Brent Knoll Tadpoles PreschoolOfsted inspection, 12 Jan 2015

Brent Knoll Tadpoles Pre-School Ltd 50 Brent Street, Brent Knoll, Highbridge, Somerset, TA9 4DT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/01/2015 07/11/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The manager works directly with the staff and children, providing a good role model, which means that the quality of teaching is consistently good.  Staff provide good support for older children, preparing them well for more formal learning at school.  Staff promote a sense of fun so that children enjoy their learning and build strong relationships.

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It is not yet good because

 The provider does not have effective systems to ensure the ongoing suitability of staff.  Staff do not organise all of the resources effectively to minimise risks to children and ensure they always have safe areas to play in.  Staff sometimes miss opportunities for children to assess risks in their play and find solutions to problems to support their learning further.

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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 indoors and outdoors.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector checked safeguarding information and the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents present on the day of the inspection and took account of the setting's self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including policies and procedures, children's development records and planning.

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Information about the setting

Brent Knoll Tadpoles Pre-school Ltd opened in 2004 and moved to its current premises in 2007. The pre-school operates from an open-plan room, with adjacent toilets, on the ground floor of a private detached property in Brent Knoll, Somerset. Children have use of a fully enclosed outdoor area. The pre-school has chickens and bantams. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It opens from 7.30am to 6pm each weekday, term time only. There are currently 24 children on roll in the early years age group. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The pre-school supports children learning English as an additional language. The pre-school also provides out-of-school care for children up to 11 years old. Staff walk to pick up and drop off children at Brent Knoll Primary School. There are six members of

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Information about the setting

staff. One member of staff has qualified teacher status and the remaining three staff hold early years qualifications at level 3 and above. The staff are supported by a chef.

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must:

 ensure staff are aware that they must disclose any convictions, cautions, court orders, reprimands and warnings that may affect their suitability to work with children

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must:

 improve the organisation of play areas and storage of resources so that children can use them safely.

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

 help children further in thinking problems through and assessing risks as they play.

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who attend

Staff understand how young children learn and discuss their planning each week to ensure they are meeting children's individual needs. From their regular observations, they plan all areas of development so that children make good progress in their learning and development. Parents comment positively on how the staff involve them fully in their children's learning. This means that staff gain effective information on children's starting points and parents can provide further support at home. Children have daily opportunities to take part in adult-led activities, initiate their own learning and work together as a whole group. As a result, children learn through fun first-hand experiences. For example, they recognise that ice is a solid and comes from freezing water. They predict that it will melt quicker indoors than outdoors and staff remind them to check and see if they are correct. Staff demonstrate to children how they use tools to make changes to materials, such as

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who attend

making a surface rough or smooth. Staff give children time to use the resources for themselves and children eagerly explore what they can do. Children remain at activities until they complete them to their own satisfaction, which shows they enjoy their learning.

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who attend

Children are confident communicators, including those learning English as an additional language. This is because staff ask useful questions, use visual aids and encourage children to develop strong listening skills. At the inspection, staff showed children where England is on a globe and where some children have gone to live in Botswana. They discussed how long that would take in an aeroplane and compared it to other children's experiences. In addition, staff encouraged children to recall how we celebrated New Year and how they do it differently in other cultures. This also promotes children's positive understanding of people's differences and the wider world. Children enjoy stories independently and as a group. They predict what might happen, ask questions and fill in the gaps as staff pause when reading. This supports children's literacy development and helps them understand that print carries meaning. Children gain good mathematical skills

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who attend

throughout their play and activities. For example, children named the shapes they made from dough and counted how many cones they could see in the garden.

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who attend

Staff listen to children's suggestions and praise them for good ideas. For example, children suggest using scissors when staff struggled to open a packet of cornflour. However, they miss some opportunities to challenge children further in solving problems for themselves. For example, when a nut and bolt came undone on a bicycle, staff removed it to keep children safe. However, they did not use the opportunity to encourage children to find out how they could repair it. Staff make good use of daily routines, such as registration, as a learning opportunity. For example, children recited the days of the week. Staff supported them well in knowing the date by giving them clues, such as sounding the first letter of the day and the month. This also promotes early reading skills. Children named as many items as they could beginning with the letter of the week and enjoyed counting how many children were present in each age group. Children make good progress in their key skills,

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who attend

such as handling tools, being independent and communicating effectively. Staff provide more formal learning for the older children and, as a result, children develop good skills and attitudes in preparation for school.

