St. Marks Pre-School

St. Marks Pre-School Somerset Road, SALISBURY, SP1 3BL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/09/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 Staff provide a calm and stimulating environment, where children learn through play and exploration. They plan activities according to children's interests and development.  Young children settle quickly; they benefit from a gentle approach by caring staff in a separate room that is geared to their needs.  Staff complete an overall effective assessment system, to promote children's good progress in their learning and development.  Positive partnerships with parents and other professionals contribute to staff meeting each child's needs well.  The provider has effective systems to identify clear targets for development, which continue to enhance children's experiences.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always obtain detailed information about languages used at home when children start to attend, to enable them to fully promote children's understanding of people and communities.  Sharing ideas with parents for extending children's learning at home is not always consistent throughout the pre-school.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 activities in both rooms and outside.  The inspector spoke to staff and children.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector sampled documentation, which included children's progress records.  The inspector took account of parents' views, obtained in person.

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Information about the setting

St Marks Pre-School opened in 1970 and re-registered in new premises in 2013. A committee of parents manages the pre-school. The pre-school operates from dedicated premises in the grounds of Wyndham Park Infant School and St Marks Junior School, in Salisbury, Wiltshire. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm. Children can attend for a variety of sessions: morning, afternoon or a full day.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school is registered to receive funding for the provision of free nursery education for children aged two, three and four years. There are currently 71 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. There are currently 11 staff employed to work with the children. Of these, one has Qualified Teacher Status, one has achieved an early years foundation degree and most of the others are qualified to level 3.

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

 develop further systems for obtaining information from parents when children start to attend, to include languages used at home in order to acknowledge family backgrounds and help children to learn more about people and communities

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

 develop further opportunities for sharing ideas with parents with regard to extending their children's learning at home.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements and how children learn through play and exploration. They provide a calm and stimulating environment. Young children starting at the pre-school benefit from being accommodated in a separate room, which is thoughtfully arranged to meet their needs. Staff with a gentle and caring approach help children settle quickly and become confident learners. They provide an extensive range of play equipment and resources throughout the pre-school. Children can easily select activities according to their interests to extend their own play and learning. Staff label storage units with words and pictures, so that all children can identify what is available. Children can choose to play inside or out, which means they learn according to their individual preferences.

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who attend

Staff promote children's language well. They talk purposefully with the children during their activities, asking open-ended questions to encourage them to think, recall and solve problems. For example, a member of staff encourages a young child's language and understanding through a game using a number of different objects. She asks the child which object they would use for specific tasks, such as painting a picture. Staff plan specific individual activities for children who need extra support in developing their language. They use everyday opportunities for engaging children in friendly conversation, which encourages them to talk about events in their lives. Staff promote children's listening skills as they read stories to a group. They maintain children's interest by inviting children's participation as they join in with familiar words and phrases. Staff provide a wide range of books, which they arrange attractively for children to select independently,

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who attend

in cosy and comfortable areas. This all helps children develop a keen interest in books and stories.

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who attend

Children use their senses to explore a wide range of materials and media. For example, children like to investigate sand and water both inside and outside. Transferring water to and from various containers helps them to start to understand mathematical concepts, such as capacity. Children are aware that some objects sink and others float. Staff make a wide range of materials readily available for children to express their creative ideas. Children use their imaginations well as they pretend to be in real life or imaginary situations. Staff provide a good range of resources in the role-play area for young children to act out what they know about their home lives. Staff encourage children's curiosity in nature through activities such as growing fruit and vegetables. Children learn about changes in nature as they plant, nurture and harvest the produce. For example, they have grown tomatoes, which they enjoy at snack time. Staff extend children's learning by

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who attend

linking relevant activities. For example, they read a story about a hungry caterpillar and provide real life experiences for children to observe the life cycle of a butterfly.

