Sunflower Pre-School

Sunflower Pre-School Germander Park County First School, 1 Germander Place, Conniburrow, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK14 7DU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16 January 2015 8 June 2011

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

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

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 Staff ensure daily routines enable children to benefit from prolonged periods of uninterrupted play and learning.  Staff use available resources to promote learning in all areas and make especially good use of resources to promote counting and problem solving.  Staff have effective partnerships with parents and other professionals, which supports children's learning at pre-school and at home.  Staff promote children's good health by providing healthy snacks and plenty of opportunities to be out in the fresh air.  All staff have a strong commitment to keeping children safe and take active steps to do so.  The provider and the manager take time to reflect on their practice and have a strong commitment to improve.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always make the best use of opportunities to promote literacy during children's free play to encourage them to explore writing for a purpose.  Although staff are vigilant about supervising children outside they are not always as involved in their play and learning as they are when indoors.  The manager is still establishing systems for monitoring all children's progress. These are effective in assessing the development of individual children but do not currently support her to precisely monitor the progress of specific groups of children.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 develop further opportunities to promote literacy during activities and daily routines  build on existing good practice to ensure that the quality of teaching outdoors is as consistently good as it is indoors.  enhance systems for monitoring the progress of children to more easily identify groups of children who may benefit from additional, targeted support.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed, and talked to, staff and children.  The inspector observed care routines.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector met with the manager and sampled documentation, including children's records and the safeguarding policy.

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who attend. This is good

Staff provide a good range of activities to promote children's all round learning and development. Children make choices, play cooperatively and are enthusiastic learners. For example, on arrival they are pleased to find a tray of glitter and scoops, and plenty of construction materials to build a fairy castle. Staff help children to develop new skills and acquire more knowledge. They talk with children about how fruit grows and help them recall familiar stories. Staff also effectively help children to develop counting skills. They encourage children to share books at home and plan activities to develop the muscles they need to write and draw. However, staff do not always use opportunities to promote children's literacy in their freely chosen play. Overall the quality of teaching is good, although staff sometimes challenge and extend children's learning more readily indoors than they do outdoors. Regular sharing of information help parents to support children's

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who attend. This is good

learning at home. Children are well prepared for their future learning and to start school.

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good

Children build warm and trusting relationships with all staff, especially their key person. They know that they can approach any member of staff for help or reassurance. Children enjoy healthy snacks and regular opportunities to cook for themselves. The manager encourages parents to provide wholesome packed lunches. All children benefit from lots of opportunities for active play outside every day. They learn how to keep themselves healthy by blowing their noses and by washing their hands before they eat. Staff encourage children to be independent and, because of this, children manage their own needs well for their age. For example, many older children put on their own coats before going outside. The manager has a very good understanding of her responsibility to safeguard children. She ensures all staff share her commitment to this and fully understand what actions they must take if they have concerns about any child.

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provision is good

The provider and manager understand their responsibility to provide good quality care and education. Effective recruitment arrangements help ensure staff suitability. There are effective systems for monitoring staff performance, which help ensure the overall quality of teaching. There are equally effective systems for monitoring the progress made by individual children. However, these do not currently allow the manager to easily build an accurate picture of the progress being made by different groups of children. Effective self- evaluation accurately identifies areas for improvement and prompt action is taken to address these. For example, the manager has recently improved the opportunities for children to cook. Partnerships with other professionals are a real strength and children and families benefit from this supportive working practice.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY307484 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 987904 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 53 Name of provider Sunflower Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 8 June 2011 Telephone number 01908 528934

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Setting details

Sunflower Pre-School registered in 1997 and re-registered in the current premises in 2005. A committee of volunteers manage the pre-school. It is located in a self-contained unit in Germander Park County School, in Conniburrow, Buckinghamshire. It has the use of two rooms, a kitchenette, office and toilets. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre- school has close links with the school and the attached children's centre. Opening times are 9.00am until 3.00pm, Monday to Friday during term time. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four. There are seven members of staff, of whom six hold relevant childcare qualifications, including the manager who has Early Years Professional Status.

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Setting details

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

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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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

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