Murdishaw West Pre-School Playgroup

Murdishaw West Pre- School Playgroup Murdishaw West CP School, Barnfield Avenue, Murdishaw, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 6EP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15 June 2015 25 April 2014

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is inadequate

 Teaching does not build on the existing skills or interests of all children especially during outdoor play and staff do not use questions well to extend children’s learning.  Staff do not accurately assess children’s achievements and progress. This limits how well they plan activities to prepare children for the next stage of their learning and for school.  The key person system does not meet children's care or learning needs, or help some children to form close attachments to their carers.  Despite one member of staff always being positioned nearby, the climbing frame outside is so large it is not possible to keep all of the children who wish to use it safe.  Senior leaders check the quality of teaching but do not focus enough on what learning is taking place. Consequently staff do not get the feedback they need to improve their teaching or children's learning. This also means that leaders do not accurately assess

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This provision is inadequate

the overall effectiveness of the pre-school.

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It has the following strengths

 The manager invests in updating equipment and resources to continually improve the learning environment and staff regularly attend training to update their skills.  The staff have all recently updated their safeguarding training and knew what to do in the event of a concern about a child or a member of staff. This helps protect children.

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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 to ensure that staff interact sufficiently with children and use questions more effectively to build on and extend children's learning, interests, and skills, both indoors and outside  ensure that assessment of the achievement and progress of all children is accurate, and used to plan experiences for indoor and outside activities which build on children's existing skills and knowledge, helps children to make progress in all areas of learning and prepares them well for the next stage in their learning or for school  improve the key person system so that all key persons are aware of their role, and of the needs of the specific children in their care. Ensure that staff support all children’s emotional well-being and welfare by forming close attachments with children and developing a range of strategies to help distract and comfort children when they cry  improve arrangements for ensuring children’s safety on the large climbing frame in the

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

garden and improve the risk assessment processes so that they identify the full range of risks and how these risks will be reduced.

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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

 improve arrangements for monitoring the quality of teaching so that it takes into account not just what staff are doing, but what impact this is having on children’s learning, so that staff receive developmental feedback to help them improve their teaching and the quality of children's learning  improve the way the leaders evaluate the pre-school's effectiveness so that they have a realistic idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and can focus their improvement activity where it is needed the most.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 improve arrangements for ensuring children’s safety on the large climbing frame in the garden and improve the risk assessment processes so that they identify the full range of risks and how these risks will be reduced (Compulsory Childcare Register)  improve arrangements for ensuring children’s safety on the large climbing frame in the garden and improve the risk assessment processes so that they identify the full range of risks and how these risks will be reduced (Voluntary Childcare Register.)

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and learning in all age groups, both indoors and in the outside play area.  The inspector spoke to parents, children, the manager, deputy and four members of staff.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager and one with the deputy manager.  The inspector sampled children's assessment records and learning journals, and a sample of the setting's written documentation.

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who attend. This is inadequate

The quality of teaching does not help all children, including those with additional needs, to make the maximum progress. Some staff do not use questions well to challenge children to think, or to move children's learning on. Staff often answer their own questions without giving children an opportunity to think or respond. Staff do not plan well for the large amount of time the children, especially the older children, spend outdoors. As a result much of the play outside lacks purpose, although children really enjoy the fresh air and exercise. For example, some children, including those with additional needs, spend much too long in aimless activity on the swing, or racing around on small scooters. Staff do not suggest alternative activities to help them to extend their existing skills or to broaden their interests and knowledge. The manager recently introduced a new electronic assessment system. She admits that

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who attend. This is inadequate

staff are not using this well yet. Assessment is not accurate about where children are in their learning, or what progress they have made. This limits how effectively staff plan for children’s next steps in their learning or ensure that children are well-prepared for school.

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inadequate

The key person system does not meet children's needs well. During the inspection one member of staff did not acknowledge that she had any children in her key person group, although she is responsible for particular children. Another key person did not identify which of her children had additional needs, despite this being clearly recorded in the child’s files and known to other staff. As a result, some older children's specific needs are not being met. This is especially true during the long period spent outdoors when staff do not motivate children to extend their learning by building on their interests. Staff do not have a wide enough range of strategies to console or distract crying children, other than gently wiping away tears and talking quietly to them. This sometimes results in a noisy learning environment with some younger children not being comforted or diverted during long bouts of crying. This does not help children to form the close attachments

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inadequate

with their carers that are vital to help children feel secure, confident and to develop their physical and emotional well-being. Children's independence is encouraged adequately, they fasten their own aprons, wash hands before snacks and enthusiastically tidy up.

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provision is inadequate

Self-evaluation is weak, and consequently the manager is unaware that some of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are not being met. These relate to the quality of teaching and assessment, the use of the key person system and the safety of the climbing frame. The manager does not have an accurate view of the quality and impact of the setting, which limits her ability to set precise targets to improve the setting further. The manager and deputy carry out observations of the staff’s practice, but these often fail to identify what the children are learning. Consequently staff receive feedback which is too positive and does not help them to improve their teaching or enhance children’s learning. Staff have regular supervision sessions with the manager, in which the manager checks on the progress of the children in the key person groups. The manager is committed to improving her setting by encouraging staff to take up training opportunities. She recently

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provision is inadequate

secured training for the unqualified members of staff. She regularly invests in upgrading the resources and equipment to improve the learning environment for children both indoors and outside. However, the daily risk assessments do not identify the risk posed by the large, high climbing frame. This was inherited from the time when the outside space was shared with the adjacent primary school. The manager acknowledges that it is difficult to guarantee enough staff around this equipment to ensure that all the children wanting to use it can be kept safe. Parents speak very positively about the staff, and are grateful for the information shared with them about their children’s learning and development. Most of the children who leave the pre-school go on to attend the adjacent school. Visits to their new classroom and visits from the Reception class teacher help make the move to school easier for these children.

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provision is inadequate

Children are safeguarded well because staff can identify the signs and symptoms of a range of possible abuse and know how to refer any concerns about children or staff.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 303477 Local authority Halton Inspection number 1006539 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 41 Name of provider Murdishaw West Pre-School Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 25 April 2014 Telephone number 01928751753

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Setting details

Murdishaw West Pre-School Playgroup in Runcorn was registered 1993 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 11.30am and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm during term time only. It is run by a voluntary management committee and operates from a mobile building situated in the grounds of Murdishaw West Community Primary School. The pre-school employs six members of staff, four of whom hold early years qualifications at level 3. There are currently 41 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range.

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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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