Blue Bell Hill Pre School

Blue Bell Hill Pre School Bluebell Hill Hall, Robin Hood Lane, Blue Bell Hill, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9QR

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/01/2015 16/03/2009

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 Staff place an extremely strong emphasis on helping children to feel safe and secure in the pre-school.  There are excellent partnerships between parents and others to fully support the individual needs of the children.  The leadership and management of the nursery are inspirational and all staff are highly enthused and offer the children wonderful learning experiences.  There is a strong emphasis on supporting children's communication skills in the pre- school. Adults' excellent implementation of the 'Every Child's a Talker' programme, results in very confident talkers.  Excellent self-evaluation means that the staff continually extend the outstanding service they provide for children and their families.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector undertook a tour of the areas used by the pre-school and discussed with the manager how they undertook risk assessments.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records and safeguarding policies and procedures.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staffs interactions with the children and spoke with the staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took the view of those parents spoken to on the day.

p.2

Information about the setting

Bluebell Hill Pre School has been operating for 30 years and re-registered by the present owner in 2004. It operates from one room in the village hall in Bluebell Hill, Kent. There is a secure outside area. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 12pm, term time only. Children attend from a wide catchment area. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 10 children aged from two to under five years on roll. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for two, three and four year old children. The pre-school supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

p.3

Information about the setting

The pre-school employs three members of staff. All of whom hold appropriate qualifications at National Vocation Qualification level 3 or above. They also have a volunteer who attends regularly. The pre-school receive support from the local authority.

p.3

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

 enhance the opportunities for children see signs and symbols in the outdoor area.

p.3

who attend

Staff are exceptionally adept when interacting with children. They are good role models and extremely accomplished at extending the children's learning. For example, they supported children to be active learners as they pieced together the train track, before exploring the different types of engines in the books. Therefore, staff effectively incorporate literacy and communication into the children's play. Staff know the children exceptionally well and they plan exciting educational programmes, which capture children's individual interests. Staff focus on allowing the children to have significant input when planning and developing their own learning experiences. Children's achievements are outstanding because teaching is purposeful and skilful questioning challenges children's thinking. Staff plan practical activities with care and precision, therefore, children are absorbed in learning through play. Staff offer the children an excellent

p.3

who attend

balance of both child-initiated and adult-led activities. Children have the confidence to initiate activities for themselves as well as follow clearly established day-to-day routines. Children have excellent opportunities to practise their early writing. For example, they used pencils to copy letters as they write to mummy, as well as being able to chalk on the walls in the garden, making marks to explore shapes. Staff praise the children's attempts and achievements and record these on the 'wow' board, to share with parents and boost the children's confidence and self-esteem.

p.3

who attend

Staff are eager to embrace guidance and different ways of working. They have incorporated the 'Every Child a Talker' programme into their routines, which significantly improves children's communication skills. This is especially beneficial in preparing the older children for school. Staff also use techniques, such as basic phonics to extremely good effect. Overall, staff effectively promote children's literacy skills. For example, they provide children with cosy areas where they can look at books, and chatter with friends and staff. Children laugh and giggle as they exuberantly add the actions to the songs joining in group time. Children have excellent opportunities to develop their information and communication technology skills. For example, they programme the electronic toys as well as playing on one of the many computer games on the laptop. Children particularly enjoy changing the languages and pressing the keys to repeat the words spoken.

p.4

who attend

Assessment is highly effective in tracking children's progress and for planning their next steps. Staff have been inspiring in the way in which they have incorporated superhero play into their planning. This has particularly influence boys' physical and imaginative play. Staff complete the progress check on children at age two, as well as reports ready for children moving on to school. They have developed positive relationships with parents, who staff support to continue the children's learning at home. For example, parents have requested recipes of the foods cooked at pre-school to enable them to make them at home. Parents comment that their child's key person and all members of staff support their child extremely well in the pre-school. They particularly enjoy being invited in for different events and watching their children play with friends. Every child is incredibly busy and motivated to learn at pre-school from the moment they eagerly arrive to the time they

p.4

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

Children demonstrate they feel exceptionally safe and secure within the pre-school. They confidently move around the hall exploring the stimulating array of activities and resources set out ready for them. They are eager to see staff and friends after their long Christmas holiday, to share news and play games. Staff use an extremely effective settling in procedure. At the initial visit children are immediately introduce to their key person and begin to form a nurturing bond. Staff know all the children incredibly well and make highly effective use of this information to plan individual care and learning routines.

