Dicker House Preschool

Dicker House Pre-School Birchwood Grove Cp School, Birchwood Grove Road, BURGESS HILL, West Sussex, RH15 0DP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/01/2015 26/01/2010

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

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This provision is good

 Overall, the planning system is highly effective and ensures that staff observe and meet all children's individual needs.  Children are able to operate independently within the environment and, as a result, they are keen and active learners.  There is a consistently good use of questioning techniques by staff who encourage children to develop their thinking and extend their ideas.  Strong relationships between children and staff enable children to feel safe and secure in the environment.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always take every opportunity to further enhance the learning of more able children.  Staff do not provide extensive opportunities for children to develop their large muscle skills.

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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 in the inside and outside play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of an activity in the outside provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with staff, children and the manager at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, as well as the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Dicker House Pre-School registered in its current premises in 2009 and is run by a committee of parent volunteers. It is a long-established group which has operated for many years. It operates from a purpose-designed room on the site of Birchwood Grove School in Burgess Hill, West Sussex. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school serves the local community. The group operates five days a week during school term time, offering morning sessions from 8.55am to 11.55am and 11.55am to 2.55pm. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. Currently there are 56 children on roll. The pre-school is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who have English as an additional language. It is in receipt of funding for free education for children aged three and four. A team of 10 staff work with the children; of these all have a recognised qualification.

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

 take every opportunity to further enhance the learning of children who are already making rapid progress

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

 enhance the provision for physical development to provide children with more opportunities to develop their large muscle skills.

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who attend

Children demonstrate high levels of engagement because staff challenge them well. They are keen and active learners who focus effectively on activities they are interested in. Children spend prolonged periods of time building towers with stacking pegs. Staff challenge them to see how high they can make the towers and to count how many pegs they have used. Children experiment with alternative uses for pegs, such as filling holes. They use mathematical language to compare tower sizes. Staff are skilled teachers who encourage learning throughout the seven areas of learning by using carefully worded questions. They interact positively with children, allowing them to lead their own play and ideas. Staff praise children's ideas regularly, thus encouraging them to be confident learners. A group of children make houses for the three little pigs. They choose materials from a given selection and add them to boxes to create a house. Staff cleverly guide

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who attend

children to think about how they will create their houses but at no point direct them. For example, the staff member asks, 'How will you build your house?' When a child fills her box with straw the staff member praises and supports her actions. Children are allowed to be creative and show confidence in making their own decisions.

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who attend

Children demonstrate an interest in letters and sounds, they sit at a table freely writing letters with some able to write some, or all, of their name. Other children discuss sounds with a teacher. Children play with magnetic letters pretending they are biscuits. Children are eager to learn and are prepared for school as they learn key skills in preparation. Staff demonstrate a strong awareness of how to support language development and are successful in supporting children with speech and language needs, who are making good progress. Staff position themselves at children's level and use language accurately to help children learn. They value the child's language, praising it as they repeat it. They reinforce the vocabulary that children already use and teach them new words. Staff show a strong understanding of how best to support children with English as an additional language and put a great deal of effort into supporting. For example, they learnt basic Spanish in order

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who attend

to be able to interact with a child with very little English. Staff are highly conscientious and strive to do their best for each and every child.

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who attend

A robust planning system is in place. Staff observe and assess their key children and write short progress reports every six weeks. This ensures that staff assess each child's individual developmental needs and plan for the next steps in their learning. Staff record children's progress in a learning journal. These demonstrate the journey children have made and all indicate that good progress is being made. Staff are knowledgeable about every child's individual learning needs and are able to support them well. However, they do not always take all possible steps to further enhance the learning of children who are making very rapid progress.

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who attend

Children move freely into the outside area where they are able to use resources to help them develop their large muscle skills, such as cars, bikes, pushchairs and large building blocks. They receive extra opportunities for physical development with a physical education lesson once a week and a music and movement session on a different day. There are few resources for climbing and balancing available. Staff often take the children to the local park to use suitable apparatus but there are not extensive opportunities for children to develop their large muscle skills on a daily basis.

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who attend

Good partnerships with parents help to ensure continuity between home and the setting. Parents regularly comment in children's profiles and share children's achievements at home. This enables staff to gain a full picture of children's development and tailor experiences for each child. As a result, children make good progress.

