Tilehouse Street Pre-School and Nursery

Tilehouse Street Pre- School Tilehouse Street Baptist Church, Upper Tilehouse Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 2EE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 April 2015 10 March 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's progress and achievements are good, given their starting points and capabilities. Teaching is strong, with well-qualified staff making effective use of observations and assessments. As a result, staff plan activities which are fun, varied and incorporate children's interests.  Children's communication and language development, including those with speech and language concerns, is good. Staff promote the use of sign language and small group activities to effectively support all children's early language development.  The leader and deputy leader use their qualifications to model their strong knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, staff teaching is effective throughout the pre-school.  Partnerships with parents and carers are good. Children's progress is shared and parents are supported in extending their children's learning at home. Children benefit

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This provision is good

from this consistent approach and they are supported in acquiring most of the skills they need for school.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 On occasions, staff do not maximise opportunities to consistently promote children's understanding of their personal safety. This means that some children engage in unwanted behaviour.  Sometimes, staff do not encourage more able children to do as much for themselves as possible. For example, they write children's names on their creative pieces of work instead of encouraging children to do it themselves.

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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

 enhance opportunities to maximise children's understanding of their personal safety by consistently reiterating the pre-school rules and boundaries  extend opportunities to consistently challenge more able children, for example, by adapting activities so that children do as much for themselves as possible.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed free play, small group time and mealtime routines. She talked with the staff, a committee member and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector held joint discussions with the pre-school leader and key staff in relation to observations of the children's play, learning and progress.  The inspector reviewed the provider's self-evaluation, and held meetings with the leader and deputy leader.  The inspector looked at evidence of the suitability of staff members. She also viewed the pre-school policies and procedures, discussed qualifications and training, and viewed a selection of children's learning profiles.

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who attend. This is good

The pre-school staff work together consistently to observe, assess and promote children's learning and development. As a team they plan daily activities and there is an effective key-person system to ensure that children make good progress. Teaching is good with staff using spontaneous opportunities to extend children's learning. For example, as children hear emergency sirens outside, staff use open-ended questions to encourage their thinking further. Children discuss which type of emergency vehicle it might be and how these special people help others. Children benefit from planned activities, such as, weighing, pouring and collecting water, to extend their mathematical development. Small group activities are organised on a regular basis to support older children in developing further skills, such as recognising letters and sounds, before moving on to school. However, on occasions, more able children are not fully encouraged because, for example,

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who attend. This is good

opportunities to write their own name are not consistently promoted.

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good

Children have good opportunities for developing their physical skills. They are motivated and confident to join in and enjoy a range of planned activities to promote these skills. They access an outside area where they enjoy fresh air on a daily basis, and regularly participate in more physical activities, such as using indoor climbing apparatus. Staff support and encourage children's personal, social and emotional development. They form firm attachments with children and support them in building friendships with their peers. Children behave well most of the time and listen to staff when they encourage sharing and taking turns, with the use of timers to support this. However, on occasions, staff do not extend children's understanding of their personal safety when unwanted behaviour is displayed. This means that staff are not consistently optimising children's understanding of safe play. Children demonstrate strong independence skills as they prepare for mealtimes.

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good

They take turns to hand out plates and cups to their peers, choose their snack and pour their own drinks. In addition to this, staff use opportunities, such as hand washing, to support children in developing a good understanding of leading healthy lifestyles.

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provision is good

The pre-school is effectively led and managed by a committed staff team who work well together. The staff demonstrate a genuine enjoyment of their roles and attend regular staff and planning meetings to promote a stimulating and enjoyable environment. The leader provides regular opportunities for staff supervision to encourage staff in identifying their training needs. She regularly checks and reviews the progress made by children in the setting through sampling learning journey records and tracking specific groups of children. This means that she is able to promote continuous improvement and any emerging gaps in learning are identified and narrowed. The staff have good relationships with local settings and invite teaching staff to the pre-school to support children in their move on to school. As a result, the transitions children's make are smooth and effective.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY274596 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 860880 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 47 Name of provider Tilehouse Street Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 10 March 2011 Telephone number 01462441440

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Setting details

Tilehouse Street Pre-School was registered in 2003. The pre-school employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including the leader and the deputy who both hold a level 6 degree in early years. The pre-school opens on Mondays and Fridays, from 9am to 12noon and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 3pm, term time only. 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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