St. Mark's Pre-School

St. Mark's Pre-School St. Marks Church Hall, Guildford Road, Normandy, GUILDFORD, Surrey, GU3 2DA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/06/2014 19/09/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 broad range of interesting learning opportunities inside and outside, which provides a strong base for children to explore, develop confidence and think creatively.  The accuracy of the setting's assessments supports effective planning for children's next steps in learning. As a result, children make good progress and are well prepared for their next challenges.  Staff follow effective care practices that help children feel emotionally secure and help ensure children are physically and emotionally healthy.  Robust arrangements are in place for safeguarding children, including child protection procedures, staff recruitment, induction and regular supervisions.  An excellent range of initiatives engage, support and build on parents' interest in their children's development, and provide children with continuity in their learning and care.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff provide children with few opportunities to hear or see languages other than English.  On occasions, staff miss opportunities to model language to meet the needs of children who require additional help.

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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 a wide range of activities across all areas of the pre-school and talked with staff and children about what they were doing.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documents and procedures relating to safeguarding, staffing, supervision, risk assessment, equal opportunities, and health and safety, and checked a selection of other policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of children's records, the pre-school's systems for planning, evaluation and exchanging information with parents and external professionals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and reviewed written communication from parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the leadership team, observed and discussed staff practice with the manager.  The inspector took part in a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

St. Mark's Pre-School is a long established group which registered under its current private ownership in 2013. It operates from the hall of St Mark's Church in Normandy, near Guildford in Surrey. Children have sole use of a large garden and have access to a large enclosed paved area. The pre-school is influenced by Forest School principles. The pre- school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school sessions are from 9.15am to 12.15pm each weekday during term time. On Thursdays and Fridays there is an additional lunch club session from 12.15pm to 1.15pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged two, three and four. It currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. There are

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Information about the setting

currently 35 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The pre-school receives support from the local authority and is a member of the Preschool Learning Alliance. There are six members of staff working directly with children. The manager and a second member of staff hold degrees in Early Childhood and Education and two members of staff hold relevant early years qualifications at level three.

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

 extend resources to support children learning English as an additional language and excite all children's interest in other languages

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

 model relevant words to young children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, during everyday activities, to strengthen their communication and language skills.

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who attend

Children are making good progress across all areas of learning and development in this welcoming and engaging setting. Staff prepare the large hall with a broad range of resources and activities to attract and captivate the enquiring minds of all the children who attend. Areas for construction, dressing up, art, music, sand and water play are all available daily to help children feel confident in their knowledge of the setting. In addition, staff regularly rotate resources and organise units with a wide selection of materials, which children may access as they choose. This enables children to follow and develop their own interests, creatively mixing ideas, equipment, and media as their investigations unfold. Children develop the skills for all areas of learning as they play and explore, focus and persist, think through and review their achievements. Staff have a clear understanding of how to include all areas of children's learning and development across

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who attend

the activities they plan. They also engage the children and their parents and carers in choosing and developing new themes for their topics. For example, staff build on children's interests in the approaching summer holidays and listen as they talk about the people and places they hope to visit. Together, staff and children find the train track and create an airport check-in desk. Staff help children make signs to direct passengers and prepare luggage labels. Children gather the pens, paper, phones and materials they need for the check-in area and arrange chairs in lines for their passengers. Staff weave in mathematical concepts as children size up and think about the weight of different bags, check timetables and write numbers on tickets. Children learn to cooperate and negotiate, communicate their ideas and mimic the 'lady at the desk'. Staff share information with parents through a comprehensive monthly newsletter as well as through daily updates.

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who attend

Being aware of how various projects are evolving, parents bring in holiday brochures, pictures of family they will visit and items from different locations. However, staff miss an opportunity for children to hear different languages spoken or see them in print. Additionally, while the cosy book area includes a diverse range of fiction and non-fiction books none of them includes print in other languages. Staff are, however, attentive to children who are learning English as an additional language. In these cases, staff work with parents to prepare toy labels and learn to pronounce key words in children's home language. Children also settle and feel reassured as staff prepare and use booklets of pictures and key words for comforters and care routines. Staff stick maps of the world and of the British Isles on enormous pieces of cardboard and refer to them frequently. Children have a firm understanding of their place in their local community from their

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who attend

previous topic on occupations. Now they are learning to place themselves and their extended families in this country and abroad. Children stick and link photographs of friends and places they have been, or aspire to visit, around the maps. As children make maracas from Latin America, staff help them find the area on the world map. Children ask about countries, animals, and landmarks they might fly over if they visited different places in the world. As children's excitement and interest in different countries grows, staff introduce them to songs, music and craft characteristic of different cultures and locations. All staff have high expectations for the children in their care. These arise from securing a good understanding of their achievements and skills when they start at the setting and routinely thereafter. As a result, staff are constantly reviewing and guiding children's progress towards the early learning goals. Children make good progress because all those

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who attend

involved with their learning know what their children can do currently, and how to help them take their next steps.Staff complete and share progress checks with parents each term, including the progress check for two-year-olds. These include information on children's achievements across all areas of learning and development. The first progress check occurs within six weeks of children's start date and this provides a baseline against which to compare progress over time. Staff and parents use this information effectively to identify children's strengths, gaps, or delays in learning. Working together, staff, parents and other agencies identify additional teaching strategies to help children reach their full potential. Some children benefit from regular small group teaching focused on specific aspects of language and speech. In other cases, staff follow guidance from other professionals to boost or extend skills so that gaps are closed, or particular strengths

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who attend

enhanced, in time for school. Parents speak very highly of staff and the support parents and children receive from them when there are additional challenges to explore and manage. There is also a high uptake from all parents as they choose from a box of home learning ideas and equipment, which staff regularly change. Parent say these really help them to feel part of their children's learning and know how they can be helping their children learn more.

