St Mary's Pre-School

St Mary's Pre-School Riverhead Village Hall, Amherst Hill, SEVENOAKS, Kent, TN13 2EL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 May 2015 7 June 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 Good 2

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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

 Children are confident learners and many are working within the learning expectations for their age. Staff are able to extend learning so that children make good progress.  The manager regularly monitors and assesses the quality of teaching and the activities staff provide. A thorough training and development plan enables staff to develop their knowledge to improve children's learning outcomes.  The manager and staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which enables them to meet all requirements successfully.  Children develop good communication and social skills. They are confident during their play and interact well with one another and with staff.  Staff have a clear understanding of their duty to safeguard children. They assess risks to children in all areas used to make sure these are suitably safe. Staff know the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child.

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This provision is good

 Children have access to plentiful resources, indoors and outdoors, which staff use well to support children's independent learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always encourage children to be imaginative during their play, so that they extend their creativity and express their ideas more freely.  Staff do not always make the best use of opportunities for children to see examples of their home languages around the environment to fully enhance their early reading and writing skills.

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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

 extend the range of resources and activities that encourage children to express their ideas and be imaginative in their play  increase opportunities for children to see examples of their home languages in the learning environment to enhance their understanding that print carries meaning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and manager completed a joint observation.  The inspector sampled policies and children's documents.  The inspector spoke with parents, staff and committee members.  The inspector observed children and staff during activities indoors and outdoors.

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who attend. This is good

The quality of teaching is good. Staff make learning fun as they join children at activities, offering children lots of support and encouragement to work things out. For example, when children build a marble run, staff ask appropriate questions to enable the children to alter the structure to ensure the marbles run through without blocking. Children also work well together planning and building a train track, developing their social skills. Children develop good physical skills using a variety of wheeled toys, indoors and outdoors, as well as enjoying sports activities regularly. Staff encourage children's language development, as they provide children with new vocabulary through different group activities. Children label their drawings and staff support children's knowledge of early literacy skills by sounding letters to enable children to write. This supports the next stage of their learning as they move on to school.

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good

Children form secure relationships with staff and each other due to the effective deployment of staff and a well-established key-person system. Staff are good role models and support children's learning well. Children are confident in social situations and cooperate well with each other during play. Children learn to keep themselves safe. They take part in regular fire evacuation drills, which help them learn what to do in an emergency. Staff promote healthy lifestyles, encouraging children's personal hygiene and independence, particularly during snack time. Children receive appropriate praise throughout the session. As a result, they behave well and are aware of expectations. Parents are happy with the variety of activities and the social skills their children develop.

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provision is good

The manager ensures staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. There is a robust recruitment procedure that helps to ensure all staff working at the setting are suitable. The manager monitors the educational programme well. As a result, children are at their expected level according to their age and some are exceeding this. Staff are monitored to ensure their knowledge and skills are updated to enhance children's learning and development. The training programme encourages staff's professional development. The management team recognises the importance of parents' involvement in their children's learning, and regular reports highlight this. The management and staff team are committed to promoting a quality provision for children and their parents. Ongoing evaluations help to highlight what works and what needs to improve. These systems enhance children's experiences and learning. Staff seek the views

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provision is good

of parents and children in order to influence the self-evaluation process.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127608 Local authority Kent Inspection number 836244 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 39 Name of provider St Mary's Playgroup (Riverhead) Committee Date of previous inspection 7 June 2011 Telephone number 07502 428413

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Setting details

St. Mary's Pre-School originally opened in the 1950s and registered with Ofsted in 2001. It operates from Riverhead Village Hall in Sevenoaks, Kent. The pre-school is open four days a week, from 9am to 11.45am on Mondays, and from 9am to 3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, during term time only. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The pre- school employs a total of seven staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years 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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