St George's Pre-School (Taunton)

St George's Pre-School (Taunton) ST GEORGES CATHOLIC SCHOOL, The Mount, Taunton, TA1 3NR

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/09/2014 Not Applicable

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 Staff teach mathematics particularly well. They are skilled in extending children's knowledge of number, shape, space and measure.  Staff promote children's independence, and prepare them well emotionally for school.  Staff work well in partnership with parents which helps children settle in and involves them in their children's learning, which helps children make good progress.  The management's system for self-evaluation is robust. It effectively identifies the priorities for improvement, so improving outcomes for children.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff miss chances to enhance children's multi-cultural learning.  Staff do not make sufficient use of learning in small groups to aid rapid progress.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main pre-school room and the outside learning environment.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, including a sample of children's records, planning and records to check staff suitability.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents, staff and children spoken to on the day of the inspection and of the pre-school self-evaluation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the school head teacher, trustee member and the manager.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the pre-school.

p.2

Information about the setting

St George's Pre-school(Taunton) registered in 2014. It is governed by a board of trustees. It operates from purpose-built accommodation on St George's Catholic School site in Taunton, Somerset. Children have access to an enclosed area for outdoor play and may use the school's associated facilities. The pre-school opens from 9 am until 3.15 pm each weekday during school-term time only. Children attend from two years old to the end of the early years age range. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 35 children on roll. There are five members of staff working directly with the children, all of whom have early years qualifications at level 3 or above. One member of staff has qualified teacher status.

p.3

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

 enhance the opportunities for multi-cultural learning during the times when children choose their own activities, such as through enriching the range of accessible resources that promote diversity, and reflect a range of cultural backgrounds

p.3

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

 raise the quality of teaching to a consistently very high standard by extending opportunities for more adult led small-group learning in the daily routine to help children progress rapidly.

p.3

who attend

Children make good progress in the pre-school. Staff are strong teachers and they use effective methods to engage children's interests. They collect regular information from parents about children's interests at home and use this to plan activities that children enjoy at pre-school. Staff have a good understanding of how children develop and learn and they assess children's needs well, so that planned activities and topics respond to children's needs. Staff are especially confident in their teaching of mathematics, so they promote children's learning in this area particularly well. For example, when children used stencils and made marks on paper with pens, staff talked to them about the shapes formed, and modelled counting skills. This teaching reinforced children's number and shape knowledge. Staff extended children well in other mathematical areas, for example, when children drew triangles, staff not only asked how many triangles they had drawn,

p.3

who attend

but extended learning further by asking about how many there would be when taking one away or adding one. This teaching extended the more able children's learning effectively. Staff work closely with new children, and their parents, to settle children in and to encourage them to develop their social skills. Staff use name cards during group activities to help children make friends and learn each other's names. However, there is less opportunity for enhancing these skills through learning in small groups in the daily routine. This means that children are less experienced in being in small groups of children, so that they gradually become more confident in the bigger group, in readiness for school.

p.3

who attend

Children are confident communicators. Staff use communication techniques, such as picture cards and sign language, well to promote children's understanding of the routine and spoken language. Staff use some key words and phrases in children's home languages, other than English, to help children learning English as an additional language to understand and make links between that which they see, and what they hear. Staff skilfully support children with special educational needs and/or disability to communicate. Support staff that share children's home-language work alongside key staff during play sessions and activities, to which children respond positively. This approach means that the pre-school staff promote some inclusion well for children. However, the free-choice play sessions do not always offer as many multi-cultural learning opportunities for children to further promote their understanding of diversity, or deepened knowledge of cultural

p.4

who attend

backgrounds. For example, there are few related resources, such as for role play.

p.4

who attend

Staff are calm and enthusiastic when they interact with children and join in with their play. This approach, and the interesting experiences offered, means that children are highly stimulated and enjoy playing alongside the staff. Staff provide children with good opportunities to develop hand-eye coordination. They recognise the importance of these for underpinning children's early writing skills in readiness for the next stage of learning. Children play indoors and out, and move between the different areas confidently and freely. They gain necessary skills ready for the move to school, owing to the staff team's good teaching.

