St James Church Pre-School

St James Church Pre- School St James' Church Centre, Kingfisher Drive,Woodley, Reading, Berkshire, RG5 3LH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 3 February 2015 10 May 2011

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Good 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 Staff plan and prepare a diverse range of activities each day to support children's progress towards their next steps in learning.  Children enjoy their time at the pre-school and form excellent relationships with the staff. Staff provide plenty of praise and encouragement to support their confidence and self-esteem.  Parents speak very highly of the staff and the levels of support they provide, particularly around periods of change and uncertainty in family life.  Staff effectively support children's moves to school, through close liaison with staff at local schools and other agencies involved with the families.  Dedicated, capable managers demonstrate a strong drive to continue to improve the services they offer children.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Occasionally, staff's monitoring of children's progress does not focus sharply enough on all areas of learning to ensure all children are being consistently challenged in their learning.  Staff do not consistently embed information from training into their practice, to ensure that teaching is consistently of a very high quality.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 strengthen monitoring to focus more sharply on all aspects of learning, so children consistently achieve their highest levels of progress  enhance the quality of teaching further by creating time for staff to reflect upon how they can use their training to inspire and challenge children's learning.

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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.  The inspector reviewed documents and procedures relating to safeguarding and equal opportunities, and checked a selection of other policies.  The inspector sampled a range of children's records, the pre-school's planning, evaluation, and the information exchanged with parents and external professionals.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and reviewed written communication from parents.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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who attend. This is good

Leaders and managers have a very good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and of how to implement them on a daily basis. Staff create varied and interesting experiences, which help all children make steady and secure progress in their learning and development. Staff enthusiastically invest time in further training to improve the quality of learning experiences for children. However, they do not always reflect upon, or evaluate, how they inspire and challenge children to reach their highest levels of achievement. Similarly, staff know the children very well, and ensure they a confident and ready to move on to school. However, assessments of children's progress do not always focus sharply enough on all areas of learning to be sure that children are reaching their full potential. Caring staff ensure that all parents have daily opportunities to celebrate their children's successes at the pre-school. They effectively share ideas and

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who attend. This is good

resources to support continuity in children's learning between home and the pre-school.

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outstanding

Staff provide exceptional levels of care, and meticulous attention to meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Staff and committee members offer a comprehensive range of support to meet children's individual needs and family life within the community. The team's extremely nurturing focus on children's personal, social and emotional development, and their communication skills ensures that all children grow in confidence and self-motivation. Staff present children with an extensive range of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Children gain confidence in handling small tools in the garden, and construct, spin and climb on larger apparatus in the large hall. Children flourish as staff take them on adventures to the nearby post office, lake and parkland. They take responsibility for managing more of their own needs with increasing independence, as they dress themselves for outings and greet other people in their

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outstanding

community. The staff use a mascot, James, to safeguard children's identities when illustrating online the fun children have at pre-school.

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provision is good

Leadership and management of the pre-school is strong and they demonstrate their ability to secure high standards of education and care for children. They create a good quality pre-school which is welcoming, safe and stimulating, and where children are able to enjoy learning and grow in confidence. Staff know the children in the care very well and keep sufficient records to be able to share their progress with parents and other relevant agencies. The managers' drive to strongly improve provision is evident in the high quality newsletters, website and social media updates, and teaching materials made available to parents.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 148676 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 841841 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider St James Church Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 10 May 2011 Telephone number 0118 966 2568

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Setting details

St James Pre-School registered in 1974. The pre-school operates from St James' Church in Woodley, Berkshire. It is managed by a voluntary committee. The pre-school opens four days a week during school term times. Morning sessions are from 9.15am to 11.45 am on each week day but Wednesday. Afternoon sessions are from 1pm to 3.30pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three, and four. There are five staff who work with the children, all of whom hold relevant qualifications.

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Setting details

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

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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Setting details

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Setting details

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

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