Meadow Farm Playbus Pre school

Meadow Farm Playbus Pre school Straw Hat Car Park, Randle Meadow, Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH66 2SE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 4 July 2016 Not applicable

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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

 The manager and her staff have a passionate drive to improve the care and learning provided to children. They are constantly reviewing their unique provision and fundraising to implement improvements as part of their strive for excellence. The manager meets up with other providers to exchange good practice ideas and support from the local authority advisor and other professionals is welcomed.  Staff undertake assessments of children's abilities and use these to plan activities which help them make progress. The warm relationships between children and staff ensure that all children are supported to take part in a range of learning opportunities.  Children who have very complex special educational needs or disability are excellently supported. Staff work closely with a range of other professionals to meet children's individual needs and allow them to be fully involved in all learning experiences.

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This provision is good

 The bright and inviting bus and garden area are well resourced and have been cleverly converted. Areas are used effectively by staff to provide children with a wealth of fun experiences which build unique memories of their time at pre-school.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Professional development is not focused sufficiently enough on raising teaching to the highest level, in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for children.  Arrangements for tracking the progress of children are not yet refined enough to identify the progress of specific groups of children, in order to confirm that any differences in their achievement levels are negligible or closing rapidly.

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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

 build on the current plans for professional development, in order to raise the quality of teaching even further and achieve the best possible outcomes for children  refine the way in which the achievements of specific groups of children are monitored, in order to check that any differences continue to be negligible or are closing rapidly.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities on the playbus and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the provider.  The inspector held a meeting with the provider. 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 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 arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff's suitability is checked when they are recruited and on an ongoing basis. All staff understand their individual responsibility to keep children safe and have a good understanding of what would constitute a safeguarding concern. When required, they work with other professionals to ensure families are well supported and children are helped to thrive. Staff are encouraged to undertake regular training and additional qualifications. This supports them in considering how to enhance the activities they provide for children and enables them to meet children's specific learning needs. The manager reviews staff's assessments of children's progress to ensure all areas of learning are planned for and assessments are accurate.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff like the children to lead their own play and learning. They gather information from parents and other providers about what interests children and what they can do. This information feeds into the planning of activities on a daily basis. Staff use their assessments of children's learning to inform the way they support their play. They provide opportunities for children to practise new skills or broaden their understanding of the world around them. Children who are playing with sand and water add sea creatures to the bowl. Staff encourage them to consider how many legs the animals have, explain about camouflage and discuss differences in size. Staff understand that some children are fascinated by transporting toys or throwing things and they provide ways to help them investigate these ideas safely. They consider the needs of groups of children so activities can be tailored to their abilities. For example, children who will start school soon have

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

targeted activities, such as early reading skills and phonic sounds.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are very independent and physically able. They confidently manage to negotiate the stairs to the top deck of the bus. Children with mobility issues learn how to use the stairs with appropriate help from staff, who have realistic but challenging expectations of what children can achieve. Children develop an understanding of a healthy diet through activities that trace food from farm to fork. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. For example, older children will intervene if they feel a younger child is doing something risky, such as attempting to climb on a chair. Children are happy and confident. They behave well and are kind and caring to their friends. Partnerships with parents are good. They praise the individualised care their children receive and the support they have from all staff.

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Outcomes for children are good

Most children are working comfortably within the range of development typical for their age and are well prepared for the move on to nursery or school. Children who have complex special educational needs or disability are making very good progress in line with their abilities. They have targeted support to help them to start to develop the skills they will need for the move on to school, for example, developing the ability to feel textures in case they need to learn Braille.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY478034 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 976308 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 11 Total number of places 16 Number of children on roll 55 Name of registered person Jane Elizabeth Fisher

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07792633426

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reference number

Meadow Farm Playbus Pre school opened in 1975 and was re-registered in 2014 when it changed to private ownership. It operates from the playbus on the Straw Hat car park in Great Sutton, Cheshire. The pre-school employs eight members of staff, seven of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2, 3, 5 or 6. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. It also operates a holiday playscheme for older children during the school holidays. The provision provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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