Noah's Ark Preschool

Noah's Ark Pre School The Wooden Classroom, Farrington Road, Paulton, Bristol, BS39 7LW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 March 2015 5 November 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 Outstanding 1

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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 are skilled teachers and maximise opportunities in play to incorporate fun, literacy activities. As a result, children are keen to learn the skills they need to read and write, and this prepares them well for starting school.  Staff plan a wide range of stimulating activities and experiences for children, from observations they make of their ever-changing interests. Children are always engaged in play, which enables staff to consistently extend their learning to the next stage. As a result, all children are motivated to learn and make good progress in all areas .  Highly-effective allocation of key persons to groups of children engages all parents effectively and builds strong links between home and pre-school. This supports children's relationships and emotional well-being very well.  Leaders monitor the consistency of the quality of teaching to ensure that all children benefit from high-quality learning experiences. This means that all staff receive good

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This provision is good

supervision and professional development opportunities and as a result, staff turnover is minimal and the pre-school constantly improves.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although children have access to a good range of resources and learning activities indoors, staff provide fewer resources outdoors. This does not support those children who prefer to learn outside.  Staff do not target their planning as sharply for the outdoor learning environment.

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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 the outdoor area to incorporate further resources that are rich and varied, to highly stimulate children, particularly those who prefer to learn outdoors  extend the targeted learning activities so that outdoor play features more in the planning for children's individual next stages in development.

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Inspection activities

 Leadership and management discussions took place with the manager at appropriate times during the inspection and in a meeting.  The inspector observed activities and staff interactions with children, in the classroom and the outside learning environment.  The inspector looked at documentation including a sample of children's records, planning and records, and checked the suitability of staff and committee members.  The inspector took account of the views of children, staff, committee members and parents spoken to on the day of the inspection, and of the provider's self-evaluation.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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who attend. This is good

Staff know children well and work with the parents when their children start to find out about each child's interests and stages of development. Parents receive regular information about their child's progress. Staff encourage parents to promote their children's learning at home by providing tips and lending parents resources. The quality of teaching is good and as a result, children are making good progress in all areas of their learning and development. However, staff miss some opportunities to extend the resources available and target planned activities in the outdoor environment to promote further children's learning. Staff are actively involved in children's play. Children respond well to the staff interactions and enjoy playing alongside them; this promotes children's personal and social development. Children often choose to stay at activities for long periods; they fully engage and become fascinated in mathematical play activities.

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outstanding

Staff are exceedingly respectful of children. For example, when children have to take turns on the computers, staff give them plenty of warning so they have time to bring their play to an end. This prevents emotional upset and as a result, behaviour is exemplary. There are excellent links with the other early years settings that children attend and schools that they move on to. This enables a seamless progression for children when they are due to move to their next place of learning. Staff share information with staff in the other settings and visit the children there, which promotes continuity in learning. Children enjoy healthy, nutritious snacks and meals. Staff make snack times sociable occasions because they sit with children and chat with them. Staff teach children to be independent; they encourage children to lay tables and serve themselves food. Staff use this as a time to teach children about the importance of a balanced diet. Children have numerous opportunities to be

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outstanding

outside as staff operate free-flowing access to the garden in all weathers. This is extremely beneficial to children's health.

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provision is good

The manager and well-established staff team fully understand their responsibilities. They use a range of policies and procedures that successfully support children's health, safety and well-being. All staff benefit from child protection and first-aid training and are confident in what to do should they have concerns about children's welfare. The team keeps parents well informed of pre-school policies, staff and committee information, news and children's learning, through newsletters and the website. The manager monitors all children's observation and assessment records to ensure they continue to make good progress. Staff, parents and children contribute to clear action plans for improvement, which effectively continue to raise the already good quality of the pre-school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 133056 Local authority Bath & NE Somerset Inspection number 836350 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 60 Name of provider Noah's Ark Pre-school Committee Date of previous inspection 5 November 2009 Telephone number 01761 413529

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Setting details

Noah's Ark Pre-school opened in 1969 and operates from a purposely-adapted building in the village of Paulton, Somerset. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 12 noon and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm during school term times. An additional lunch club runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12.05pm to 12.30pm. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early years education. The pre-school employs nine staff who all hold relevant qualifications 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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