Mill Lane Pre-School Association

Mill Lane Pre-School Association URC Hall, Mill Lane, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, EN10 7BQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 4 March 2015 5 February 2009

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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 use effective teaching methods, which consistently promote children's communication and language development. Their lively commentary and supportive questions help to extend children's language and thinking skills well.  Good relationships with other professionals mean that staff are able to effectively meet the needs of individual children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, all children are cared for in a fully inclusive environment.  Staff take every opportunity to praise children and encourage them to consider the feelings of others. For instance, staff explain that when they do not share, it makes other children feel sad. Consequently, children learn how to behave well and play cooperatively together.  There are good monitoring systems in place for the planning and assessment of children's learning needs. Consequently, the manager has an accurate view of the

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This provision is good

quality of teaching and how it has an impact on children's progress.  Overall, staff promote children's confidence and self-motivation skills well. This helps them towards developing the skills needed in preparation for their move on to nursery or school.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 On occasion, during planned activities, some staff are over eager to support younger children. This does not provide them with sufficient time to make decisions and be independent.  Staff communication with parents is not fully effective in promoting shared home learning, to extend children's individual development even further.

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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

 maximise learning opportunities for younger children, by adapting adult-focused activities to ensure that they can practise, build on their independence and be challenged further  enhance children's learning experiences further by extending partnership working with parents to include more ideas about children's learning at home, in order to continue building securely on all that the children know and can do.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed general play and the snack time routines in the pre-school. She talked with the staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at evidence of the suitability of staff members, and a range of other documentation. First-aid and safeguarding training certificates were also viewed.  The inspector held joint discussions with the manager, in relation to observations of the children's play, learning and progress.  The inspector reviewed the pre-school's self-evaluation document.

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who attend. This is good

The longstanding and well-qualified staff team provide good levels of teaching and deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage effectively. They regularly observe children and use the information to accurately assess their progress, based on their individual starting points. This enables them to plan accordingly to meet the children's needs and effectively build on what they know and can do. However, on occasion, staff do not make full use of learning opportunities to challenge younger children. For example, they use pre-cut materials and direct children's play during craft activities. This does not encourage them to explore resources and build on their independent learning. Staff promote children's understanding of simple mathematical language. They introduce positional language, such as 'on top' or 'underneath', to describe the position of toys. Staff also talk about how the child's mound of dough is getting 'bigger' as they add more to it.

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good

Children enjoy their time at pre-school. They have developed firm bonds with their key person and other members of staff. The organisation of the environment means that children are supported to learn how to take care of their own personal needs. Children enjoy lots of positive attention from staff for their achievements. This supports their emotional well-being and builds good levels of self-esteem. Staff give children gentle reminders to help them learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, they explain to a small group of children crawling under a table that, if they are not careful, they might bang their heads and hurt themselves. Partnership with parents, with regard to children's care, is good. Parents report that staff provide a wonderful family atmosphere and that they are polite, helpful and approachable. Parents also feel that staff are very open and listen to what they have to say.

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provision is good

There is a robust performance management system in place for staff. This means that underperformance is quickly identified and addressed by the manager. Training programmes ensure that staff knowledge and understanding remains current, which has a positive impact on children's learning. Partnership working with parents does not maximise information sharing about children's learning. This does not ensure that children's continuity of development between home and pre-school is enriched. Safeguarding procedures are clear and underpin the safety of children attending the pre-school. The manager is committed to the continuous improvement of the pre-school. She regularly evaluates practice, with contributions from staff, parents and children. This helps her to clearly identify strengths and action areas for further improvement.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY281631 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 861090

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 27 Name of provider Mill Lane Pre School Association Committee Date of previous inspection 5 February 2009 Telephone number 01992 466971

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Type of provision

Mill Lane Pre-school was registered in 1964. The nursery employs four members of childcare staff. All of these hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre- school opens from Monday to Thursday, term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 12pm, with the exception of Thursday, when sessions run from 9am until 2.45pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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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.

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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.

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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