Mulberry Bush Pre-School

Mulberry Bush Pre-School Byron Primary School, St. Davids, Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2XE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 7 May 2015 21 June 2011

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Previous inspection: Good 2 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 Requires improvement 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:

 The quality of teaching varies and not all staff have good enough skills to challenge and support children appropriately.  Strategies to mentor, coach and monitor staff are not always effective in improving the quality of teaching.  Staff do not always plan and implement activities sufficiently to ensure children get the most out of their learning experience. They do not consistently ensure that they make the best use of resources to extend children's learning.  Staff do not always take suggested strategies for speech and language fully into account for children who require such help. Therefore, they do not effectively support all children's learning needs.

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It has the following strengths

 The pre-school forms good relationships with local schools. This helps children move easily on to the next stage in their development.  Staff strongly encourage parent partnerships. They encourage parents to share information about their children's development when they initially begin. This ensures that they can track children's learning and development from early on.  Children can choose from a wide range of resources, both indoors and outdoors. This encourages their independence.

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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

 improve the quality of teaching, with particular regard to the planning and implementation of activities, to ensure that all children are challenged and their needs are met  improve the mentoring, coaching and monitoring of staff to ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good during all activities.

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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

 make better use of available resources to engage and challenge children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's activities, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector and manager carried out a joint observation of an adult-led activity.  The inspector spoke to the manager and staff throughout the inspection and took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children.  The inspector looked at a sample of records and policies relating to children's learning, welfare, and health and safety.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Staff generally support children's learning, providing a range of interesting activities and supporting children appropriately as they play and learn. However, the quality of teaching is inconsistent. For example, during small group activities with older children, staff asked closed questions. This limited the opportunity for children to show what they had previously learnt and express new ideas. Sometimes, staff also miss opportunities to extend learning. For example, they plan activities, such as encouraging children to write their names, but then they write children's names on their work for them. Children develop social skills, such as taking turns and sharing. Staff work in partnership with external agencies, such as speech and language therapists, but they do not implement their suggested recommendations. Therefore, children do not always receive the support they need to ensure that they make good progress.

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requires improvement

Children build strong bonds with their key person, which helps them to feel secure and boosts their confidence. For example, children find their key person to tell them about what they have been doing. Children have the opportunity to move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas. This means that they can learn and develop their physical skills in both environments. Staff help children to learn about healthy lifestyles. Children can help themselves to drinks, have nutritious snacks and follow good hygiene routines. There is a wide variety of resources for children to choose from but staff do not always make the best use of these. For example, the water play area is not always available and staff do not provide mud for the mud kitchen. This limits children's play opportunities.

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provision requires improvement

The manager and staff know the possible indicators that a child may be at risk of harm and know what to do if they are concerned. The manager uses appropriate vetting procedures to help ensure all staff working with children are suitable. Although there are systems in place for supervision, the manager does not provide effective coaching for staff or effectively monitor their practice. Consequently, the quality of teaching is inconsistent and does not ensure that children's learning is supported fully. Staff training does not have enough impact on children. For example, although some staff have attended training to support children's language development, it is not evident that information from this is being fully implemented to support children. The manager and staff evaluate the quality of the provision, although their action plan does not focus strongly on improving children's learning. They use appropriate systems to monitor children's progress.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 125007 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 840511 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 82 Name of provider The Mulberry Bush (Coulsdon) Limited Date of previous inspection 21 June 2011 Telephone number 020 8660 4180

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Setting details

The Mulberry Bush Pre-school is a registered charity which opened in 2000. It is situated in the grounds of Byron Primary School, Old Coulsdon, Croydon, Surrey. The pre-school is open during term time, from 8am until 6pm, offering all day, morning and afternoon, and before and after school sessions to children. The pre-school also runs a holiday club which operates during most school holidays. There are 18 members of staff, of whom two hold a foundation degree, 12 hold qualifications at level 3, two hold qualifications at level 2 and two are unqualified.

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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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