Paintbox

Paintbox Pre-School Sutton Children's Centre, The Brook, Sutton, ELY, Cambridgeshire, CB6 2PU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/12/2014 01/10/2009

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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

 Children make good progress given their capabilities and starting points. Teaching is good because staff have a clear understanding of how children learn and develop.  Staff fully understand their responsibilities in protecting children from harm. As a result, safeguarding arrangements are strong.  Staff develop warm and respectful relationships with the children. As a result, children are confident and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.  Partnerships with parents are extremely strong and contribute to the good progress that children make.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Resources are not consistently accessible to children to promote independence and free flow of children's choice in their explorations and imaginative 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 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 in the main pre-school room and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and the nominated person. The inspector also spoke to staff throughout the inspection when appropriate.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's evidence of self-evaluation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Paintbox Pre-School was registered in 2009 and operates from within Sutton Children's Centre in Sutton, Ely. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is governed by a management committee. The setting provides funded early education for eligible two-, three- and four-year-old children. It also offers before and after school clubs for school age children. The provision operates term time only, five days a week, from 7.30am to 6pm. There are currently 98 children on roll of whom 49 are in the early years age range. The committee employs 13 members of staff of whom 12 work with the children. Of these staff, eight hold early years qualifications at level 3 and one at level 2.

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

 enhance the development of children's imagination and spontaneous, investigative play by, for example, making role-play resources more accessible, especially in the home corner.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good because staff have a very clear understanding of how children learn and develop. As a result, children make good progress given their starting points and capabilities. For example, children enjoy listening to a favourite story read by an animated and enthusiastic member of staff. As a result, children show high levels of engagement, and join in excitedly with repeated phrases they know and follow the actions to act out parts of the story. They reflect on their feelings and friendships as the member of staff skilfully asks them to consider these in the context of the story ending, which supports their personal, social and emotional development. Children are motivated to learn and choose to spend time in activities which are planned for their individual learning needs and interests. Staff skilfully support children to develop critical thinking by asking a range of questions to encourage children's thinking. Staff give children time to consider their

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who attend

response and answer their questions, showing an interest in what they have to say. They engage in meaningful conversations, making the most of every opportunity to model vocabulary and extend children's communication and language development. This builds children's self-esteem and enables staff to develop activities to reflect children's growing knowledge and changing interests. For instance, during messy play with soft dough, children role-play birthdays, making cakes for a party. The member of staff skilfully extends mathematical knowledge by asking children to consider how many more cakes will be needed for each child to have one. There is a clear system to evidence, track and monitor children's learning through effective and accurate observations and assessments, including the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. This means that key persons have a clear understanding and knowledge of children's individual learning needs. These are shared

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who attend

with all staff at weekly meetings, and used well to inform planning. As a result, activities are planned to precisely meet individual children's specific learning needs. Consequently, children demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning and make good progress. Children develop a range of skills and a very positive attitude to learning to support their future education at school. This includes an introduction to letters and sounds, which supports children's growing interest in reading and writing.

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who attend

Parents comment how well informed they are of their children's progress. Staff promote a collaborative approach to ensure consistency in supporting children's learning and development. In addition to daily verbal exchanges, staff share children's learning records and next steps in learning with parents regularly through a daily diary system. Staff provide parents with ideas of how to support children's learning at home. Parents contribute their observations of children's achievements at home, which are shared through the use of a wow board. These are shared with all of the children and the achievements recognised. Staff value these contributions because they provide a clear picture of children's all-round development. Opportunities to discuss children's progress are additionally available through formal termly reports and parent consultations. Consequently, parents are well informed about their child's progress. Staff are passionate

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who attend

about supporting parents as well as children, and take every opportunity to enhance this partnership.

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

The key-person system is well established, and very effective in supporting children and their families especially at admission. Staff offer home visits before children start at the pre-school. The key person visits the child in their home, which means the child begins to develop a relationship with them in familiar surroundings. This greatly supports children during their first sessions at pre-school because they already know an adult there. Settling-in procedures are tailored to the individual needs of each child and their family. This is because staff understand the importance for children to feel safe, secure and confident before they show an eagerness and readiness to learn. Meaningful information is gathered at admission, using a comprehensive All about me document. This enables staff to understand children's interests and to establish base line assessments. As a result, children's emotional well-being is well supported.

