Little Explorers Pre-School

Little Explorers Pre-School Greenstead Community Centre, Hawthorn Avenue, COLCHESTER, CO4 3QE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18 April 2016 30 May 2012

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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 excited and motivated to learn. Practitioners skilfully follow children's interests to provide them with an exciting range of adult-led and freely chosen learning opportunities.  Children enjoy their time at the pre-school. Key persons greet them at the pre-school door with a kind smile and reassuring words to help them settle quickly. Children form close friendships with each other. They develop strong bonds with their key person and the other practitioners caring for them.  Practitioners successfully support disabled children and those with special educational needs. They work closely with other professionals to enable all children to make good progress in their learning.  Practitioners and managers develop successful partnerships with parents and other early years providers. They effectively engage with all parties, to support children's learning in the pre-school, at home and at other early years provisions that children

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This provision is good

attend.  Children behave well and understand the pre-school rules. Practitioners are good role models, they offer children praise and reassurance to help to develop and support their emotional well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Practitioners do not consistently focus the planning to ensure that opportunities for children to learn about the living world, growing and change are incorporated, both indoors and outdoors.  The manager does not use information gained from the monitoring and assessment of groups of children to fully demonstrate how gaps in children's learning are narrowing.

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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 provision for children to fully develop their knowledge of the natural world to enable them to understand growth, change and to show care and concern for living things and the environment  strengthen the analysis of information gained from monitoring children's progress assessments and show how gaps are narrowing even further for 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 manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the pre-school's self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre-school.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Managers and practitioners are very knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures. They demonstrate a secure understanding of the signs that might raise concerns about a child's safety. Practitioners maintain their safeguarding knowledge through regular training and keep abreast of new guidance. Daily safety checks and risk assessments are carried out by practitioners to ensure that children play and learn in a safe environment. An effective programme of professional development provides opportunities for the manager and practitioners to meet termly. They review the ongoing needs of children and practitioners through these regular meetings. Identified training needs are pursued and practitioners are encouraged to use their new found knowledge within the pre-school. Managers and practitioners are very reflective. They evaluate the success of each pre-school session and implement any

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

necessary changes for the following day.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Key persons know children in their key groups well. They tailor planning and activities to match each child's next stage in learning. Practitioners provide children with a wide range of learning experiences and resources, and encourage them to guide much of their own play. Practitioners support children's communication and language skills well. They speak to them clearly and introduce new words to enhance children's emerging speech. When planning around a theme or topic, practitioners make very good use of books and other resources to enhance children's learning. For example, children celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday. They have lots of visual images of the Queen and books about queens. Items, such as small paper flags and shiny plastic crowns are presented with the play dough. This helps to enhance this play and creates opportunities for discussion.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children enter the pre-school confidently. They part from parents with ease and quickly settle in to their pre-school morning. Key persons are on hand to offer kind words and the occasional cuddle, when children are feeling less confident. Practitioners organise the pre- school room and garden to ensure that it is bright, welcoming and stimulating. Children learn about keeping healthy. Practitioners provide a range of healthy mid-session snacks. Children learn to take risks and assess their own safety. For example, older children use the plastic climbing tunnel in the garden proficiently. Some of the younger children crawl in and out of it and ask for adult assistance to sit on top.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children, including disabled children and those with special educational needs, make good progress in relation to their starting points. Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning, such as starting school. They are independent and capable of managing their own personal needs. Many children write recognisable letters and are beginning to write their own names on creative work. Children proficiently count to 10 and over and recognise numbers presented within the environment.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY438275 Local authority Essex Inspection number 853909 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Greenstead Social Club Playgroup Date of previous inspection 30 May 2012 Telephone number 07708499125

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Setting details

Little Explorers Pre-School was registered in 2011. The pre-school employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, all seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Thursday, term time only. Sessions are from 9.15am until 1pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports disabled children and those with special educational needs.

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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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