 Worthy Down Pre-school & Nursery | sitemap | log in
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Pride of Lions Pre-school Ofsted Report
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Introduction
This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.
The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).
Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration.
Description of the setting
Pride of Lions Pre-School opened in 1977 and operates from a community centre at Worthy Down army base near Winchester. The setting is open from 8.15am to 3.15pm Monday through to Thursday and on Fridays from 8.15am to 12.45pm during term times. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.
The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register to care for 26 children. There are currently 36 children aged from two to under five years on roll. This includes three-and-four-year-old children who are funded for early education. The setting is able to support children with special needs and supports five children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs five members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two members of staff are currently working towards a further qualification. The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
Overall the quality of the provision is good.
Children are happy as they enjoy their time in this stimulating preschool. It is a fully inclusive setting where children's differences are acknowledged and respected. All staff are aware of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and they provide a wide range of activities that enable children to learn through their play. Staff and management meet regularly to discuss and evaluate the provision, identifying any areas of improvement that are needed to improve the pre-school.
What steps need to be taken to improve provision further?
The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision
There is a strong emphasis on safeguarding. Full written risk assessments are in place, they are used effectively to promote children's safety to ensure all children have safe and secure environments both inside and outside. All staff are aware of the procedure to follow if they had concerns about a child in their care. There are effective recruitment procedures in place to ensure that all staff working with the children are suitable to do so. There is an effective induction programme for new staff and volunteers to ensure that children's welfare, learning and safety are promoted. All staff have a relevant first aid certificate ensuring that if a child had an accident they would be treated immediately and correctly. All documentation is maintained to a high standard, regularly reviewed by the parent committee, all polices, and procedures are known by the staff and shared with the parents.
Staff contribute to the self-evaluation which supports them in reflecting all aspects of their practice and where necessary changes are made for the benefit of the children. For instance children are now more involved in preparing snack, enabling staff to use this time for conversations and using numbers in a practical manner. They identified that the construction area did not engage the girls sufficiently, the changes made have had a positive impact and there is now a better balance of boys and girls using the construction resources. The management undertake appraisals on the staff and peer on peer observations are made, helping to identify any practice issues or training needs. The management have identified areas to move the pre-school forward, which includes staff training that will in turn support the children in their learning. Action plans are put in place and acted upon throughout the year, continually building on good practice. Equality is promoted, offering all the children equal access, however, during the large group times children's individual needs are not always met. Children with any additional requirements are supported well; staff will work with any agency involved with the children to ensure that their needs are being met. The resources that are put out each day reflect the children's interests that the staff have previously observed. Staff ensure that all children are fully included, differentiating the activity to suit the individual child. The environment is child friendly with resources on low-level shelving, labelled with words and pictures supporting the children's independence as they self-select what they wish to play with. There are displays of the children's work, giving them a sense of belonging and pride in their achievements. Good links are in place with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage, including childminders and local schools to promote children's achievements and well-being. Partnership with parents is very positive, they are fully aware of the records kept on their children and they are asked to discuss their progress and identify their next steps. The pre-school provide information to parents about how to extend the children learning at home when undertaking particular topics. The parents are kept aware of their child's experiences through daily discussions with staff. Parents are very positive about the pre-school and they state that their children enjoy coming here. The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children
Children enjoy their sessions at the pre-school. They eagerly participate in a good range of stimulating activities that cover the six areas of learning well. These incorporate children's interests, which staff identify through accurate observations. All this contributes to children making good progress overall in their learning. The staff know the children well and ensure that during most of the session the children are fully engaged, however, large group times do not always engage or interest all of the children.
The experienced and skilled staff support the children learning through their play. They use routine and incidental opportunities to build on or consolidate children's learning. For instance, whilst playing on the hop scotch mat, staff called out numbers for children to throw the beanbag on as staff asked them about higher and lower numbers. Whilst doing puzzles, staff will discuss the colour, shape and number of the pieces, encouraging the child to contribute their own knowledge. Children have many activities that promote their imagination and problem solving skills; children choose from the wide range of construction resources to build, for instance, castles, houses or train tracks. The effective deployment of staff ensures that there is always a member of staff in the area to engage in conversations with the children about what they are making or extending their imagination as they talk about what is happening with their creations. Many children know that print carries meaning and they enjoy using the resources to draw pictures, mark make and for the most able, write the letters of their name. The labelling around the room supports children's understanding of linking numbers to the written word. At certain resources the signs explain how many children can play in the area, for instance, only four children in the sandpit at one time or only three at the computer. They are introduced to linking letters to sounds through the staff's positive interaction at incidental moments and in focused activities. They have plenty of opportunities to practise their speaking and listening skills through the close interaction between staff and children. Such experiences help children make smooth transitions to school. The children feel safe within the environment; they have identified dangers inside such as scissors if not handled properly, slipping on pieces of paper and outside the dangers of bees and dogs. They made drawings about the dangers to them and these have been displayed on the wall. They are confident and secure knowing that if they had a problem it would be handled in a positive manner. Children are becoming independent in their self-care skills and learning about healthy lifestyles. They know to wash their hands at the appropriate times and they recognise when they are hungry or thirsty. The rolling snack and the free access to drinks throughout the session allows the children to choose when to stop play to eat and drink. They access the garden fully aware that they must have their hats on or else the might burn. Children behave well and are developing good social habits. They form good relationships with the staff and each other. Children play well together and they respond immediately when the gong is sounded indicating busy bee time, when they rush to the mat to see what is going to happen next. They respond well to any reminders of the rules, for instance, counting how many children are in the sand pit and wait to have their turn.
Annex A: record of inspection judgements
The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision
The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage
Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage
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