Noah's Ark Pre-school

Noah's Ark Pre-school Cookham Dean Village Hall, Cookham Dean, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 9NZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 March 2016 13 May 2015

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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

 Leaders are effective in promoting opportunities for staff to build on their professional development. Regular supervisions and appraisal meetings are used effectively to enable staff to identify their own strengths and areas for improvement.  Staff have a good understanding of how to promote children's well-being. They encourage children's good health and provide daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise. Children's physical skills are developing well. They benefit from their interesting outdoor experiences.  The manager and her team of staff have made significant improvements since the last inspection. Effective support from the local authority and parents' committee has helped them to reflect on all areas of practice and support continuous improvement.  Partnerships with parents are well established. Strategies for communication, such as daily discussion and parents' meetings, support the two-way flow of information.

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This provision is good

Parents are fully informed of the activities children take part in.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The key person sometimes misses opportunities to take forward all the information obtained about children's starting points, to help identify more precisely ways to extend their learning earlier on.  On occasions, staff do not always use what they know about the most-able children to ensure that they consistently undertake highly challenging activities.

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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

 make better use of all information taken from assessing children's early starting points to focus more sharply on ways to build on their initial abilities  strengthen staff's understanding of how to focus activities even more precisely on challenging the most-able children, in order to help them make more rapid progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main base room and garden.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager, and checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.  The inspector sampled relevant documentation, including children's learning records, planning, a selection of the setting's policies and children's records.  The inspector held meetings with the chairperson, the manager and the deputy manager, and spoke with staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The manager and staff have made positive changes to develop practice effectively, meeting previous actions and recommendations to improve outcomes for children. The staff, manager and committee use self-evaluation well to review practice and set targets for improvement. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a clear understanding of the procedures to identify and report any concerns regarding the welfare of children. Leaders ensure that staff's practice is good through regular observation, reviews and targeted training. The staff team has strong relationships with local schools and works closely with other settings to prepare children for their move.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff use information from children's assessments to monitor the progress that they are making. Children's communication and language development are promoted well. Staff regularly read to children individually or as a group, and fully encourage them to join in, for example, by acting out the story or filling in the missing words they leave out. Children fully engage in activities that promote their creative interests as they enjoy activities, such as sewing, playdough and painting. Children have regular opportunities to explore writing materials as they begin to make marks. They skilfully join materials, using scissors and glue as they create their chosen models. Staff extend younger children's early mathematical skills effectively. For example, they introduce numbers and sizes, and children confidently count the building blocks.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff help children to settle easily. Staff are friendly and sensitive to children's emotional needs and well-being. They encourage children through regular praise and reassurance. Children behave well and wait their turn to play with favourite toys. Staff teach children to understand the consequences of their actions. Children are respectful and tolerant of others. Staff make effective use of opportunities for children to talk about different cultures. Children develop their independence skills well through familiar daily routines. At snack times, staff talk to children, for example, about the benefits of eating nutritious foods to promote healthy lifestyles. Staff extend children's physical skills well, offering a variety of wheeled toys, and balancing and climbing apparatus.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children achieve well in their learning and development. They are working at the typical levels for their age and stage of development. They gain the necessary skills for the next stage in their learning. Children are confident speakers. They learn about safety during play, such as being mindful of others when riding bikes or digging in the sand. Children follow instructions effectively, promoting safety and taking safe risks.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 108444 Local authority Windsor & Maidenhead Inspection number 1015525 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Noah's Ark Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 13 May 2015 Telephone number 01628 485708

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Setting details

Noah's Ark Pre-school is a parent-committee-run pre-school and opened in 1975. It operates from Cookham Dean village hall, near Maidenhead, Berkshire. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 1pm, during term time only. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. The pre-school employs five staff and two additional bank staff to cover absences. The manager and three of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. This includes one member of staff who holds Early Years Professional Status.

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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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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