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

Children each have a key person who is aware of their individual needs, likes, and dislikes. Staff also offer a buddy system to support children when their key person is not on site or available. Consequently, children always have someone with whom they are especially familiar to turn to, if they are unsure of themselves. Children are confident to explore and are more willing to have a go at new ventures. All staff are good role models. They play alongside the children helping them to develop their communication and language skills with adults and with their friends. Children become good communicators. They are happy and enjoy what they are doing. At group time, each morning staff reiterate with the children the setting's rules, which they have made up themselves. Children know it is important to be kind to everyone and share fairly. Behaviour across the setting is good as staff are consistent in their expectations and show children how to find amicable ways of

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

resolving conflict when it occurs. Staff also promote positive behaviour by offering a wide range of exciting opportunities that children are interested in discovering. For example, staff arrange frequent trips into the local woodland where children learn to build dens, search for mini-beasts and make up stories. Staff teach children to manage risks and challenges relative to their ages as they walk safely together, and construct camps. Keeping children safe and teaching children how to act safely, is a very high priority for staff throughout each day. Staff supervise children well as they move freely between the large indoor and outdoor play areas. As staff support and facilitate the activities of different groups of children, they keep a watchful eye on which members of staff are in each area. Children are therefore always safe and generally very well supported in their care and learning. Staff talk with children about why exercise is good for them and

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

introduce them to simple yoga exercises at the start of the day. Children also learn to warm up and develop muscle strength and control as they learn new dances from around the world. With as much joy, but in complete contrast, children also gather to learn Makaton signs for familiar nursery rhymes. These gestures help bridge gaps in children's spoken language skills and raise all children's awareness that they can communicate effectively using a range of techniques. However, on occasions, some staff miss opportunities to model language to meet the needs of children who require additional help. Therefore, there are gaps in the provision between early identification of children's needs and securing additional staffing or appropriate strategies to help those individual children reach their potential. Nonetheless, all children are making good progress in their learning from their starting points. Parents comment that they know what their children

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

learn at the setting each day, because they come home singing it. Children learn their alphabet, numbers and hand washing routines early through song. Staff use a wide range of techniques very effectively to support the development of children's social, communication, listening and speaking skills. Staff help the children to manage their own needs with increasing independence. On entry, children hang their coats on a special trolley that is later wheeled through to the garden door. Children learn to do up their coats and change their shoes for wellington boots with minimal help. This means children are free to enjoy all the attractions of their exciting outdoor play area without needing to wait as staff help younger children. The garden area borders a small field and children talk with delight about when the baby lambs were born how much they have grown. Staff and neighbours provide a very rich learning environment for the children. They are well

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

prepared for all their following activities, including school.

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provision

The manager has run the setting for several years, but has only taken up ownership of it in the last twelve months. She and her team still have many more ideas for improvements and have a clear ambition to develop the setting further. A good system of self-evaluation informs the setting's priorities and supports the identification of challenging targets for improvement to raise standards and outcomes for children. Staff, parents, and children contribute to this process and there is a strong ethos of working in partnership across the setting. The manager and her deputy monitor the delivery of the educational programmes, planning and assessment effectively. As a result, they quickly identify and meet children's needs through high quality teaching and timely interventions. All staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage following recent training updates. Policies and procedures include how

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provision

staff should respond if an allegation was made against a member of staff and all staff are familiar with guidance from the Local Safeguarding Children Board. Training in this area helps to ensure that staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in child protection and information sharing. Robust arrangements are also in place vetting, recruiting, inducting and supervising staff. Managers and staff review all aspect of safeguarding and welfare together and are vigilant about keeping children safe. Staff implement policies and procedures for assessing any risks to children's safety on a daily basis. The manager also carries out additional assessments for new activities and outings. Staff aim to do everything possible to minimise risks and keep the environment safe for children. All mandatory documentation for registration, medical needs, accidents and emergencies is effectively implemented. Staff help all children to stay calm and become

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provision

familiar with evacuation procedures through routine emergency evacuation drills, across the term. Children learn the importance of taking precautions to keep everyone safe, so they may all have a lot of fun together. Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff engage parents in their children's learning through a wide range of strategies from daily chats to sharing formal reports. Parents greatly appreciate the informative newsletters and home learning materials that staff prepare for them. Staff welcome, and act upon the advice of their Early Years Adviser who keeps them updated on changes in policy and guidance and supports concerns in the area of special educational needs and/or disabilities. Some additional thought is needed to ensure that the youngest children are supported effectively as their needs are being diagnosed. Parents commend staff for the support they give them when their children need additional support or specialist guidance. Parents

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provision

are reassured by staffs' offers to contribute to multi-agency team meetings. Staff also guide parents to further support from staff at the local children's centre. The overall quality and standards of this setting are good due to the dedication and commitment of the manager and her very capable team to drive continual improvement.

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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 EY461229 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 963551 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider St. Mark's Pre-School Limited Date of previous inspection 19/09/2013 Telephone number 07717 078435

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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