Ewelme Village Preschool

Ewelme Village Pre-School Ewelme Village Hall, The Street, Ewelme, WALLINGFORD, Oxfordshire, OX10 6HQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/01/2015 27/05/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children are highly motivated to explore and learn in this vibrant pre-school. They are able to choose freely from an exciting range of activities and resources that cover the seven areas of learning.  Children flourish because the staff know each child well. Strong attachments with staff ensure children are happy, secure, fully involved and confident.  The manager and her staff team work exceptionally well together. Staff take on responsibilities within the pre-school, which empowers them to try new things. This means they are continually reflecting on their provision and embedding improvements.  The quality of teaching is outstanding. Confident and enthusiastic staff deliver high quality learning opportunities. This allows children to make excellent progress.  Staff use highly effective methods to engage parents. Information is consistently shared about children's learning and development, enabling parents to support their child's

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This provision is outstanding

learning at home.  The routine and pace of the day ensures children are fully engaged and actively learning. As a result, their behaviour is excellent.

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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 at free play and in group times and staff interactions with them.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documents including policies, registers and records of children's learning.  The inspector spoke to parents and took into account their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and manager conducted a joint observation.

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Information about the setting

Ewelme Village Pre-School is a committee run provision that registered in 1970. It operates from the village hall in Ewelme, near Benson, in Oxfordshire. The pre-school has use of a designated room, the main hall, bathrooms and a kitchen. The children have access to a secure outdoor play area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates during term-time only and is open Monday to Thursdays from 9.15am until 2.45pm and Fridays from 9.15am until 12.15pm. There are currently 32 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four. The pre-school cares for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who learn English as an additional language. There are five staff who work with the children and all hold a recognised childcare qualification.

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

 further embed tracking systems to be able to analyse specific group progress, such as more able children, and other specific groups.

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who attend

Children are active and enthusiastic learners in this vibrant pre-school. The quality of teaching is outstanding. Staff demonstrate exceptional skills in delivering high quality activities to groups and individuals. Exciting and challenging learning opportunities capture children's interests and they demonstrate extremely good concentration and focus. There is a strong emphasis on supporting children's mathematical abilities. For example, children balance small plastic bears on scales and adults closely support children's developing understanding with skilful questions. Staff ask why the scales balance and children eagerly respond, describing how they put the same amount on each side. Staff frequently engage children in counting activities and more able children learn simple addition, calculating the total number of staff and children present that day. Some children easily identify larger written digits, such as 18, and demonstrate an excellent awareness of numbers in their

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who attend

Children have excellent opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills. Staff know that maintaining good eye contact, using facial expressions and varying the tone of their voice helps to develop children's communication skills. Alongside this, they frequently use sign language and refer to visual pictures around the room. Staff teach children to sound out letters and have a strong emphasis on introducing ambitious vocabulary into everyday play. This multi-faceted approach to language supports all children, especially those with additional needs or who speak English as an additional language, to make excellent progress.

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who attend

Children have daily opportunities to develop their physical strength and coordination in the hall. Children excitedly make their way around an obstacle course, balancing on low beams and climbing and jumping off wooden boxes. Children learn to take measured risks with their physical abilities as they leap on to mats. They are thoroughly supported by attentive staff, who offer praise and encouragement.

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who attend

Staff effectively document children's progress in learning and development with observations, photographs and end of term reports. These include the required progress check for two-year-old children. Next steps for learning are shared with parents, which ensures children make good progress at home and in the pre-school. Initiatives such as 'WOW stars' allow for achievements from home to be celebrated in the pre-school. Children feel a strong sense of pride as the stars, written by their parents, are read out loud in front of their peers. Children's learning is tracked, which helps staff quickly identify and address any gaps in individual children's learning. This system is currently being extended to represent different groups of children, but is not currently embedded enough to have an impact on practice.

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

Children's learning is greatly enhanced by the attractive and well-presented learning environment. Children are self-motivated to choose freely from the abundance of stimulating and exciting resources and activities. Regular routines, supported by visual reminders around the room, help children to feel secure about what is coming up next. This ensures children are constantly engaged and actively learning. As a result, their behaviour is excellent. Staff reinforce the importance of using good manners and being kind, and children respond well to the regular praise they receive. This helps them have a good understanding of boundaries and expectations, and supports their developing self- esteem.

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

Children develop strong attachments with their key person due to the individual care and attention they receive. Parents speak highly of the emotional support the key person offers their children. Parents feel staff go 'out of their way' to support children's individual needs. As a result, children settle quickly into the nursery and are soon confident to say goodbye to parents and enthusiastic to see their friends. This confidence supports them as they move up to school, as they are emotionally secure.

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

Children demonstrate high levels of self-control and independence during the day. For example, children use the toilet and wash their hands independently, pour their own drinks and help themselves to healthy snacks such as fruit. Children learn about keeping fit through daily use of a large variety of exciting gymnastics and fitness activities in the hall. Children balance on low beams, crawl through tunnels and jump off boxes, closely supervised by staff. This helps them learn to monitor their own level of risk and learn how to keep themselves safe.

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provision

Very strong leadership and management drive the vision and ambition for this pre-school. The manager works closely with the committee and the staff and they share a full understanding of their responsibilities to meet learning and development requirements. Weekly team meetings, supervisions, appraisals and a peer mentoring programme supports staff development. Staff regularly attend training that supports their knowledge and develops their skills. For example, all staff are certified first-aiders and have attended safeguarding training. Staff work extremely well together and take on different responsibilities. This creates a harmonious and welcoming environment. There is a robust system of self-evaluation, with a strong emphasis on involving staff, parents and children. This supports the pre-school to continually improve and to quickly identify and address any areas to be developed.

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provision

Safeguarding children is given the highest priority by staff. Robust procedures ensure staff are fully vetted before they begin working with children. Staff are knowledgeable in safeguarding and know the procedures to follow if they become concerned about the welfare of a child in their care. Policies support staff knowledge and clearly describe the appropriate use of mobile phones, cameras and detail procedures to share any concerns about colleagues. Daily checklists and written risk assessments ensure the building, toys, resources and activities are safe for children.

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provision

Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the pre-school. They describe staff as, 'caring and nurturing' and the manager as 'inspirational'. Children's needs are exceptionally well met through excellent partnerships with local schools and outside agencies. This is because information sharing about children's needs is first rate and any necessary support is put into place swiftly, so children make rapid progress.

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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 134493 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 841072 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 6 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 32 Name of provider Ewelme Village Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 27/05/2011 Telephone number 01491 835413

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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