St Mary's Church Pre-School

St Mary's Church Pre-school St Marys Church, Church Road, Yatton, Bristol, BS49 4HH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/10/2012 25/02/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2

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This provision is good

 An effective key person system means that staff know children well, so children settle in quickly and make good progress  Children feel valued and important, because staff make time to listen to them, recognise their efforts and achievements, and respect their views. As a result, children become confident and eager to learn  Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and provide a well-resourced and stimulating learning environment. They interact extremely skilfully with children to extend their thinking and learning  Comprehensive systems are in place to keep children safe.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not able to make full use of the outdoor area to follow their interests  Progress records do not include information about the stages of development in order to keep parents as well informed as possible.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed and talked with the children during their activities, both indoors and outdoors

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the manager and members of the management, committee  The inspector talked with parents and carers, including some who are childminders  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the deputy manager  The inspector sampled and reviewed paperwork.

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Information about the setting

St Mary's Church Pre-school registered in 1992. It operates from the Chapter House, adjacent to the church, in the town of Yatton, North Somerset. The pre-school also has use of the reception area, entrance hall, toilets and an enclosed outside play space.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 33 children on roll in the early years age group. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday from 9am to 12 noon, term time only. Additional, optional lunch club sessions run from 12 noon to 12.45pm on Mondays and Thursdays. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for provision of free early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about the setting

The voluntary management committee employ seven staff to work directly with the children. Of these, five have a relevant level 3 early years qualification and one has a relevant level 2 qualification.

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

 further develop progress records to indicate the child's assessed development stage under each area of learning and development.

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

 further develop access to outdoor provision in order to respond more fully to children's interests

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who attend

Children make good progress at the pre-school. They are motivated, confident and have positive attitudes to learning, which prepares them well for their future education when they leave the pre-school. This success stems from the staff having a good understanding of child development and how children learn, so they provide an effective educational programme. They use extremely skilful and timely interactions to extend children's thinking, such as using excellent questioning techniques to develop the characters and storyline with young children playing with finger puppets. They notice and praise children's achievements and efforts. These actions have a positive effect on children's self-esteem.

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who attend

Children benefit from a richly resourced, well-organised and attractive indoor environment which they explore actively as they follow their interests and develop their own ideas. Such effective organisation allows children to enjoy well-prepared craft activities and to develop their language skills well through small group work. Staff use the small outdoor patio area creatively so that children can enjoy it all year round. For example, children learn about growing and caring for fruit, using small containers. Staff provide appropriate resources, such as chalks so children develop early writing skills. Staff provide opportunities indoors for children to develop their physical skills well, such as on the indoor climbing frame. During the session, staff clear the room to provide children with lots of space so that they can use large apparatus such as trikes, bucket stilts and scooters. Currently, children are unable to follow their individual interests outdoors to

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who attend

promote their imaginative play as fully as possible.

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who attend

Staff make good use of links with parents and the wider community to identify exciting experiences that develop children's understanding of the world. For example, the children make fruit crumble with apples from a parent's garden, and explore a farmer's tractor. They go to the library to borrow books and listen to stories.

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who attend

The well-established 'key person' system means that staff get to know the individual children for whom they are responsible, well. Staff talk with parents to find out about what their children can do and their child's interests before they start, so that children settle in quickly. Staff regularly observe the children to build an accurate picture of what children can do, and what interests them. They use this knowledge effectively to identify the next steps in each child's learning and to plan a stimulating, purposeful and balanced education programme. Staff regularly update children's learning diaries to provide a generally informative overview of children's progress under each area of learning and development. These are not linked explicitly to the development stages, however, in order to provide parents with the clearest picture of their children's progress.

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

Children are happy and settled, and greatly enjoy their time at pre-school. Staff develop very supportive and constructive relationships with the children who are very confident about approaching adults for help or just to talk. They provide positive role models and show they value and respect the children. They are well-deployed and supervise children closely. This effective process means staff quickly identify where a child needs their support, and they give children time and space to talk about things that matter to them. If children are engrossed in an activity, staff do not interrupt them unnecessarily.

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

Staff are vigilant in regard to the safety and cleanliness of the premises. They work together to maintain a clean, safe and secure environment indoors and out. The manager supervises the entrance way carefully at arrival and pick up time to maintain children's safety.

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

Children behave very well and learn to play cooperatively. Staff notice and celebrate helpful and kind actions, and have warm relationships with children so children want to help. Staff's consistent, gentle and timely reminders about expectations of behaviour prevent any unwanted behaviour escalating. Children learn to take turns and to share, for example, at snack time and whilst waiting for their turn in activities. Children enjoy tidying up because staff make it fun. Children also behave well because the environment is very well organised, and staff make appropriate resources available and accessible. Staff know children well, and so plan suitably motivating activities which are mostly very well paced and maintain children's interest effectively.

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

Children learn to do things for themselves and to make choices about what they do. They make sure appropriate resources are available for children to wash their hands independently, such as steps so children can reach the basin to wash their hands. They ask younger children what they need help with, rather than doing things for them automatically. Such sensitivity helps children make strides towards managing their personal needs independently.

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

Staff manage the daily routines well. Activities are planned in for children to learn about healthy lifestyles. Children learn about foods that are good for them and enjoy a healthy snack. They show great delight in taking exercise, and use physical play resources safely.

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provision

An active management committee, a dedicated manager and deputy manager have a clear understanding of their separate responsibilities in running the pre-school. They work together closely to monitor the quality of provision and to meet the statutory requirements.

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provision

Effective systems are in place to monitor the educational programme. These include the on-going review of children's progress and the observation, assessment and planning systems. Staff regularly evaluate the effectiveness of activities and what children have learnt from them. Staff appraisals identify and plan for staff development needs effectively.

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provision

Comprehensive systems are in place to meet safeguarding and welfare requirements, with the management team keeping up to date with changes in legislation. The safeguarding policy was recently updated to include the use of mobile phones and cameras. The designated safeguarding person, members of the committee and all staff have attended relevant safeguarding training. Safe recruitment procedures support the appointment of suitably qualified staff and relevant checks are carried out. Safeguarding, incidents and complaints are formal items on the agenda at every management meeting. The leadership and management team make sure required qualifications are implemented effectively; for example, all staff have current paediatric first aid training, rather than the required minimum number.

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provision

Management committee meetings are well structured. Combined with a strong culture of collaborative working and the individual commitment amongst staff and the committee members, they have been effective in identifying priorities for improvement, and ways to achieve these. Actions and recommendations from the previous inspection have been adequately addressed. The outdoor area is rightly an identified priority. Whilst improved since the previous inspection, wet weather still limits use of the outdoors space, which is mainly a grassed area. The committee are raising funds to purchase wellington boots and waterproofs to help overcome this drawback.

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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 509168 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 814328 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 33 Name of provider St Mary's Church Playgroup Date of previous inspection 25/02/2010 Telephone number 01934 832184 or 01934 838229

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Setting details

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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