Merry-Go-Round Pre-School

Merry-Go-Round Pre-School Stokenham Area Primary School, Stokenham, Nr. Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 2SJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/01/2015 10/12/2009

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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

 Staff are skilled at interacting with children, and as a result, children develop good communication, early language skills and are sociable with high levels of self-esteem and confidence.  Children are eager to learn and explore the environment. They have access to a very good range of resources to meet their interests and learning needs.  Children are happy, secure and explore confidently. They have good relationships with staff and each other, which helps them to engage in their learning and make good progress towards the early learning goals.  Staff form strong relationships with parents and other early years settings children attend. These partnerships securely promote children's individual needs through the joined up approach to sharing information.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always use spontaneous opportunities to promote children awareness of numbers to further support their number recognition.  Management do not consistently gather feedback from parents to enhance the ongoing development of the pre-school.

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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 indoor and outdoor areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings at appropriate times with the manager and invited her to carry out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documents and a sample of documentation relating to children's welfare.  The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability and qualifications.  The inspector took account of parents' views and of the provider's self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Merry Go Round Pre-school registered in 2004. It operates from a separate portacabin in the grounds of Stokenham Area Primary School. It has a secure outside area that includes a grassed area and a mini-forest school area. Access to the pre-school is by three steps. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school serves the local community. It opens Monday to Friday from 9.15am until 3.15pm five days a week during term time. There are 36 children on roll. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. The pre-school employs a team of six staff all of whom hold a recognised childcare qualification.

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

 increase opportunities for children to hear and use numbers to develop their mathematical language and understanding.

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

 strengthen the partnerships with parents so that feedback is more effectively gathered to contribute to the setting's development of their practice.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good and staff demonstrate a clear understanding of how children learn. They use an effective on-line tracking process to record and monitor children's achievements in all areas of their learning. This includes photographs and meaningful observations and staff identify activities to support the children's next steps. Staff plan a good balance of purposeful activities to meet all the children's individual needs. For example, young children explore the sand using their senses well and participate in physical games adapted to their age and ability. Staff evaluate their planning to identify further challenges for the children or to reinforce areas where they need further help and support.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy the rural outdoors. They confidently interact and are sociable. They use language well to communicate and share their ideas. Staff skilfully extend and engage in children's learning. For example, they used open-ended questions and introduced additional resources as the children pretended to be pirates on a boat and find treasure for their bucket. The children are challenged and eager to learn as they learn and practise new skills, such as bouncing the ball and moving their bodies in different ways. Staff introduce children to mathematics in group activities. They count how many children are present and are encouraged to identify shapes to make a house. However, the staff do not always use spontaneous play opportunities to introduce children to numbers and counting. For example, when collecting treasure in the garden and during snack time, staff did not encourage children to count or introduce numbers to enhance their learning.

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who attend

Children become familiar with letters and print as they find their names to self-register. This helps to prepare children well for the next stage in their learning and eventual move to school.

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who attend

The parents engage well in their children's learning as they contribute to the required progress check for two-year-olds. The 'focus' board provides good information and ideas for activities to continue their child's learning at home. This promotes positive relationships and a shared approach to the children development, which means they make good progress from their starting points.

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

The staff build warm, caring relationships with the children and these secure attachments effectively support children's emotional well-being. Children are therefore, sociable and happy. They make choices from a very good range of resources and planned activities which are adapted for children's age and abilities. The relaxed, welcoming and well- planned environment nurtures and stimulates their learning effectively. Therefore, children are eager to explore and enthusiastic to learn. The settling-in periods, take good account of all the children's individual needs. Therefore, children are emotionally secure, which prepares them for the next stage in their learning. Good information is gained from parents from the start, to help those children who learn English as an additional language to communicate and understand routines. The children are cooperative and well behaved because staff are positive role models who recognise and value their achievements. As a

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

result, children listen, take turns and learn to share the resources because they receive frequent praise, attention and encouragement.

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

Children enjoy a good variety of healthy snack choices as the staff strongly focuses on the children's health and well-being. For instance, they talk with the children about healthy options in their sandwich boxes and encourage their choices. The children have high levels of independence and develop good self-care skills, as they wash their hands as part of the routine. Younger children are gently reminded of these good practices. Children enjoy plenty of fresh air and exercise throughout the day because they can choose to play outside throughout the day. Consequently, children demonstrate increasing skills of physical control and coordination with the equipment. They steer the wheeled toys around the tyres and practise throwing and catching a ball. Children develop a good awareness of safety procedures as staff explain potential hazards and how to stay safe. Children are reminded to remove the toys they have left on the floor so they do not trip. As a result,

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

children begin to take responsibility for maintaining a safe environment for all.

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provision

The leadership and management of the pre-school are good. The team monitors the impact of the educational programmes well. The management clearly understands their roles and responsibilities and demonstrates a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the safeguarding practices and procedures to follow in the event of a child protection concern to protect children's welfare. The premises are secure and comprehensive risk assessments ensure the environment is safe. The management team follows robust recruitment processes to assess staff suitability. This helps to protect the children's welfare.

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provision

There is a strong focus on staff's professional development to ensure they are qualified, skilled and enthusiastic. Their good quality teaching skills enable children to make good progress in their learning and development. Staff are well supported through informal daily discussions and more formalised supervisions and appraisals to enhance their professional development and identify training needs. This has a positive impact on the children's learning and development.

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provision

Effective self-evaluation has resulted in clear action plans which demonstrate how staff and management consistently make improvements. For example, staff adapted their planning following the increase in the numbers of two-year-olds attending to meet their needs more effectively. The planning and assessment processes have been further improved with the move to an on-line system. This provides a clear focus on the children next steps and supports their learning well.

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provision

There are good relationships with parents. Parents state they are pleased with the good progress their children make and that staff involve them in their child's learning. Management and staff gain feedback from parents. However this is not used consistently to further develop practice. Staff share information effectively with other early years settings and the school to provide a consistent approach and prepare children for their move to school.

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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 EY292062 Local authority Devon Inspection number 847332 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 36 Name of provider Merry Go Round Pre-School & Toddler Group (Stokenham) Committee Date of previous inspection 10/12/2009 Telephone number 01548 581440

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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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