Little Acorns Pre School

Little Acorns Pre School Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road, Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire, BS32 8HL

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 October 2017 10 July 2014

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

p.1

This provision is good

 The nurturing staff provide very good support to encourage children's personal, social and emotional development. Children settle very quickly into the pre-school and form trusting relationships with staff. These bonds help children feel safe and secure, and support their emotional well-being effectively.  Leaders shows a commitment to providing a high-quality provision for children. The effective staff support and training programmes, along with self-evaluation processes, help staff continuously build on the quality of care and learning they provide.  Teaching is consistently good. Staff provide a wide range of activities and experiences that stimulates, motivates and excites children to learn.  Staff work in effective partnership with schools to help prepare children for their future moves to school. This also helps children to learn specific skills to improve their achievements and support their future learning.

p.1

This provision is good

 Staff use strong observations and assessment systems to track children's progress accurately. They identify gaps in children's learning swiftly and plan actions to address them. All children at the setting make good progress from their starting points.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not take all opportunities to build on their strong relationships with parents to engage them further in encouraging their children's learning at home.  At times, staff miss opportunities to capture children's progress in technology.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 develop more highly successful strategies to encourage further parental input in children's learning at home  enhance staff's assessments of children's learning in technology to show children's progress in this area more sharply.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the provider and leaders at appropriate times during the inspection and in a scheduled meeting.  The inspector observed children's activities and staff teaching inside and outside.  The inspector looked at documentation, including a sample of children's records and planning and assessment records, and checked the suitability of staff to work with children.  The inspector took account of the views of children, staff and parents spoken to on the day of inspection, and of the pre-school's self-evaluation.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff are vigilant and all staff are able to identify possible signs that a child may be at risk of harm. They know what action to take if they have a concern about a child's welfare. Staff benefit from good support from leaders. They have ongoing professional development opportunities, which helps keep morale high and improves their practice. Partnerships with other professionals work well; particularly to help meet the needs of children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The manager closely checks all children's progress and monitors the progress that they make, helping children make continued progress in all areas of learning.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff understand how children learn and ensure that children benefit from a good range of adult-led activities and opportunities to be independent learners that lead their own play. Staff work closely with parents when children first start to understand the skills children already have. They carefully plan from children's interests and find ways to engage them in things that help them meet their next stages in learning. Staff are strong teachers, they help children progress and gain a good understanding of their individual needs. Staff communicate with children well. For example, they skilfully use commentary and questions to support children's language development as they play and learn.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Indoor and outdoor environments are well resourced and stimulating. Children show enthusiasm and excitement in their play and are challenged effectively, which helps them to remain engaged. Staff manage children's behaviour effectively. They kindly remind them of the rules and they praise them when they are behaving well. This helps children interact well together and boosts their self-esteem. Staff work well with children to teach them about safety. For example, with staff support, children carry out daily risk assessments of the garden before going out to play and they look for anything that may be hazardous to them. Children benefit from regular fresh air and space to move around and exercise. Staff discuss with them the benefits of eating healthily to encourage their good physical health. Children develop good independence, for example, as they learn to dress themselves and use the toilet.

p.3

Outcomes for children are good

Children are confident learners who concentrate well during activities. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning that help prepare them for school. Children behave well, work well together and are kind and respectful to one another as they make positive friendships. Children develop good mathematical skills. For example, they engage in counting out fruit at snack time and categorising blocks by their colours and shapes. All children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress in their learning.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY310695 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 1070695 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 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 39 Name of registered person LA Childcare Ltd

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 10 July 2014 Telephone number 07837707331

p.4

reference number

Little Acorns Pre School operates from a community building in the centre of Bradley Stoke, in South Gloucestershire. It registered in 2004. The pre-school opens every weekday during term time. Sessions are from 9am to midday, and midday to 3pm. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years old. A team of eight part-time staff and the two proprietors work with the children. Six of the staff, including the manager, hold early years qualifications at level 3.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.

p.4

reference number

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

reference number

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

p.5