Abbey Centre Pre-School

Abbey Centre Pre-School Overslade Close, East Hunsbury, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN4 0RZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 May 2015 19 May 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 carefully observe and assess children's levels of achievement, consult with parents and plan effectively for individual learning. Consequently, children make good progress.  The quality of teaching is good. Staff use their skills effectively to support children's learning and stimulate their curiosity.  Children play in a safe and welcoming environment. They are safeguarded because staff members understand their role in protecting children from harm.  Children's social and emotional needs are well met by staff. Relationships are very good and children are happy, sociable and confident learners.  Partnerships with parents are strong and parents share very positive views about the provision. They value the individual key-person system and the relationships that they and their children have with staff. They identify the good progress that their children are making and the very good communication systems.

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This provision is good

 Children use their speaking skills effectively as they join together in pretend play situations.  Children's growing independence is supported well by staff. For example, most children are able to put on their own coats and some children try to manage fasteners for themselves.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Children are not fully supported in making marks in different ways or in exploring their senses and mixing different media and materials.  Staff do not maximise support for pre-school children to gain an awareness of different languages in print.

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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

 increase opportunities for children to make marks in different ways and explore and investigate different creative play materials at the same time  extend children's literacy development and their awareness of diversity, for example, by providing books and displaying signs in different languages.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor play areas.  The inspector held meetings with the joint managers and spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector conducted observations of the activities and evaluated the teaching methods with the managers.  The inspector looked at a selection of children's records, policies and procedures, and a range of other documentation.  The inspector checked evidence of staff members' suitability, qualifications and training.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.

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who attend. This is good

Staff offer good support so that children acquire skills and make good progress. They ensure that children are ready for the next stage in their learning and school. Children enjoy chatting with staff, and staff promote speaking skills well. For example, they repeat words clearly when children find pronunciation difficult. Children are encouraged to write for different purposes. In the current role-play doctors' surgery, they write prescriptions and telephone messages. Signs and labels support children's learning that print carries meaning. However, children come from a range of different backgrounds and English is not always their first language. There is no print in the playroom that reflects the various languages and so their learning, and awareness of diversity, are not maximised. Children are learning that they can mix colours together to create other colours. Pencil crayons and chalks are provided on a table, and children paint with brushes on an easel. A step is

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who attend. This is good

provided so that the younger children can reach. However, children are not consistently supported to make marks and explore texture with their hands, or mix different creative, art and craft play materials. Children spontaneously use their mathematical knowledge while they play. For example, they count and sort resources by colour and shape.

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good

Children's emotional security is given a high priority by staff and they create a warm and welcoming environment for children and their parents. Children's good health is promoted well because they eat healthy snacks and because they are physically active. They gain physical skills while they ride-on toys in the outdoor area, and gain confidence and skills with use of large-play equipment at the local park. Staff are good role models and children behave well. Some resistance to sharing is addressed well by staff, and they take the opportunity to support children's mathematical learning. Children count how many are in their small group, how many of their favourite toys there are, and then share them equally. Staff boost children's self-confidence, because, they ensure that positive behaviour, efforts and achievements are acknowledged with praise.

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provision is good

Staff continually supervise children and keep them safe. Recruitment, selection and induction procedures are clear and vetting procedures to assess staff members' suitability are thorough. Staff work closely as a team and share good practice ideas in order to improve. One of the managers is the designated person for child protection and she regularly attends training and cascades information to all staff. The Early Years Professional recently attended training on how best to meet the needs of two-year-olds. Knowledge gained has been shared with all staff and this has resulted in there being a greater focus, on the emotions and language development of the youngest children. A current priority for improvement is to increase the frequency of staff supervision sessions and extend discussions on training opportunities.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 220151 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 865853 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Abbey Centre Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 19 May 2011 Telephone number 01604 767568 or 07980 092175

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Setting details

Abbey Centre Pre-School was registered in 1987. It employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, and one holds a qualification at level 6 and also Early Years Professional status. The pre-school opens term-time only from Monday to Friday. Sessions are from 9.15am to 2.45pm. The pre- school provides funded early education for 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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