Acorn Preschool

Acorn Preschool Dussindale Primary School, Vane Close, Norwich, NR7 0US

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26 March 2015 18 June 2009

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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

 The quality of teaching across the pre-school is very good and is sometimes outstanding. Children make good progress as staff have high expectations of them and provide challenges that effectively promote children's learning and development.  Staff are enthusiastic and engage children well. Consequently, children are motivated to learn more and they demonstrate a love of learning.  Children are happy and confident within this welcoming environment. They form strong attachments with key adults, which supports their emotional needs well.  Children are supported to become independent in everyday routines. For example, they help to prepare and serve food and pour drinks during snack times. This means they are well prepared for their move to school.  Children develop good knowledge about the natural world as they learn about life cycles. The children fully understand the changes that will occur. They speak excitedly

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This provision is good

as they use magnifying glasses to monitor how frogspawn changes.  Staff are well trained in safeguarding and child protection. They fully understand the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child's welfare. Robust recruitment and supervision systems to ensure staff are suitable to care for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always effectively use all of the information obtained from parents to extend children's learning further.  The provider does not always utilise the good-quality information gathered by staff to precisely track learning and development for groups of children, to ensure all children make the best possible progress in their learning.

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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

 ensure that staff use the regular verbal updates given by parents of their children's emerging interests and achievements outside of the setting, to complement their learning experiences, supporting them to achieve their very best  strengthen the already good systems used to assess children's development, to track the progress of different groups of children more precisely, in order to identify the best possible strategies for supporting all children's learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities within the main playroom and the outside learning environment.  The inspector spoke with staff members and children during the inspection.  The inspector held meetings with the provider of the provision.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documents.  The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and looked at information included in the setting's own parent survey.

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who attend. This is good

Staff use a wide variety of teaching strategies to motivate children to learn and develop the skills they need for learning in school. Staff successfully differentiate activities so that all children are fully engaged in their learning. When children show delight in a creative activity, staff talk to them about colours and textures of materials. Children learn about early mathematical language and skills through counting during everyday routines, such as registration and snack times. Colourful displays include photographs of the children at work. Staff annotate displays using children's comments and describe the learning taking place. This helps parents to understand how activities support their children's progress. Partnerships with parents are positive and information is shared about children's ongoing progress. Strategies to obtain information from parents about children's learning and achievements at home are in place. However, staff do not always make use of the regular

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who attend. This is good

verbal updates given by parents to complement the learning process even further. As a result, children are not always supported to make the best possible progress.

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good

Children move freely around the pre-school, displaying confidence and a real sense of belonging. They demonstrate that they feel emotionally secure as they invite staff to join in with their play and confidently share their ideas. Children make choices about their play, as they independently access a wide variety of resources. Children learn to behave well because staff have a clear understanding of how to model appropriate behaviour. They frequently praise children's efforts, which promotes children's feelings of confidence and self-esteem. Children demonstrate a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Staff conduct regular risk assessments of the environment and involve children. For example, they help to keep the pre-school floor dry during wet weather to prevent accidents and know not to run too fast outdoors as they might fall over. Children's understanding of self-care is promoted when they choose whether to go out in the rain.

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good

They dress in appropriate protective clothing, understanding that this will keep them dry as they jump in puddles. Consequently, children are learning to make their own choices.

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provision is good

The provider is very experienced and leads a well-qualified and dedicated staff team who are committed to improving children's attainment and the pre-school provision. Effective systems for observing children's achievements are in place. The provider regularly monitors the educational programmes to ensure staff plan a wide variety of interesting and challenging activities that support children's continuous progression. However, she does not make the best use of the information that staff collect through their assessments, to track specific groups of children. A successful programme of professional development helps staff to improve their childcare knowledge, which they share with other team members. The provider is able to identify strengthens and areas of development and there is a keen drive to improve.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY360037 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 849600 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 61 Name of provider Acorn Preschool Committee Date of previous inspection 18 June 2009 Telephone number 01603 436934

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Setting details

Acorn Preschool opened in 1977 and was re-registered in 2007. The playgroup is managed by a committee and operates within the grounds of Dussindale Primary School, Norfolk. The playgroup employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 8.45am until 15.15pm. 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

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’.

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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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