St Mary's Church Pre-School

St Mary's Church Pre-School Ltd St Mary's Pre School Ltd, St Mary's Pre School, Castle Street, SAFFRON WALDEN, Essex, CB10 1BQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/06/2014 12/07/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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 an inviting and stimulating environment to engage children's curiosity both indoors and outdoors. Consequently, through their exploration and the staff's effective teaching, children make good progress in their learning.  Children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. This means children's needs are being met successfully.  Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of all safeguarding procedures. As a result, children learn in a safe and secure environment.  The pre-school's effective and ongoing self-evaluation ensures the staff are constantly improving their practice. Therefore, striving to always provide the best care and education for the children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance further children's already good language skills through effective questioning and conversation at snack times.  On occasions, not all children are fully engaged in activities and this limits their opportunities for purposeful learning.

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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 consulted the pre-school's self-evaluation form and policies online.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main playrooms, the outside learning environment and the local park.  The inspector carried out a joint observation and held a meeting with the manager.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

St Mary's Church Pre-school Ltd was registered in 2010 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in purpose-built premises in the grounds of St Mary's Church Aided primary school in Saffron Walden, Essex, and is managed by a committee. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre- school has access to the school grounds, the local park and community land is used for forest school activities. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are Monday to Thursday from 9am until 3pm and Friday 9am until 1.15pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 65 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The pre-school supports children who speak English as an

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Information about the setting

additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, one is unqualified and one is an administrator.

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

 enhance children's good language skills further, for example, through effective questioning and social conversation at snack times

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

 extend the support for children to ensure they are fully engaged in activities and learning at all times.

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who attend

Children have access to a wide variety of toys and resources that cover all seven areas of learning in both the indoor and outdoor environments. Low, open shelves with well- labelled baskets allow children to freely choose their own resources. Most children quickly become engrossed in their play. Consequently, children make good progress in their learning and development. Effective deployment of the staff generally enables them to be readily available to support children in order to extend their learning. For example, a child playing with the train track chooses a book about trains which he shares with a member of staff. Therefore, his knowledge and understanding is extended. The extremely well resourced creative area is constantly used by the children. As they choose from the wide range of resources, they chat happily about what they will make. They become engrossed in cutting, sticking and drawing and show pride in their work. The children's models and

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who attend

pictures are labelled and displayed well. As a result, children feel valued and happily show their creations to their parents and visitors.

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who attend

Teaching and learning is good because staff have high expectations and understand how child learn. Children make good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. For example, a parent spoke positively about how well her child's English had developed since being at the pre-school. Speaking and listening skills are promoted effectively during most small group times. The older group of children show a good understanding of letters and sounds. They enjoy looking round the room to find items beginning with the sound of the week. A small group of children continue this game in the free play time. Finding letters in the creative box, they ask each other to find something that starts with the letter. This shows an increasing development of literacy. Consequently, children's readiness for school is promoted. Children's development in mathematics is encouraged by giving children the

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who attend

opportunity to count for a purpose. A child counts 20 children in a line unprompted. Therefore, showing some children exceed expected development levels. The youngest group of children enjoy a story in a small group. They are supported in their understanding of the story through a member of staff signing the story. However, there are occasions when not all the younger children are fully engaged in the group time or free play sessions and this means they do not benefit fully from the experiences on offer.

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who attend

Observations and assessment of individual children are carried out regularly. This ensures children make good progress. Starting points for most children are clearly identified and effective planning and teaching ensure children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Parents feel they are informed effectively about their child's progress. Daily conversations with the key person and the daily book ensure parents are well informed of the child's day at pre-school. This enables children to have expanded learning opportunities at home. Regular parent consultations enable parents to have a good knowledge of their child's development. A recent parent's open day based on science and construction gave parents the opportunity to further develop their knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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

Children are happy and enjoy their time at the pre-school. Especially so outdoors. The staff actively use the outside areas, school grounds and local park to enhance the children's enjoyment of the natural environment. The forest school approach to learning is used for two sessions each week. A trip to the park enables children to balance and climb. The children are given freedom to take risks. They confidently climb to the top of the climbing frame and demonstrate they are learning how to keep themselves safe. Therefore, enabling them to develop physically and promoting a healthy lifestyle. This is developed further by the staff providing freely available water at all times. Children show a good level of independence at snack time. They pour drinks, spread toppings onto bread and peel fruit with proficiency. The healthy food staff provide promotes children's health and well-being. A staff member sits with the children and supports where necessary.

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

However, staff do not consistently exploit the learning opportunities through the use of social conversations and effective questioning.

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

All staff have high expectations of behaviour and are consistent in their approach. As a result, children's behaviour is excellent and effective friendships are being made. The staff are good role models, they show respect for the children and support children well. Consequently, children feel emotionally secure and become active learners. Staff teach children to listen to instructions and be attentive, for example, they use the walk to the park to explain rules and give instructions. This means that children are rapidly developing the skills to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff members have a good understanding of their key children's development and next steps. Most of the children's current interests are displayed in the rooms. This enables staff to support individual children. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities speak highly of the support they have received from the pre-school. This enables children to access specialist support through their early years. This effectively promotes their development and readiness for the next stage of learning. School readiness is given high priority during the summer term. The staff have developed good relationships with the local schools. A transition sheet has been developed between the local schools and pre-schools. This ensures information provided by the pre-school is relevant to the child's teacher. Therefore, the move to school is a positive one. The schools provide the pre-school with school uniform for use in the imaginative play areas.

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

Therefore, children's excitement of going to school is increased and they eagerly look forward to it.

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provision

The manager, staff and committee understand their roles and responsibilities to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. A thorough recruitment and induction process is in place with all necessary checks being made. All staff demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures which are reflected in the policy. They are aware of and understand their responsibility to report any concerns they have about a child. Most of the staff have a current paediatric first-aid qualification. Therefore, children are safeguarded well and are secure in the pre-school.

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provision

Professional development of staff is given high priority. Records show a high attendance at recent relevant training courses. The impact of this is evident in the pre-school as staff evaluate their practice. For example, attendance at a creativity course resulted in the staff extending the range of resources available to the children. Consequently, children's creativity is promoted and children show high levels of concentration in this area. The pre- school is involved in the trial for the local authority health and education scheme and is working towards an autism awareness award. Staff supervision meetings are held each term and used for self-evaluation and reflection on practice. Consequently, ongoing development is planned and the provision is strengthened further. The manager uses these meetings to track children's progress and to identify and discuss gaps in children's learning. Most gaps are effectively addressed. This ensures children consistently move on

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provision

to the next steps in their development. Regular monitoring of the development books by the managers ensures that in most cases they are consistent and precise.

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provision

The partnership with parents is good. Parents speak very highly of the provision and feel they are supported well by the staff. Many of the parents have been involved with the pre- school for many years. They feel there is a good flow of information between the pre- school and home. Lots of parents are actively involved in the pre-school. For example, recently a group of parents were involved in building a willow den in the outdoor area, this will greatly enhanced children's enjoyment of outdoors. The relationships with local primary schools ensures continuity for children because teacher visits to the pre-school enable them to gain an understanding of children's starting points. Effective links are in place with other professionals, such as, specialist teachers, physiotherapist and Home Start. Consequently, children benefit from a consistent approach as the pre-school incorporates specialist service's targets into children's individual education plans.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 EY405134 Local authority Essex Inspection number 849941

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 65 Name of provider St Mary's Church Pre-School Ltd Date of previous inspection 12/07/2010 Telephone number 07817 736166

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Type of provision

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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