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

The environment is stimulating, friendly and well resourced. There is a wide range of resources which reflect the seven areas of learning and development. However, not all resources are freely accessible. This means that the flow of children's play is sometimes interrupted because children need assistance from staff to access some of the resources in order to pursue their exploration and imagination. Children's behaviour is extremely well managed. Staff establish simple rules with the children using picture images to support their understanding. Staff are excellent role models, and offer clear reminders of expectations when required. The emphasis is on a positive atmosphere of mutual trust and respect where children's efforts and achievements are frequently praised. As a result, children demonstrate very polite manners, a growing awareness of each other's needs and are confident. This supports them well with the move to school when the time comes.

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

Partnerships with other providers and the local schools are well established. Children are familiar with the school routine as they visit the school frequently to view assemblies, school productions and sports days. This means they begin to know the teachers and the school environment, which supports them well with the move to school. Some younger children stay for the after school session. Staff continue to support children's learning and development, and younger children enjoy spending time with the older children. Older children are good role models, and demonstrate good behaviour, as they interact and play with younger children.

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

Children independently follow good hygiene routines. Staff gently remind children to wash their hands before they eat snack. Children self-register for snack using their laminated name tags. They are free to access snack when they wish, and staff ring a bell to alert those children who have not yet eaten that snack time will shortly end. Children help themselves to a tempting choice of raisins, carrot sticks and brioche. Some children stay for the lunch session, and bring a packed lunch with them. Staff support healthy food choices by providing guidance of suitable foods to include in packed lunches to parents. Staff eat their lunch with the children and this promotes the social aspect of eating together and enjoying conversation about the day's activities. Staff use this opportunity to further promote healthy eating through discussion with the children. The outdoor area is well equipped with resources to promote physical development. It is accessible throughout

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

the session, as staff understand the benefits for children to play in the fresh air. Children are interested in building dens and climbing outside. Staff use this opportunity to support children to develop awareness of, and manage, their own risk, by talking about how to use equipment safely.

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provision

Safeguarding arrangements are strong. Staff understand their role in protecting children from harm, and demonstrate a sound knowledge of the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about children's welfare. Recruitment and induction procedures are robust and ensure that all those working with the children are suitable to do so. Risk assessments are thorough, and consequently, children are cared for in a safe environment. Sampled documentation and records are well maintained, which gives a firm indication that all required documentation is in place and firmly underpins children's safety and welfare.

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provision

The manager is highly focused and passionate in leading her team to ensure children make good progress in their learning and development, and are safe and well cared for. There are some new members to the committee, and their knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements is developing well with support from the experienced manager. She has good systems in place to monitor the effectiveness of the educational programmes and oversees the quality of teaching well. As a result, individual children's specific learning needs are met through a broad and balanced range of activities. Any gaps in children's progress are identified swiftly, and where appropriate, targeted interventions are sought. As a result, children make good progress. Training undertaken by staff is disseminated to all staff at team meetings. This is effective in sharing knowledge to develop consistent practice further. Staff have benefitted from

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provision

training in communication and language development, and they have succeeded in putting many of their ideas into practice. The result is that many children make significant gains in communication and language development.

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provision

Self-evaluation is accurate and staff reflect weekly on how well their practice meets the needs of the children. This means that all staff work together to continually drive improvements in their practice to promote the best learning and development opportunities for each child. Partnerships with parents are very strong. Staff value parents' contributions to develop the pre-school, and seek their feedback through daily verbal exchanges and more formally with parent questionnaires. Feedback from parents is overwhelmingly positive. Parents typically comment that their children are happy, settled and are making good progress. This is a very good, friendly pre-school, where children receive a positive early years experience which supports their future learning.

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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 EY386347 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 858980

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 98 Name of provider Paintbox Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 01/10/2009 Telephone number 01353 778865

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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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