Muddy Puddles Pre-School

Inspection of Muddy Puddles Pre- School Ifield Community Centre, Ifield Drive, Crawley RH11 0HD

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

p.1

The provision is good

Staff create a welcoming and happy environment. Children come in eagerly. They feel safe and secure in the lovely relationships they have with their key persons. Staff understand every child as an individual. They adapt their practice effectively to meet children's differing needs. For example, when interacting with children with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND), staff always sing the child's favourite songs. Children develop speech as they join in merrily.

p.2

The provision is good

Managers recognise what the children need most to help them thrive. They ensure effectively that staff are confident to teach children in a way that supports children to meet their full potential. Managers take care to understand the community around them and know how they can best support the families. They learned that dental health in the area is often poor and are working with children and families to promote good dental hygiene.

p.2

The provision is good

Children enjoy their interactions with staff; they laugh and smile as they play games to develop their learning. For instance, a group of children eagerly guess what a staff member is drawing on a chalkboard. They develop their control of mark-making tools as they follow her lead and make their own pictures. Children show perseverance in their play. For instance, they take great care when building pyramids out of carpet tiles. They demonstrate their early mathematical skills as they count the levels in their structures and compare heights.

p.2

need to do better?

n Children develop a strong awareness of how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Staff teach them effectively how to manage risks they encounter as they play. For example, when children hold toys while trying to get to the top of a climbing frame, staff help them to work out how to manage the task safely. Children demonstrate an understanding of the positive benefits of nutritious foods when they make 'broccoli pies' in the mud kitchen. They lift toys after the play and exclaim, 'I'm strong because I ate broccoli.' n Staff promote positive behaviour effectively as they teach children to manage their feelings. They help children to feel calm and cope with issues that arise in their play. Staff support children sensitively to feel confident to play with other children and to develop social skills. Children feel pleasure in sharing their friends' special moments. For instance, they eagerly sing happy birthday to a

p.2

need to do better?

child who is celebrating and have beaming smiles as they blow out the candles. n Managers apply a strong focus on supporting children to develop speech and language skills. They have provided staff with training that is being implemented to a high level in the setting. Staff show consistency in the teaching skills they use to help children pronounce letter sounds and words clearly. This includes

p.2

need to do better?

3 October 2019 ensuring they have eye contact with the child and exaggerating mouth movements to help children learn how to turn sounds into words. Children who speak English as an additional language quickly begin to understand and use English with increasing fluency. n Staff work in close partnership with others to support the progress of children with SEND to ensure they meet their needs. They work with a variety of professionals to offer support for families. For instance, they use translators to help ensure parents who speak English as an additional language can be involved in their children's learning. n Managers provide focused support and guidance for staff to help them develop their teaching skills and knowledge. Staff benefit from frequent training and opportunities to gain or enhance their qualifications. Managers have recently implemented systems to reduce the time spent on planning. Staff now use their

p.2

need to do better?

strong understanding of children's interests and developmental needs better, to offer effective and meaningful learning experiences. n Staff demonstrate effective teaching skills as they engage in good-quality interactions with children and encourage them to develop their own ideas. However, at times, staff miss opportunities to challenge children and to help them develop problem-solving skills. n The deployment of staff and organisation of some activities sometimes means that children's experiences are not engaging or enriching. n Parents understand well how their children are progressing and how they can continue children's learning at home. Staff work with parents to establish consistent routines to help children meet their next steps in learning, including when potty training.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Managers act promptly and effectively on any issues that arise in the setting that may affect children's safety. They implement robust risk assessments and successfully ensure that all staff follow these precisely in their practice. As a result, they provide a safe and secure environment for children. Staff understand fully the signs that may indicate that a child's welfare is at risk and consistently monitor children's well-being. They benefit from frequent training and updates on safeguarding procedures that ensure they know what to do if they have a concern about a child's welfare.

p.3

should:

n ensure staff deployment is well organised and effective so that all children can be supported in their learning

p.3

should:

3 October 2019 n improve the quality of teaching further to ensure staff consistently challenge children in activities and offer them more opportunities to work out how to solve problems.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY553346 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 10124826 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.5

Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 2 to 4 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 49 Name of registered person Muddy Puddles Pre-School CIO

p.5

reference number

Telephone number 07854103967 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

p.5

Information about this early years setting

Muddy Puddles Pre-School registered in 2018. It operates from a community hall in Crawley, West Sussex. The pre-school is open during term time from 8.30am to 2.30pm each weekday, except for Wednesday when they are open from 8.30am to 11.30am. There are nine staff, four of whom hold relevant childcare qualifications. The manager holds a qualification at level 6. The pre-school receives funding to provide early education for children aged two, three and four years.

p.5

Inspection activities

n The inspector assessed the extent to which children are safe in the setting. She looked at how well risk assessments are planned and implemented and the way in which staff are deployed to ensure children are well supervised. n The manager talked to the inspector about the needs of the children in the setting, her ethos and how these are met during a learning walk. n Staff shared their knowledge of their key children and of the progress they have made with the inspector. n Parents gave feedback to the inspector which she considered in her judgements. n The inspector looked at statutory documentation including staff suitability checks and proof of qualifications.

p.6

Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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.6

Inspection activities

3 October 2019 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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.6

Inspection activities

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspection activities

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.7

Inspection activities

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspection activities

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7