Heydays Pre-School

Heydays Pre-School Four Marks School, Kitwood Road, Four Marks, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 5AS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16 March 2015 25 March 2010

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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

 Communication, language and numeracy skills are encouraged particularly well by the enthusiastic staff.  Generally, the environment is attractive and good use is made of the available space to ensure children have access to a variety of resources and sufficient space to play freely.  Staff are actively encouraged to improve the effectiveness of their teaching further through well-organised supervision and training opportunities.  Excellent provision is made to ensure children are well prepared for the move on to school so it is a positive experience for children.  Parents are kept well-informed about their children's learning and development. Good systems are in place for them to share information with staff and receive information that helps support their children's learning at home.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff are good role models but they do not always provide children with clear guidance and simple explanations. Therefore, activities carried out as a group are, at times, too noisy and not sufficiently focused to ensure children extend their listening and attention skills. Consequently, children do not fully understand the boundaries and expectations of behaviour.  Children do not have easy access to a broad variety of resources to help develop their early writing skills, and do not see adults writing for a variety of purposes, to enhance their pre-writing skills and awareness that print carries meaning.

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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 opportunities to develop their early writing skills in a broader variety of ways  provide children with clear guidance and simple explanations to help them extend their listening and attention skills, and understand the boundaries and expectations of behaviour.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector toured the premises and viewed resources with the manager.  The inspector observed the children and staff at play, and completed a joint observation on a planned activity with the manager.  The inspector examined records and documents provided by the manager.  The inspector discussed the pre-school with four parents.  The inspector discussed the pre-school's self-evaluation with the manager.

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who attend. This is good

Staff get to know children very well. They visit them at home to gather important development information which they use to help children settle quickly. Careful observations of the children at play are used to plan individual next steps in learning. Many children demonstrate high levels of concentration, for example, as they play in wet sand. Staff talk to children, modelling language and using questions to extend communication and language skills well. Staff include references to numbers, position, shape, size and colour to increase children's early mathematical knowledge and awareness. Staff skilfully extend children's creativity as they introduce pasta, herbs and saucepans to their play. This creates a sensory experience as the children smell the herbs, and touch and stir the pasta. They add water and talk about the food they are making, recall what they had for breakfast and what they like to eat extending their

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good

Staff warmly welcome each child, and their parents, to the pre-school. Children separate from parents confidently and soon become engaged in play. Familiar routines help to increase their self-confidence. The high staff-to-child ratio means that children enjoy a high level of attention. Children demonstrate a positive approach to learning, supported by the cheerful interactions of the staff team. However, at times the level of noise is very high and this can hinder learning opportunities. Staff develop and extend children's understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Children play games that help them to learn about healthy foods and they are encouraged to bring healthy snacks and lunches. Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise every day and demonstrate a good awareness of appropriate hygiene routines to prevent the spread of germs.

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provision is good

Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding policies and the action they must take if they have concerns. Thorough procedures are in place for the recruitment and vetting of staff to ensure their suitability to work with children. The educational programme is carefully monitored ensuring that children's needs are clearly identified and continually met. Staff plan with individual learning needs in mind but remain adaptable to seize impromptu learning opportunities, which may occur. The manager and her staff team demonstrate a commitment to the continual development of the preschool. Staff performance is monitored both informally and more formally through annual appraisals. The enthusiastic staff are supported to attend relevant courses and gain additional knowledge to improve their skills and the quality of provision for the children. They actively share their knowledge and try new ideas which improve the learning opportunities

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Setting details

Unique reference number 110332 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 839696 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Heydeys Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 25 March 2010 Telephone number 07504 433939

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Setting details

Heydays Pre-School is managed by a committee it was registered in 1972. It operates from accommodation on the site of Four Marks Primary School in Alton, Hampshire. The setting is open each weekday, during school term time only, from 9am to 12pm. The sessions are extended to 3pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The pre-school employs seven members of staff. Six staff have early years Qualification at Level 3.

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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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