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who attend

Overall, staff implement a clear assessment system to monitor and promote children's good progress in their overall development. Staff clearly link observations of children's play and achievements to stages of development, which includes parents' contributions about children's achievements at home. Staff use the information effectively to plan children's next steps. Staff use their observation of children's development needs to plan a range of resources and adult-led activities in order to provide suitable challenges to encourage every child's good progress. However, key persons do not always obtain detailed information from parents about languages used at home, when children first start. Therefore, staff sometimes miss opportunities to use children's home languages in the setting to promote all children's understanding about people's differences and communities. Management and staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities in

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who attend

completing progress checks for children aged between two and three years.

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

Staff get to know children well as individuals due to an overall effective key person system. They seek information from parents when children start at the pre-school, which enables them to meet children's needs well. When children are new to the setting, staff identify activities that spark children's interest to help them settle. Once children are established, they are keen to attend and develop confidence in making choices. Staff encourage parents to supply photographs of children's families to display. This promotes children's sense of belonging and security, as well as providing opportunities for encouraging children's language through conversation. Staff are sensitive to children's needs as they move on to the next stage of learning. They provide opportunities for young children to visit the older children's room before they are due to join the older group. Staff complete a comprehensive handover, which enables the new key person to get to know

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

the child and plan for their progress straight away. Children behave well. They know what staff expect from them through familiar routines, such as finding their name label when they arrive. Staff offer regular targeted praise, so that children understand what they have done well. This helps boost children's self-esteem and confidence. Children learn about how to stay safe as staff teach them safe ways to move around and how to use equipment sensibly.

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

Children practise good routines for personal hygiene and they start to use toilet and hand washing facilities independently. Children choose from healthy options at snack times, such as fresh fruit and vegetables. Staff use these opportunities for children to extend their practical skills in preparing their own food and pouring drinks. This means they are increasing independence skills that will be useful as they move on to school. Children have daily fresh air and exercise. Staff provide a good range of resources that promote their physical development, such as climbing frames, wheeled vehicles and large construction materials. Low-level furniture, toilet facilities, coat pegs and storage units promote children's safety and independence.

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provision

Management and staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Clear recruitment procedures mean that staff are checked for their suitability to work with children. Staff have a good understanding of how to protect children from harm. This includes recognising signs and symptoms that would cause concern, and knowing the procedures to follow. They keep their knowledge about child protection issues up to date through training and regular discussions. The provider reviews and updates policies regularly so that reference material is current. The provider completes detailed risk assessments so that they provide a safe environment for children to play. They monitor accident records in order to identify any patterns, to enable them to take the appropriate action to improve children's safety and welfare.

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provision

Overall, staff establish effective partnerships with parents. They provide a wealth of information for parents about the setting through displays, newsletters, emails and an up- to-date website. This means that policies and procedures are easily accessible to parents. Parents have the opportunity to have an active voice in their child's learning by being a member of the committee. Staff seek information from parents about their child's interests to use in their assessment of children's progress. Staff make themselves available to exchange information verbally with parents on a daily basis. However, the system for sharing individual ideas with parents to extend children's learning and development at home is not always consistent. Parents say that their children are happy at the pre-school and that the staff are friendly and approachable. They like the calm atmosphere, which encourages children to settle quickly and feel secure. Effective partnerships with other

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provision

early years professionals and outside agencies contribute to all children being fully included and making good progress from their starting points. Staff are proactive in establishing contact with other early years providers when children also attend other settings. They actively seek advice and support for children who have specific needs.

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provision

There are clear systems for monitoring staff effectiveness. Regular appraisals and management observations help ensure staff's ongoing suitability and identify any training needs. Management has a clear overview of the assessment of children's progress, which helps to identify gaps in children's learning. Self-evaluation includes the views of staff, children and parents, which helps identify clear areas for development and continues to enhance children's learning experiences. For example, there are plans to develop the garden and outside area to enhance children's learning.

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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 action. 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 EY457663 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 909635 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 71 Name of provider St Marks Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01722 330382

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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