Downhall Under Fives

Downhall Under Fives Ferndale Open Space, Ferndale Road, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 9NN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 September 2015 9 July 2010

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Children are well protected because staff have a good understanding of their responsibility to keep children safe.  Children's self-confidence and independence are well promoted because of the good support they receive from the staff.  Children make good gains in all areas of their learning and development because staff have a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are kept well informed of their children's progress. Staff consistently help parents to support their children's learning at home.  Managers work effectively together creating a well-motivated staff team who provide good care and learning opportunities for the children.  The pre-school works closely with the receiving schools to ensure that the move to school is seamless for both children and their parents.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 New systems for monitoring staff's performance are not yet fully embedded to ensure high-quality supervision.  The setting does not yet use assessment information to identify variations in the learning of different groups of children.

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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

 develop the performance management and monitoring systems further to ensure that the quality of teaching is monitored and information is used to shape practitioners' professional development  embed the new systems for observations and assessments, so that children's progress can be easily tracked to identify any variations in the learning of different groups of children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the pre-school manager.  The inspector held meetings with the pre-school managers. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the pre-school's self-evaluation and evidence of suitability of staff working within the pre-school.  The inspector spoke to a small selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The setting is well led by two competent managers who are proactive and committed to improving outcomes for the children. Safeguarding practices are effective, so children are well protected. Rigorous vetting procedures ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Parents, staff and children contribute to the ongoing self-evaluation process. This ensures that the pre-school continues to improve. There are good arrangements for monitoring children's attendance. The curriculum is vibrant and offers a good range of learning opportunities that help children progress well towards the early learning goals. Staff attend a number of training courses which enable them to extend their knowledge and acquire new skills. New systems for monitoring staff's performance have been introduced and feed into their supervision meetings. This helps staff reflect on their practice. Managers, however, recognise the need to attend further training, in order to strengthen

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

their skills and provide supervision of the highest quality.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Teaching is good. Staff make systematic observations of the children. They use this information to plan purposeful activities that engage all children and support the next steps in their learning. As a result, children achieve well. Staff model language well and take every opportunity to reinforce basic mathematical skills. Children count and use mathematical language to order numbers. Recently introduced systems for observations and assessments are highly effective in capturing, recording and tracking children's achievements. Staff have yet to use this information to identify gaps in learning of different groups of children. The key-person system is effective in engaging parents in their children's education. Parents share information about their children and contribute well to their initial assessment.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are eager to attend and engage in interesting self-chosen activities on arrival. Staff form highly positive relationships with children and their families. As a result, children feel safe. Good quality interactions and well-organised routines help children become confident as they move around and explore their environment. Children are exceptionally well behaved because they know the rules and understand that there are boundaries. They listen to each other, take turns and share resources. Staff praise children, which boosts their self-esteem immensely. Children are becoming more independent as they self-register, pour their own drinks and make decisions on where they would like to play. They are learning to manage their self-care successfully. Children enjoy healthy snacks and daily physical activities which promote their good health. They learn about people and communities and participate in a range of activities relating to festivals that help them to

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress towards the early learning goals. Older children link letters and sounds and make good attempts at writing their name. They are being well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY403443 Local authority Essex Inspection number 850504 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider Downhall Under Fives Date of previous inspection 9 July 2010 Telephone number 07752 960411

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Setting details

Downhall Under Fives was registered in 1987. The pre-school employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9.15am until 4pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 9.15am until 12.15pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. 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

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Setting details

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