Layer Preschool

Layer Preschool Queen Elizabeth Hall, New Cut, Layer-de-la-Haye, Colchester, Essex, CO2 0JU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 June 2015 7 January 2015

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3

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Requires improvement The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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3

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Requires improvement The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Key persons do not consistently involve parents in their children's development. As a result, they are not able to effectively tailor every child's learning, to meet their individual needs and styles.  Older children are not always sufficiently challenged to ensure that they make best progress in their learning. The quality of teaching is variable, which results in some practitioners missing opportunities to fully follow children's interests. Opportunities for high achieving children to guide their own learning effectively are not maximised.  The self-evaluation process does not productively involve parents, to ensure that it accurately identifies the pre-school's strengths and weaknesses from parents' perspectives.

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It has the following strengths

 Management and practitioners have implemented a number of improvements since the last inspection. For example, children are now able to select a greater range of equipment to sustain their interest in learning.  Children are effectively safeguarded, as practitioners demonstrate good knowledge of how to protect children. They regularly review risk assessments, to ensure children remain safe. Appropriate checks are carried out for all new practitioners to assess their suitability to work with children.  Children settle well into pre-school life. Key persons communicate appropriately with parents during the settling-in period, so that they can support them through their introduction to pre-school.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 implement ways of involving parents in their children's learning, to ensure key persons are able to take into account children's individual needs, interests and stages of development, in planning  introduce ways to further challenge older and more-able children, for example, by consistently following their interests and involving them in planning, to make best use of the environment and resources.

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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

 ensure self-evaluation is used successfully, to swiftly identify the pre-school's strengths and weaknesses, taking into account the views of parents, children and practitioners.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the pre-school hall and adjacent field.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, members of the committee, practitioners and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at records, which included children's details, practitioner's details, accident and medication records, written policies, information about planning and assessment, and a selection of other relevant documentation.  The inspector saw evidence of the checks used to assess the suitability of practitioners and committee members.  The inspector held a joint discussion with the manager, to review the quality of teaching and how she supervises practitioners.  The inspector took account of the views of the parents spoken to during the inspection.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Children enjoy their pre-school experiences. They are keen and generally interested in the range of resources and activities on offer to them. Practitioners demonstrate some understanding of how children learn, and use their experience to enhance children's all- round development. The planning is generally tailored to include activities to help children to move on to their next steps in learning, such as school. However, the lack of parental involvement in their children's development, means that key persons are not able to consistently tailor every child's care and learning, to match their individual learning styles or needs. Practitioners do not always make best use of opportunities to fully challenge older and more-able children. For example, children's interest in the building of a large extension to the hall, is not extended.

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good

Children are settled and comfortable in the pre-school environment. Key persons recognise the importance of developing children's emotional attachments, and achieve this through praise and encouragement. Children learn clear knowledge about the pre-school's rules and boundaries, as practitioners remind them in a gentle way. For example, they remind them to walk safely in the hall, and to follow good safety rules when crossing the road on outings. Children learn about foods which are healthy and are provided with good opportunities to develop their independence skills. For example, they play an active role in the preparation of snack and pour their own drinks. Children's physical development is effectively promoted, as they regularly participate in physical games and use the large- scale play equipment at the local park.

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provision requires improvement

The pre-school is managed by a voluntary committee, who support the manager and team of practitioners. Systems are now in place for the manager to supervise and support her team of practitioners. There is a programme of professional development in place, which encourages practitioners to seek training, and to share their new found knowledge with the rest of the pre-school team. The manager is developing her monitoring of planning and assessment. She is beginning to collate data on the progress of groups of children, as well as individual children across the nursery. All actions and recommendations set at the time of the last inspection have been addressed. However, some of these improvements have yet to be fully embedded. Partnerships with parents are variable, with some parents commenting that they are not kept well informed of their children's progress. Parents are also not consistently involved in the pre-school's self-evaluation process. Links with local

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provision requires improvement

schools and other early years settings, which children attend, are secure.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 203940 Local authority Essex Inspection number 1003178 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 59 Name of provider Layer Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 7 January 2015 Telephone number 01206 734348

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Setting details

Layer Preschool was registered in 1972. The pre-school employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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