p.4

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

Staff have good understanding of children's individual needs. They gather useful information from parents when children first join, and use this to support and settle children. Children have visits to the pre-school before they start to attend and, at times, staff visit children in their homes. This caring approach enables children to feel emotionally secure quickly when they start. This means they are ready to explore the pre- school environment and all it offers, so no time is lost. Children have strong relationships with staff and each other. They play well together and are confident in their communication with staff. Staff prepare children well emotionally for the eventual transfer to school.

p.4

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

Children behave well. They understand the routines of their day and staff expectations. Staff give them reminders to, 'stop and listen' by ringing a bell to capture their attention. When eating snack, children know to wait their turn and not to sit down until their friends have finished, because there is only space for a small number of children. Children understand the importance of taking turns. For example, they took turns to cut their own cucumber, doing so safely and competently, and poured their own milk. This routine promotes their respect for one another, while enhancing their self-esteem as they do things for themselves. It shows staff have high expectations of what children can achieve.

p.4

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

Staff promote stipulated safety procedures effectively. They follow these well to promote children's safety and well-being. For example, staff encouraged parents to sign their children in and out, and they supervised the entrance at drop off and collection time carefully to ensure only authorised persons collect children. This attention means staff keep children safe. There are clear risk assessment systems that cover the pre-school, indoors and out. Staff are deployed effectively, which means that children are well supervised.

p.5

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

Staff promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles well. They teach children when to wash their hands, such as before they eat and after using the toilet. Children enjoy being outside and develop their physical skills well here in various ways. Children are involved in routines such as tidying up and taught to keep environments clean and tidy. Staff provide resources at children's height in well-labelled drawers and boxes so children can choose what they want to play with. This independence supports children well as they prepare to move on to school.

p.5

provision

The manager and her team have a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage They plan interesting activities and play experiences together, which aids consistency in teaching. They have regular staff meetings to share information and evaluate the success of the educational programme and children's responses to the activities. This approach helps them respond to children's interests, so they are well motivated to learn. Staff use their knowledge to make sure that all learning and development requirements are met and, as a result, children's related needs are met well.

p.5

provision

The provider makes sure the staff team implement the safeguarding and welfare requirements effectively. The manager has ensured all staff are trained in child protection and that they have a good understanding of the signs and symptoms that would give them cause for concern about a child's welfare. They know the appropriate action to take if they were concerned about a child in their care. The manager and the trustees use secure recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. There are good appraisal systems so that the manager can monitor the ongoing suitability of staff. As a result, staff continue to perform well and these systems support children's safety.

p.5

provision

The manager uses the appraisal system well to identify training needs. This means that staff attend training that directly improves their teaching practice. The manager monitors children's learning progress. As a result, she is able to ensure consistency in processes, such as assessment, for all children. The manager uses the individual skills of staff well, for example, to provide effective support for children learning English as an additional language. This strategy helps close any gaps in learning.

p.5

provision

The manager and trustees work well together to self-evaluate the strengths and areas to develop in the pre-school. The manager has sought the views of local authority advisors, staff, parents, children, and the school staff to do this accurately. She has good awareness of the areas for improvement. The manager has robust systems in place to bring about improvement and uses self-evaluation effectively to prioritise areas to develop. This ability demonstrates the management team has a good capacity to continue to improve the provision for children.

p.6

provision

The pre-school staff work hard to establish strong relationships with parents. Parents state that staff are 'approachable' and 'always happy'. They welcome the level of useful information staff give them about their children's care and development. Staff encourage parents to be involved in their children's education. Parents share children's achievements at home with staff, so these can be celebrated at pre-school as 'wow' moments. Staff work hard with other early years providers, and the adjoining school staff. This two-way communication contributes to children being well prepared for the transfer to their next place of learning.

p.6

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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number EY474983 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 955857 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider ST GEORGE'S PRE-SCHOOL (TAUNTON) Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01823284130

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

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

p.10