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

Parents comment positively on how their children settle quickly when they first start at the pre-school. This is because staff are sensitive to children's individual needs and spend time building relationships with their key children. Consequently, children develop secure emotional attachments. Parents state that within a short time, their children gain confidence and good social skills. Children understand the adults' expectations, such as helping to tidy up and listening to others in whole-group situations. Staff support children well in thinking about how they can make a positive contribution, such as remembering to flush the toilet. They encourage children to be independent and provide as much support as needed to help them succeed.

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

There are a wide range of available resources that enable children to make independent choices both indoors and outdoors. However, staff do not organise all of the resources effectively to ensure children always have safe areas to play. For example, staff store toy vehicles in a large box that is overflowing. This means that when children tip them out to get what they want, there is little room to play, toys become tripping hazards and the area unsafe. Overall, staff deploy themselves appropriately to ensure they supervise and support children in all areas. Most staff notice if any children are not engaging with the activities and sensitively encourage their involvement. Staff make effective use of the local environment to extend children's learning experiences. For example, children go for walks around the village and use the school facilities.

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

Staff attend safeguarding and paediatric first-aid training, which means they have a secure knowledge of how to protect children if they are at risk or have an accident. Children regularly practise the emergency evacuation procedures, which helps them understand about helping with their own safety. Generally, staff follow safe procedures, such as children wearing high visibility vests on outings. Staff helped children climb over the plastic bridge when it was slippery from the rain and packed away after children used the hammer and tacks, for example. However, this meant they missed opportunities for older children to identify risks for themselves and learn about how to stay safe. Children gain a successful understanding of healthy practices through daily routines and activities. They enjoy music and movement sessions and respond eagerly as they learn why exercise is good for them and what effect it has on their body. Children enjoy freshly cooked

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

nutritional meals and snacks, which helps them understand about healthy eating. Staff encourage children to discuss how healthy food helps them to be strong and grow, and help children to recognise the importance of sleep.

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provision

The provider implements effective procedures when recruiting staff and conducts appropriate checks of their suitability prior to them starting at the pre-school. However, she does not ensure staff know that they must inform her of any changes that may affect their ongoing suitability to work with children. This is a breach of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register requirements. The provider and staff have a clear understanding of child protection issues. They understand their responsibilities to record and report any concerns they may have. Staff keep the premises secure and safely monitor the arrival and collection of children. However, staff do not always store toys effectively or ensure floor areas remain safe for children's play, which is a breach of the requirements. They keep appropriate records of any accidents or when they administer medication with parents' consent. The provider stores children's personal information

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provision

confidentially to protect children's welfare. The provider has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. She works directly with the staff and children providing a good role model for the quality of teaching. She implements effective systems for monitoring children's development, including ensuring staff complete the progress check for two-year-old children. This ensures that children receive any additional support they need through planned activities and involvement of outside agencies. Consequently, all children make good progress.

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provision

The provider uses several systems of self-evaluation and seeks staff and parents' feedback. She identifies some appropriate actions to improve outcomes for children. As a result, she has improved the deployment of staff and now monitors children's use of the resources. The self-evaluation does identify the need to have fewer resources in the boxes but the provider and staff have not made sufficient changes to safeguard children fully. The provider has addressed the recommendation raised at the last inspection. Overall, staff reflect on their practice and recognise when activities have not gone as well as expected. This helps them to improve their planning and ensure children benefit fully from the activities next time. The qualified staff team have regular training opportunities, especially if they have designated supporting roles, such as the Special Educational Needs Coordinator. This means they continue to extend and update their knowledge of childcare

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provision

practices. Staff observe each other and share good practice to look for better ways of working.

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provision

Staff have positive partnerships with parents and other early years providers, which ensures they have a consistent approach to children's care and development. Parents state that they receive good verbal and written information on the provision, as well as their children's care and learning. They have regular newsletters, a noticeboard and home- link books. Staff display information on effective learning and work closely with parents to support children's development, for example when they are learning to use the toilet. There are strong links with the local school and childminders. Staff from the school attend the setting and children spend a whole term preparing for a positive transition.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 implement systems to ensure that any person caring for children remains suitable (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that the premises, including overall floor space and outdoor spaces, and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  implement systems to ensure that any person caring for children remains suitable (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that the premises, including overall floor space and outdoor spaces, and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 EY357670 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 837939 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Brent Knoll Tadpoles Pre-School Ltd Date of previous inspection 07/11/2011 Telephone number 01278 769126

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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

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’.

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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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