Puffin Pre School

Puffin Pre School Group Foakes House, 47 Stortford Road, Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1DG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 March 2015 10 January 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 in the pre-school have a good understanding of safeguarding children. This is because they regularly attend additional training and know what to do in the event of a child protection concern. As a result, children's welfare is protected well.  The manager and her team have worked very hard to build highly effective partnerships with external agencies. This ensures that the requirements of those children with identified needs are extremely well met.  Staff support children to learn about how to keep themselves and others safe. For instance, when using soft play equipment, children are encouraged to make sure that no one is in front of them when they jump.  Staff carry out regular observations of children attending the pre-school. Information gained is then used to plan a wide range of worthwhile activities, which help children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. As a result, children are well

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This provision is good

prepared for school or the next stage in their learning.  The communication skills of children who are learning to speak English as an additional language are promoted very well. For example, staff make use of key words from home, simple sign language and picture clues to effectively support children's understanding.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The initial information gathered by staff about children's learning is not sufficiently detailed to fully support their identification of children's precise learning needs.  On occasions, staff do not take full advantage of opportunities to teach children about how to keep themselves healthy.

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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 teaching and learning opportunities by extending activities that enable children to increase their understanding of how to keep themselves healthy  extend the initial information obtained from parents to include further detail of children's development to plan even more precisely for their continued progress from an early stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities taking place in the indoor and outdoor learning environments. 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 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 prior to inspection. She also took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of inspection.

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who attend. This is good

Staff are skilled at sparking children's imagination and investigation skills, which helps to sustain their participation in activities. This in turn effectively promotes the positive characteristics of good learners. Children's progress is consistently monitored by the manager and successfully shared with parents and staff from other settings they attend. As a result, all adults involved support children to acquire the skills they need in readiness for school. Children enjoy opportunities to take part in activities linked to increasing their understanding of sounds and letters. For example, they have fun developing their physical skills as they manipulate pieces of dough into the shape of specific letters. They proudly say the first letter of their name and are encouraged by staff to identify other things that begin with the same sound. Children's communication skills are consistently supported. For instance, staff encourage them to engage in discussion about things that interest

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good

The key-person system supports all children to form secure attachments to pre-school members of staff. As a result, they spontaneously invite staff to be a part of their play and learning. This consistently promotes children's emotional well-being. The organisation of the environment ensures that children are enabled to effectively learn how to take care of their own personal needs. However, staff do not always provide children with clear messages to make sure that they are developing a strong understanding of why good hygiene practice is important. Children's achievements are recognised through plenty of positive attention from staff. This successfully builds on their levels of confidence and effectively promotes children's self-motivation. Equipment provided and staff's attention to the physical environment is good. This is because they plan for the individual needs of each child and take their interests into consideration.

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provision is good

The manager has a clear understanding of how to successfully implement the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. She regularly monitors staff's performance and ensures that they have access to regular training. This helps to increase their knowledge and understanding, which in turn promotes effective support for children. Staff, parents and children have the opportunity to take part in the pre-school's self-evaluation process. This ensures that a broad range of ideas and opinions are gathered and used to inform future improvements. Partnerships with parents effectively supports children's ongoing learning needs. For example, the manager organises a play and stay session every term. This helps parents to find out first hand how to effectively support their child's learning at home. However, a lack of precise information about children's starting points means that planning is not fully informed from the very start of the placement. Parent's report that

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provision is good

staff are friendly and approachable. They think that the pre-school is brilliant and feel that their children are happy and safe.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 508848 Local authority Essex Inspection number 869370 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 46 Name of provider Puffin Pre School Group Committee Date of previous inspection 10 January 2011 Telephone number 07712 858878

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Setting details

Puffin Pre-School was registered in 1982. The nursery employs seven members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above, including the manager who holds Early Years Professional status. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are from 8.45am until 11.45am and 12.15pm until 3.15pm. Children can stay for both sessions as the pre-school runs a lunch club. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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