Norton Pre-School

Norton Pre School Honeywood Corner, Ixworth Road, Norton, Suffolk, IP31 3LE

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 February 2015 9 March 2009

p.1

3

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Requires improvement The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Requires improvement The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Requires improvement The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

p.1

This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Children's progress is not always assessed accurately, which leads to activities not always being appropriately matched to children's abilities.  The management team does not maintain a record of suitability checks that have been carried out for all staff, to demonstrate that they are suitable to work with children.  There are fewer opportunities for children to explore simple technological equipment, such as keyboards or computers, on a daily basis, in order that they can develop an understanding of information and communication technology.  The management team does not act in a timely manner, to address areas for improvement that have been identified through the self-evaluation process.  Children's learning experiences are not consistently good because the story corner and role play area appear untidy and do not encourage children to want to use them.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 Staff have a suitable understanding of child protection and the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child in their care. In this respect, children are safeguarded. The management understand the appropriate action to take when an allegation is made against a member of staff, to protect the safety and welfare of the children.  Parents are complimentary of the partnerships formed with their child's key person. These trusting and open partnerships ensure children are secure and their care needs are consistently met.  Staff promote children's physical development well. Activities, such as a dance class, are used to encourage children to feel the effects of exercise on their bodies. There is a broad range of activities that generally cover the areas of learning.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 improve the assessment and tracking of every child's attainment, and particularly that of the younger children, to ensure that activities match individual children's ages and stages of development  maintain a record of the vetting processes that have been completed for all staff.

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 provide children with consistent opportunities to use information and communication technology, in order to support children's developing awareness of the world and how things work  ensure that areas for improvement, identified through the self-evaluation process, are acted upon in a timely manner  improve the learning environment in the story corner and role-play area, so that they are tidy, inviting and promote good quality learning experiences for all children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main playroom and the garden.  The inspector spoke with staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at activity planning, records of children's learning and a selection of policies and records.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and the nominated person.  The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector spoke to parents.

p.2

who attend. This requires improvement

Children access a wide range of toys and resources, to support their progress across the areas of learning. However, some areas of the playroom, such as the story corner, are not attractively presented and therefore children are less inclined to use them. Staff track children's progress and support them to acquire the skills to be ready for school. However, the tracking and assessment procedure is not completed as effectively for younger children, which means activities often appear to be too difficult. During the morning session, a dance class is introduced to the children and they thoroughly enjoy following instructions and being actively involved in the new activity and experience. The use of computers and other forms of information technology is limited in the setting, which means that children are not being fully supported to develop a secure understanding of information and communication technology.

p.3

requires improvement

An effective key-person system is in place, to meet children's care routines. However, some children's next steps are not always identified precisely enough by their key person, in order to match activities to their abilities. Special books are shared with photographs from home, to support children's well-being. Children's behaviour is good and staff promote the boundaries in a positive way. There are prompts around the room to encourage staff to support children's critical thinking. Children enjoy playing outside and their independence is promoted well by staff. Children are less inclined to play in areas, such as the role play corner, because they are not well organised or attractively presented in order to spark children's imagination. Children are provided with a healthy selection of snacks so they can make choices. Staff support children's independence skills well. They provide small jugs and suitable knives, so they can pour their own drinks and put their

p.3

requires improvement

own spread on their crackers or toast. Older children confidently manage their own personal hygiene needs, taking themselves to the toilet and washing their hands afterwards.

p.3

provision requires improvement

The management team understands their responsibility to obtain suitability checks. They complete checks for all staff but do not ensure that a record of the disclosure number is maintained on site. Regular staff supervision takes place in order to support staff training needs. However, the manager has not used the setting's supervisions and improvement plans in a timely manner, in order to provide good quality learning experiences for children. All staff have completed first-aid training and child protection training. The manager has embedded suitable recruitment procedures, which include reference checks and a robust induction procedure. Students are confident with the setting's routines, such as nappy changing, and have a good understanding of the safeguarding policy.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY312532 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 862101

p.4

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 93 Name of provider Norton Pre-School (Bury St Edmunds) 0-5 Years Committee Date of previous inspection 9 March 2009 Telephone number 01359 232736

p.4

Type of provision

Norton Pre-School was registered in 2005 and is managed by a voluntary management committee. The pre-school is open each weekday during term time only. There is a breakfast club from 8am to 9am, a morning session from 9am to 12 noon, a lunch club from 12 noon to 1pm and an afternoon session from 1pm to 3pm. There is an after school club from 3pm to 5pm. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for nursery education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. There are 13 members of staff employed at the setting, 10 of whom hold an appropriate qualification to at least a level 2.

p.4

Type of provision

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.

p.4

Type of provision

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.

p.4

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’.

p.5

Type of provision

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

p.5