Southwater Pre-School

Little Acorns Nursery School Southwater Infant School, Worthing Road, Southwater, HORSHAM, West Sussex, RH13 9JH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26 February 2015 27 April 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 provide a good balance of activities, which cover all areas of learning. Staff make regular observations and track children's development. This enables them to plan challenging activities, which help children to make good progress.  Staff use information from parents about their children's individual needs to help them settle. Children have strong relationships with staff and involve them in their play. Therefore, children feel safe and secure which supports their emotional well-being.  Staff have good relationships with other settings that children attend. Key persons share children's next steps, which helps to provide a consistent approach to their learning. Key persons also work in partnership with reception class teachers to ensure children have a smooth move to school.  Staff have effective relationships with parents. They provide them with a range of information, which informs them of their child's development and enables them to be

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This provision is good

involved in their learning.  The leadership and management team is committed to improving the provision for children. The manager takes into consideration the opinions of staff and parents to drive improvements, which ensures they feel valued.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Some staff make decisions for children during their play. This does not fully promote children's thinking skills or their independence.  Staff do not always provide visual aids to support children's early literacy skills in the outdoor environment. Consequently, not all children engage and may miss some learning opportunities.

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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

 enhance children's thinking skills during play by asking purposeful questions to enable them to think and make decisions independently  provide visual aids in the outdoor environment to strengthen children's literacy skills and motivate them to learn.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor environment.  The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector took part in a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector tracked children's development, viewed their development records and sampled the settings policies and procedures.  The inspector spoke to parents to gain their views and opinions about the staff and setting.

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who attend. This is good

Staff provide activities to develop children's knowledge of the world. For example, children learnt about Chinese flags and created their own using pens and craft materials. Staff initiate games with children and encourage their mathematical development by using dice to promote their language and knowledge of numbers. Staff use aspects of the daily routine, such as snack time, to enhance children's confidence with numbers. Staff provide good levels of encouragement and praise during activities that develop children's confidence and motivate them to learn. Children enjoyed creating structures from building bricks and manoeuvred their cars around them. However, some staff did not promote children's thinking skills by allowing them to make their own decisions. In the outdoor area, children enjoy riding cars and bikes around a track and chasing each other, therefore developing their physical skills. Staff supply children with chalks to make their

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who attend. This is good

chosen marks on the concrete to encourage their early writing skills. However, staff did not provide any visual aids outdoors to help children understand how to form letters.

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good

Children behave well and respond to staff. This is because staff use clear explanations so children know what they want them to do and have a secure knowledge of what staff expect from them. Children have warm and considerate relationships with each other. They share resources, take turns and give encouragement and support to each other during play. Children demonstrated good levels of independence during snack time. They confidently cut up their fruit and poured their own drinks. Staff use this time as an opportunity to teach children about the importance of healthy eating. Staff encourage children to take responsibility for their safety within the setting. For example, teaching them about using scissors safely and taking part in regular fire drills.

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provision is good

The leadership and management team has a thorough knowledge of all aspects of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Consequently, staff implement the nursery's procedures to ensure they keep children safe. Leaders and managers use good recruitment procedures to ensure the suitability of staff. The manager provides ongoing support during staff induction and has ongoing discussions about professional development. For example, at recent training staff learnt how to provide activities that are suitable for all children regardless of their beliefs and cultural traditions. This has had a positive impact and means staff adapt activities so all children can join in. The manager monitors the provision by observing staff and provides feedback to help them develop and improve practice. The manager reviews children's development records to ensure staff plan effectively for children's next steps and any gaps in their learning are closing.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY416030 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 832312 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider A Step Ahead Ltd Date of previous inspection 27 April 2011 Telephone number 07939241551

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Setting details

Little Acorns Nursery School registered in 2010. It operates from a self-contained classroom within the grounds of Southwater Infant School, Southwater, West Sussex. The setting is open each weekday from 8.50am to 3.30pm during school term time. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. There are nine members of staff, all of whom hold a full and recognised childcare qualification to a minimum of level two. The manager is qualified to level five and the owner has Early Years Teacher 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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