Weston Pre-School Group

Weston Pre-School Group Weston Cp School, Lambsickle Lane, Weston, RUNCORN, Cheshire, WA7 4RA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18 June 2015 2 October 2008

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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

 The quality of teaching is good. Staff complete regular and accurate assessments of children's learning. They know children well and effectively help all children to make good progress in their development given their individual starting points.  Staff clearly understand the pre-school's safeguarding procedures. They build positive relationships with children and keep them safe.  The pre-school succeeds in attaining strong partnerships with parents, the local authority and other professionals. This means that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have their unique needs consistently understood and met.  The pre-school has a strong commitment to continuous improvement. The provider has systems in place to monitor the quality of planning and assessment of children's learning. They have developed an ambitious action plan to sustain and drive quality even higher.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 At times, children are organised in large groups and are not always effectively supported to sustain attention to benefit fully from the activity.  New ways to monitor and support the professional development of staff are in their infancy and yet to have an impact on raising the quality of teaching even higher.

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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 the organisation and planning of large group activities, in order to fully retain children's interest and engagement to enhance their learning  enhance the monitoring of staff performance even further by providing opportunities for staff to reflect on the impact of their teaching and for staff to share examples of good practice to raise the quality of teaching.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the pre-school playrooms and the outdoor area.  The inspector held meetings with the provider and manager, the deputy manager, and had discussions with staff.  The inspector looked at children's work, records and planning documentation.  The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications, including first aid, of staff working with children and reviewed the provider's self-evaluation documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and children spoken to on the day and in feedback provided to the pre-school.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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who attend. This is good

Children are motivated, happy learners. They make full use of a wide range of resources and activities on offer both inside and outside. They show good levels of concentration and persistence as they make pretend cakes with sand or count 'dinosaur' bones they find in soil. Children are confident communicators as staff use a broad range of good teaching techniques, including strategies shared by speech and language specialists. Staff make good use of small group activities to offer targeted support to develop children's understanding and speaking skills. However, at other times children are organised in large groups. Not all children can see or hear what staff are doing. This results in some children being less engaged than others. Staff use children's curiosity in caterpillars and chicks being hatched in the pre-school well to extend their understanding of life cycles. They make activities fun and relevant as they share photographs of each other as babies and

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who attend. This is good

talk about changes over time. Children's literacy and numeracy skills are effectively promoted. Children readily use the writing equipment to record insects they have seen outside or to mark their paintings and artwork inside. They count with confidence and enjoy exploring patterns, shape and size as they play with different coloured pegs or fill pots with soil or sand. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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good

Staff promote children's physical and emotional health well. They encourage children to share responsibilities, such as helping to count how many children there are or in helping themselves to a healthy snack. Children competently pour drinks and safely carry bowls and cups. This promotes their self-esteem and develops a clear sense of belonging. Staff skilfully use children's interest in baby chicks to talk about being kind and careful, to develop their understanding of the needs of others. Children behave well. Staff have good links with local schools. They share information about children's achievements as well as their interests and favourite toys. This helps to ensure that their move to school is smooth.

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provision is good

The provider has a clear understanding and commitment to meet the learning and development, and safeguarding requirements. They work closely with staff, parents and the local authority to evaluate and develop plans for ongoing improvement. An appropriate number of staff are qualified and this has a positive impact on children's learning. Staff development is promoted in various ways, including staff supervision and meetings. Procedures for staff to observe each other and share good practice have recently been introduced. However, they are yet to be used consistently to enhance the quality of teaching. The provider uses training events effectively to review and improve their provision. For example, following training they make wider use of children's favourite stories in planning, create cosy areas for children to talk, and offer children a greater choice of role-play resources. Staff value parents as important partners in children's

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provision is good

learning. They share resources and activities for parents to enjoy with children at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY364048 Local authority Halton Inspection number 863799 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 29 Number of children on roll 53 Name of provider Susan Robinson Date of previous inspection 2 October 2008 Telephone number 01928 576328

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Setting details

Weston Pre-School Group first opened in 1991, and re-registered in 2007 following a change of ownership. It is privately owned and operates from designated rooms within Weston Primary School in Runcorn. The pre-school employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. It opens each weekday during term time from 9am until 3pm, excluding bank holidays. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The pre- school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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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