Christ Church Clifton Pre-School

Christ Church Clifton Pre-School The Crypt, Clifton Down Road, Bristol, BS8 3BN

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/11/2014 11/10/2010

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3

p.1

This provision requires improvement

 Staff teach children effective social skills, which is why they are confident, make good relationships and behave well.  Staff teach children about the natural world through some planned, exciting forest school sessions in the local woods. These capture children's fascinations and inspire them to learn more.  Staff promote children's early mathematical skills through everyday routines and activities. This is preparing them well for starting school.  Children enjoy reading books with staff, and as staff use animated voices and tones this adds excitement and captures the children's interests well.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 Management does not monitor staff practice and the overall quality of the observation, assessment and planning processes sufficiently well. As a result children are not making consistently good progress and quality of teaching is varied.  Not all staff understand and implement the system for assessing children's starting points consistently. Therefore, some staff do not complete precise assessments of children's abilities when they start in order to plan challenging activities.  Staff do not always seek and use key words in children's home languages to further extend the language and communication skills of all those who speak English as an additional language.  Some of the activities in the outdoor area do not stimulate and challenge all children.

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

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms 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 children, staff, and parents/carers spoken to on the day of the inspection and of the provider's self-evaluation.  The inspector held discussions with the deputy manager of the pre-school.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the deputy manager of the pre- school.

p.2

Information about the setting

Christ Church Clifton Pre-School has been established for over 25 years and is now under new management. It operates from the crypt of Christ Church, in Clifton, Bristol. The pre- school is registered with Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school is open in term time from Monday to Friday, opening times on a Monday are 9.15am to 2.45pm. On Tuesdays and Thursdays it is open from 9.15am to 1pm and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.15am to 12.15pm. There are currently 28 children on roll. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. Children have access to three playrooms. There is an outside play area and children use two halls for indoor physical activities. The pre-school supports children who speak English as an additional language. A total of seven part-time staff work directly with the children, four of

p.3

Information about the setting

which have relevant qualifications at level 3 or above and one member of staff has Early Years Professional Status. One member of staff has a relevant level 2 qualification and the other staff are unqualified.

p.3

must:

 raise teaching to a consistently high quality by monitoring staff performance accurately, and ensuring that the observation, assessment and planning process is understood and implemented consistently by all staff so that assessments of children are precise and used to plan challenging activities across all areas of learning

p.3

must:

 develop systems for assessing starting points for all children with accurate, and precise information about them from parents and carers prior to them starting.

p.3

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

 improve the use of visual aids and key words in all children's home languages to further enhance the language and communication skills of those who speak English as an additional language

p.3

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

 develop the outdoor area to incorporate an exciting range of learning experiences, which highly stimulate and challenge all children's all-round development.

p.3

who attend

Staff provide adequate educational programmes for the areas of learning. Although some staff carry out observations, assessments and activity planning, the overall process is inconsistent across the pre-school's staff team. For example, not all staff are involved in planning, and therefore it is not based securely on all children's interests and current achievements. This means that planning does not always build on children's current abilities, which slows their progress. This weakness stems largely from not all staff being involved with the assessment and planning process.

p.4

who attend

Individual staff take responsibility for the observation and assessment of groups of children. Most staff make regular observations and assessments, prior to children starting, in partnership with parents, and share information with parents thereafter. However, there are some inconsistencies between staff, and as a result they do not always use the knowledge gained to plan what children need to learn next, using details of children's current interests and achievements at home. This lack of good understanding of the observation, assessment and planning system affects the current quality of the assessments, the activities on offer and the staff's ability to support children's specific learning priorities. Consequently, the quality of teaching that promotes learning is variable. As a result not all children make good progress from their starting points on entry. Staff undertake a review of children's progress when children are between two and three years

p.4

who attend

of age, and this process is well developed and used consistently by all staff.

p.4

who attend

Some teaching is good, motivates children, and offers interesting and challenging experiences. For example, when children choose to engage in pretend play in the shop, staff have conversations with them about the cost of things and how to identify numbers with double digits, such as 25. This teaching promotes children's communication and language effectively, including early mathematical words. The staff provide many experiences to promote children's mathematical development. The staff incorporate a good range of these activities into the daily routine. For example, counting how many people there are before going outside to play, and this encourages children to have the confidence to count and use numbers in their play. This helps prepare children for the next stage in their learning, including school.

p.4

who attend

Staff interact positively with children, introducing vocabulary to build on children's language development. Children enjoy reading books with staff, and as staff use animated voices and tones this adds excitement and captures the children's interests well. They discuss the story afterwards; children talk about parts of the story to recount what happened and make sense of it. The adult used skilful teaching techniques to involve children and extend their thinking. For example, she paused in the story for children to talk freely and share their own thoughts. This allowed them to talk about what has happened and predict what may happen next, developing their thinking skills effectively. Staff have additional strategies in place that are effectively supporting some children who are learning English as an additional language. For example, some staff use actions and gestures alongside singing, to help children understand the words being sung. This helps

p.4

who attend

some children that are learning English and those with communication difficulties to be included. However, not all staff gain information about children's home languages to use during activities and on displays. This leads to some children who speak English as an additional language having fewer opportunities to make links between English and their home language to further extend their literacy and communication and language skills.

