some staff changes, children remain confident and happy and develop positive relationships with the staff.

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

Transition within the pre-school is supported extremely well due to the constant sharing of information, which results in staff who know the children and meet their individual care needs well. Staff support transition to school equally well. Links with the schools in the area are strong, which results in teachers visiting the children, staff visiting the schools and good sharing of information to support children's education, care and well-being

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

Staff are consistent and positive in their approach to managing the children's behaviour and children respond well to reminders to keeping themselves and others safe. Staff support children well to learn about the importance of developing a healthy lifestyle. For example, topics on healthy foods and discussions about the importance of exercise help reinforce messages to children and their parents and carers. Children benefit from healthy and nutritious meals and snacks, which are enjoyed by the children. Effective risk assessments are conducted on the environment and the activities carried out, to ensure they are appropriate and minimise risk to the children. Staff ensure they conduct a head count of all children before they go outdoors and again before they come back indoors to ensure all children are present and safe. The resources are of good quality and capture the children's interests and meet planned goals in learning.

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provision

All staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding policy, the procedures to follow and are able to identify the signs and symptoms of abuse to help secure children's welfare. There are effective recruitment, vetting and induction procedures in place to help secure the children's safety. All the required records, policies and procedures, including the missing child policy, are in place and up to date to help secure the children's safety. Staff are vigilant about the children's safety and supervise the children well.

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provision

Since the last inspection, significant progress has been made and all the actions set in the notice to improve and recommendations have been tackled well. Achievements since the last inspection include, improved supervision of children and a clear procedure to follow in the event of a child going missing, improved teaching and observation and assessments systems to monitor children's progress and improved partnership working with parents. The manager has worked extremely well with the local authority to implement the necessary changes and introduced more robust systems to manage staff underperformance. This has resulted in clear direction for the staff team of their roles and responsibilities and a greater emphasis on improving the quality of teaching and supporting the children's learning. Staff benefit from regular supervision and are supported well to attend training to update their skills and qualifications. In addition, the

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provision

manager conducts monitoring observations to assess the quality of teaching and practice in the rooms. The manager has a secure overview of the nursery at this time. She is effectively tracking the children's progress and trends in children's learning to focus the actions plans in place and areas for further development.

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provision

Strong, collaborative working with parents and carers results in good outcomes for children in their education and well-being. Parents are kept well informed about policies, routines, meals and the activities on offer. They are regularly consulted about any changes and their feedback is acted upon. They receive progress reports about their children's learning and achievements and how they can further support their children's learning at home. Good joint working with other professionals involved with children, to share practice, targets and ideas, results in effective support in children's care, education and welfare.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY384325 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 984866

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 49 Number of children on roll 64 Name of provider Whittington Pre-School Date of previous inspection 23/07/2014 Telephone number 01543 434 371

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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

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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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