p.4

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

Staff teach children how to use equipment safely to keep themselves and other safe. Children are particularly excited to help cut up the pineapple at snack time. They listen to instructions on how to use the knife safely and eagerly wait to cut their slice. Staff are highly skilled at utilising every opportunity to embed mathematics and expand the children's communication and language into every experience. Children explored their senses as they cut into the pineapple as well as learning new words to describe the texture and taste. Snack time is a social occasion where the children help to set out the plates as well as serve themselves therefore developing their independence. Children grow herbs and vegetables in the outdoor area and are learning about a healthy diet. Staff carefully nurture children's well-being by obtaining information about the children's dietary needs and implementing excellent hygiene procedures. Consequently, staff are teaching

p.4

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

the children how to look after themselves.

p.5

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

Staff provide the children with limitless opportunities to develop their physical skills both inside and outside in the surrounding grounds. The evolving outside area has a slight drainage problem at present. Therefore, while the area is unsafe the staff have put in place contingency plans ensuring the children have daily opportunities to practise using their large muscles. Staff play ball games with the children inside as well as taking them on walks within the community. Children develop their spatial awareness, as they ran around playing catch and avoiding obstacles, such as table and chairs. Staff are adept at supporting children to learn about the benefits of having a healthy lifestyle

p.5

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

Staff are incredibly vigilant and promote children's safety through highly effective routines and procedures. A member of staff takes responsibility for recording the child into the setting in the daily register and to sign them out at the end of the session. This feeling of safety and security offers the children a nurturing environment where they thrive. The children's behaviour is exemplary for their age, they help their friends and listen to staff, who offer strategies to help them with sharing and taking turns.

p.5

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

Staff prepare children exceptionally well for their move to school because they embed the skills needed for school readiness into the pre-school curriculum. Staff support the children by teaching them how to change ready for physical education sessions. This enables the children to develop their confidence and become self-reliant. Staff invite the teachers from the local schools to meet the children and as a result, provide a smooth move between pre-school and the reception class. Children do exceptionally well at the pre-school because the staff put them at the heart of what they do.

p.5

provision

The leadership and management of the pre-school are exceptional. Staff give the safeguarding of children their highest priority. The manager has undertaken designated person training and has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the welfare and safeguarding requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff take safeguarding very seriously and have undertaken appropriate training. This helps ensure they have a secure awareness of possible child protection concerns and of the processes to follow. Staff regularly review the policies and procedures to guarantee they are aware of any changes and follow them effectively. The manager ensures that rigorous procedures are in-place for the recruitment and vetting of staff. This ensures that all staff working with children are suitable to do so. There is a detailed induction procedure in place and on-going one to one supervision meetings, annual appraisals

p.5

provision

support staff to update their qualifications to improve the already outstanding quality of teaching and learning they offer to the children. Most staff hold a paediatric first-aid qualification, which support them to deal with any minor incidents the children, might have. The premises are very secure and the safety of children is high priority. Staff carry out daily risk assessment to ensure children's continuing safety as they explore and play.

p.5

provision

The manager and deputy demonstrate a very strong commitment to providing high quality care and learning experiences for all children. They are highly reflective and clear about their responsibilities in ensuring children receive a positive learning experience, which supports them to become lifelong learners. The manager has a clear vision for future of the pre-school and is continuously seeking ways to improve it further. She takes into account the restrictions imposed on the pre-school due to the location and building. Staff evaluate all activities to reflect on their effectiveness, before adapting them to further extend and capture the children's interests. The manager has high expectation of herself and the staff. Self-evaluation is very reflective with excellent monitoring and evaluation systems in placed to ensure the pre-school continues to improve its practice. The staff work exceptionally well in partnership with a very wide range of external agencies and

p.6

provision

professionals to meet the needs of children with special educational needs. The deputy is an accredited Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. She works with parents to address any concerns and put in place the support to ensure all children receive the help needed to enable them to reach their full potential.

p.6

provision

Parents have an exceptionally positive partnership with staff and this fully supports children's on-going development. Parents appreciate the daily communication they receive from staff giving them information about their child's morning. There is an excellent two- way flow of information, which provides the children with a continuity of care. Parents particularly enjoyed reading through the children's learning journeys and taking them home to share with other family members. Parents are enthusiastic about the provision and describe staff as very easy to approach, saying how much they trust them. The manager encourages parents to share their views and thoughts through discussions and questionnaires. They also have a parent representative to support new parents attending the pre-school. This enables parents to take an active role in the pre-school and highly supports consistency in children's care, learning and wellbeing.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number EY294034 Local authority Kent Inspection number 833871 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 10 Name of provider Beverly Dawne Watkins Date of previous inspection 16/03/2009 Telephone number 07731 503227

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

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

p.10