p.5

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

Children are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyles through routines, which include trying healthy options for snacks. Children enjoy mealtimes and sit at tables together to eat. This arrangement promotes a sense of coming together, and children are happy and sociable at these times. Staff teach children good hygiene skills so they wash their hands before they eat. Staff ensure children have opportunities at these times to develop their independence. They pour their milk from a jug, showing control, and choose their fruit. This benefits children's physical development as they build an understanding of being healthy and doing things for themselves.

p.5

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

Staff arrange some planned opportunities for outdoor learning in the forest for children who enjoy exploring nature, and learning about living things and their environment. Children have regular opportunities to attend the forest school sessions. Staff ensure that children have opportunities to play outside in the fresh air as children can sometimes choose where they would like to play. This is an area that staff have been working hard to develop since the last inspection. This helps children to have regular exercise and promotes healthy lifestyles. Children enjoy playing outside and there are defined areas for them to play and explore. However, staff do not sharply plan for the activities and experiences on offer in the outdoor play areas, which means they are not always highly stimulating for all children to extend their all-round development.

p.5

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

Staff organise activities to help promote children's social skills, such as snack time where children serve drinks for their friends at their table. As children arrive each child hangs their coats and bags on their peg, labelled with their name and a unique picture, helping them feel part of the group and giving them a sense of belonging at pre-school.

p.5

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

Children's behaviour is good. Staff are respectful of children's play, giving them a timer so they have warning and to help them take turns on the computer tablet. Staff consistently praise children for their good behaviour. Staff manage children's behaviour calmly, and consistently and are good role models. Staff teach children to work together; they share their attention respectfully between children and as a result children's play is productive. Children enjoy playing with their friends and with staff, and staff are respectful of when to step back and when to be involved. Children are kind to one another and have good relationships, preparing them well for their move to school.

p.5

provision

The leadership team has a sound understanding of their role, and responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The educational programmes cover the areas of learning and help some children make steady progress. However, the quality of teaching varies and not all staff make activities challenging, so children are not always encouraged to reach their full potential. Managers monitor the educational programmes, although some areas, such as staff's ability to assess and plan for children's individual next steps in learning are not fully established. In addition, assessments do not provide a precise, and accurate understanding of all children's skills, abilities and progress from their starting point.

p.6

provision

The organisation of staff peer observations, and supervisions provide opportunities for staff to discuss their professional development and identify some training needs. This means that staff are given some opportunities to develop their teaching skills to support children's learning and development. However, the leadership team has not identified all of the inconsistencies in teaching, observation, assessment and planning because monitoring systems are not strong enough.

p.6

provision

The leadership team understands its responsibilities with regard to meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The arrangements for safeguarding children are sound. The managers have ensured that staff have a secure understanding of the pre-school's safeguarding policy and know how to implement its procedures. Staff put in place effective risk assessments, and health and safety procedures to minimise dangers to children. Information regarding the pre-school's safeguarding responsibilities is shared with parents through the provision of written policies and procedures on display, and in newsletters. This helps parents understand how the pre-school cares for their children. Staff who are qualified in first aid are deployed effectively so they are on hand to provide first aid treatment in the event of an accident or incident.

p.6

provision

Overall, partnerships with parents are satisfactory. The leadership team has introduced parent coffee mornings and uses these sessions to seek parents' views. This enables the staff to review the service, and prioritise improvements to benefit children and gives parents some help and support in promoting their child's learning and development at home. Parents comment positively about the staff, describing them as, 'friendly and welcoming'. Some parents receive information about children's progress regularly through discussion and looking at progress records. However, the level of partnership working with parents varies. For example, some parents are home visited prior to their child starting and others are not. The lack of a consistent approach means activities and learning experiences planned for children do not always reflect their current interests or build on the knowledge received about them from parents. This slows progress. Parents receive

p.6

provision

sufficient information about their children's activities through the newsletter, emails, texts and parents' information boards. Parents report they feel staff tell them how their children are when they are at pre-school and receive daily verbal feedback. This keeps them informed of their children's day.

p.6

provision

Self-evaluation identifies some areas for development. For example, enhancing the teaching of literacy, and developing the learning opportunities for children's reading and writing skills. Staff have some links with other early years providers and the local school's staff. This two-way communication contributes to children being prepared for the transfer to their next place of learning.

p.6

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

p.7

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.8

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.8

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.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY403302 Local authority Bristol City Inspection number 844914 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider Christ Church Children and Families Ltd Date of previous inspection 11/10/2010 Telephone number 01179733750

p.9

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.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.9

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.9

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.10

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.10

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.11

Type of provision

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

p.11