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

The atmosphere in the setting is positive and calm, and children are happy and at ease. This is aided by a strong key-worker system, which enables relationships to be fostered at an early stage and children quickly feel safe and secure in the environment. Staff's strong knowledge of children's home lives and interests enables them to develop relationships and make children feel valued. Staff talk to children about their families and interests. Children demonstrate a strong sense that they feel safe and secure; they operate independently in the environment and exude confidence in doing so. They all have a strong awareness of rules and routines which allow the provision to run smoothly. When children start in the setting, relationships with the key person are fostered quickly to ensure a point of contact for parents. Parents feel supported by nurturing staff at this time and the process is effective because it is tailored to meet the children's needs.

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

The setting is purpose built and this makes it extremely child friendly. Children are able to take out the toys they want to play with because storage is low level and well labelled. For example, a well-resourced creative trolley allows children to adapt creations to personalise them. Children are able to access an outside area at most times and show high levels of independence in finding their coats and putting them on in order to go out. They are keen, active and focused on what they are doing both inside and outdoors. They are clearly comfortable in their environment.

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

Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of safeguarding and are fully aware of the policies and procedures in place to protect children. Staff carry out effective daily risk assessments to ensure a safe environment for children. They encourage healthy practices and children clearly understand these. For example, children wash their hands as soon as they see snack coming. They have clearly been taught that this is necessary.

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

The move to school is treated with the same level of sensitivity staff give to other aspects of their practice. Most children attend the attached school but staff are careful to treat all schools the same. Children are invited to wear their new uniforms for one day and picture books are made of all schools the children will be attending. Children are therefore well prepared for this next step in their learning.

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

The staff celebrate diversity and children fully accept differences. Children who bring in their own snack are able to eat it without others pointing out any differences. Staff plan activities to help children learn about world celebrations. For example, a mother wore a typical dress from China and danced with children to Chinese music for Chinese New Year.

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provision

The manager is extremely hands on; she is very much part of the staff team and this contributes to the strong relationships that exist between them. She constantly monitors what is happening within the nursery and staff practice and this enables her to maintain the consistently good standards. Her ability to monitor regularly is heightened by her strong understanding of children's needs and development. The manager is central to planning. She uses her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage to plan group activities that target the identified needs of the focus children. Staff use the planning system confidently to the benefit of the children.

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provision

The manager demonstrates a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures. She ensures that all staff are fully aware of the safeguarding policy and procedures through the induction programme and regular reminders. Policies are in place to protect the children and these are evident as posters at the front door ask visitors to turn off mobile phones. The manager's conscientious approach is reflected in the high level of first aiders within the staff team. A rigorous recruitment system is used effectively to ensure that staff are suitable for the role before they are employed. This results in high standards of teaching amongst the staff. An effective induction system ensures that staff are familiar with policies and procedures and ensures consistency in practice.

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provision

The manager uses many systems to evaluate and improve practice. She actively acts on opinions from staff, children and parents, using their views to make changes. Parents commented on handover times being hectic. Many strategies have been put in place as a result of these comments and the handover period is now calm and controlled. Staff are invited to comment on practice and are encouraged to develop initiatives, such as giving parents guidance about healthy packed lunches. The manager is very active in highlighting strengths and weaknesses and uses these to improve the standard of the provision.

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provision

Staff are encouraged to improve their own knowledge and practice. They have access to a range of courses which they attend regularly. Staff share the knowledge they have gained from courses at staff meetings and practice is adapted accordingly. For example, training on the Special Educational Needs code of conduct has led to the introduction of a very successful one page profile. Staff use this effectively to improve provision for children with additional needs.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are strong. The pre-school is run by a parent committee and it is recognised that parents are central in helping staff to meet the needs of children. Parents are fully involved in of the process of assessing children and make regular input into their learning journals. They are welcomed into the setting regularly and receive regular information about their children's progress. External agencies and health visitors are valued greatly by the setting which seeks advice and shares information to give children the best opportunities for learning that they can.

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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 EY397474 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 830802

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 56 Name of provider Dicker House Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 26/01/2010 Telephone number 07707892532

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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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