Friary Pre-School

Friary Pre-School St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, Southgate Drive, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 6HD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/09/2012 09/12/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children enjoy their time in the pre-school and show that they feel welcome and safe.  Children make good relationships, develop independence and behave well because staff act as positive role models.  Staff know children and their families well, which supports children's well-being effectively.

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It is not yet good because

 Activities and staff interactions do not always provide enough challenge to support all children to make good progress in their learning and development.  Systems to assess children's progress and to respond to their individual learning needs are not fully effective.  Evaluation processes are not rigorous in identifying key priorities for further improvements.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interactions, indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with available staff, some parents and a representative of the management committee, and held discussions with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation, including a representative sample of children's records, the policies and procedures for safeguarding and well-being, and some planning.

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Information about the setting

Friary Pre-School opened in 1989. It is run by the Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. It operates from its own building in the grounds of St Francis of Assisi Primary School in Crawley, West Sussex. It has its own enclosed outdoor play area and shares use of a bigger playground. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. There are seven members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school has 55 children on roll aged three and four years. It is open each weekday during school term times from 9am until 12 noon and from 12.30pm until 3.30pm. Some children have lunch at the pre- school. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare

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must:

 improve the quality of learning experiences for all children by: promoting high- quality interactions to engage and motivate children fully and to help extend their thinking; planning suitably challenging activities so that all children make good progress  develop the quality of ongoing assessment by: carefully shaping learning experiences to reflect children's individual levels of achievement, interests and learning styles; monitoring the progress of different groups of children to address any gaps in learning.

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

 develop rigorous and effective systems for self-evaluation through: active involvement of the management committee; seeking the views of all staff, children and their parents to identify areas for improvement; devising a clear improvement plan to identify key priorities.

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who attend

The pre-school's key person system enables staff to get to know children and their families well. For example, staff collect helpful information from parents about children's starting points and interests at the beginning of their placement. This process helps to develop good relationships and provide adequate support in meeting children's individual learning and development needs. Staff prepare some activities well and help children to make sufficient progress across all seven areas of learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language receive appropriate support from staff and from outside agencies where necessary. As a result, all children gain some of the skills, attitudes and dispositions that will help them to be ready to continue their learning at school.

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who attend

Staff sometimes support language, communication and social skills thoughtfully, such as during an activity where children are looking at photographs of their time in the pre- school. Children learn to take turns as they use the photographs to identify each other, learn one another's names and say 'hello'. Children develop appropriate physical skills as they run and chase one another in the playground. They also enjoy drawing round their bodies with chalk to make gingerbread man shapes on the ground and staff actively encourage mathematical language as they compare the sizes of the shapes. Children have fun using musical instruments to accompany some familiar songs when they sit together with an adult. All these experiences are enjoyable but staff do not always use high-quality interactions to engage children fully or to extend their learning. Staff know children well and record their observations of progress but do not always use this information

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who attend

effectively to plan challenging activities. For example, although children show excitement in some new windmills for the outside learning area, staff do not embrace their interest fully. Staff do not always talk to children enough about what they see, or ask them relevant questions about what they are thinking. These weaknesses have some limitations on children's progress in developing what they know, can do and what they understand.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children and their families feel welcome at the pre-school. Key persons take time and care to get to know children and their families when they visit them at home and see them at open days before starting at the pre-school. Parents say they appreciate these opportunities to get to know a member of staff and report that it helps their children to settle well. Most children therefore arrive happily and are quick to settle at activities. When children are upset on arrival, staff respond sensitively and with success. Staff act as good role models as they smile and talk to each other in a friendly way, often laughing and joking with the children. This approach helps to create a happy atmosphere where children are relaxed and confident as they move around trying out different activities both indoors and outdoors. Most children converse confidently with adults and other children throughout the session. They generally behave well and develop good relationships with

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

their friends. Staff support children's independence effectively as staff encourage them to put on their coats and to try to do up zips before they offer to help. Staff help children develop good personal and social skills, and good hygiene habits. For example, they carefully remind children as they play to say 'please and thank you', to wash their hands and to use tissues to wipe their noses. Children develop a good understanding about eating healthily as they chat to staff about the things they can eat every day and the things they can eat for a special treat. Children demonstrate a clear awareness of safety as they walk sensibly and avoid standing on toys. The care the pre-school takes for the children to make a good transition from home and to settle well prepares them effectively for future transitions, for example, when they move on to school.

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provision

The day-to-day management of the pre-school provides a suitably safe environment. Staff know and understand safeguarding and welfare policies, and use these appropriately in practice. They carefully check the pre-school each day to address any potential risks before children arrive and they appropriately check any visitors. They follow suitable procedures to administer children's medication, such as storing this safely and ensuring that parents complete appropriate forms.

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provision

Recruitment and vetting systems help the pre-school check that all staff hold appropriate qualifications and are suitable to work with children. All members of staff have recent training for child protection and up-to-date first aid training, which promotes children's safety and well-being appropriately.

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provision

The manager has recently gained a relevant high level professional qualification that helps her to identify some areas for further improvement. However, there are no immediate plans to drive the improvements forward and so progress is slow. Self-evaluation procedures do not currently take full account of the views of all staff, children and their parents, which limits the preschool's ability to identify all areas for improvement. The management committee supports staff adequately but does not fully participate in self- evaluation, which further limits the progress of addressing weaknesses in practice. Some monitoring procedures are in place to assess the quality and range of provision, although these are not fully rigorous to ensure that all children make consistent progress in their learning and development. The manager correctly identifies the need to develop more effective systems for assessing children's progress and planning to meet their needs,

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provision

There is an established system for staff performance management and a member of the management committee supports this appropriately. The manager actively encourages staff to continue their professional development so that they improve their knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop. The pre-school has effective partnerships with parents and with other professional agencies to help them meet children's specific needs.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

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

Unique reference number 113493 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 813445

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 3 - 8 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 55 Name of provider Tony Barry Date of previous inspection 09/12/2008 Telephone number 01293 403 873

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

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

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