Little Lambs Preschool

Little Lambs Pre-School Church of the Good Shepherd, Winklebury Centre, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG23 8BU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 June 2015 7 July 2011

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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 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

 Recruitment procedures are inadequate. There is no evidence to demonstrate that all staff working with children have been checked to ensure they are suitable to do so. Procedures for assessing staff's continued suitability are not robust enough.  Risk assessments are ineffective because hazards in the garden put children at risk and the premises are not secure.  Planning for the curriculum is not effective to ensure activities always provide appropriate challenges for all children, particularly younger children. Staff fail to gather information from parents about new children’s developmental abilities when they start at the pre-school. This means staff cannot plan effectively for children's learning or assess the progress they make.  The pre-school’s leadership and management team fails to identify aspects of the pre- school which need improving or focus on supporting children's learning and well-being.

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This provision is inadequate

 Procedures in place for meeting with staff individually and talking through their performance do not sufficiently focus on discussing the developmental needs and well- being of the children for whom they are responsible.

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It has the following strengths

 Children have developed positive relationships with staff. As a result, they happily go to them for comfort and support.  Children have regular opportunities to play outdoors with a variety of materials and resources, which support their learning effectively.

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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

 maintain a record of the checks that have been completed to assess staff suitability; this includes their qualifications, identity checks and references, as well as the number of the Disclosure and Barring Service check, the date it was undertaken and who obtained it  improve the systems in place to ensure that people looking after children and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children (including those living and working on the premises) are suitable and continue to be suitable in order to fulfil the requirements of their roles  ensure that practitioners who are taking medication only work directly with children if medical advice confirms the medication is unlikely to impact on that staff member's ability to look after children properly  review and improve the risk assessments to identify hazards that children come into contact with and take appropriate action to minimise the risks, with particular regard to

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

making the premises secure by improving the condition of the boundary hedging in the outdoor play area  make better use of the planning and assessment process to make sure staff always plan challenging activities with clear learning objectives to meet the individual needs of all children  gather information from parents about each child's skills, knowledge and developmental ability when children first start attending so that staff can accurately check what children know and can do, and assess the progress each child makes in their learning  improve the procedures for staff to continually review the pre-school’s performance and set challenging targets to improve the quality of teaching and support children’s developmental needs, to ensure good or better practice is in place at all times.

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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 supervision meetings with staff to ensure any issues concerning children's development or well-being are identified at an early stage, and to ensure staff receive the relevant support to improve the quality of their practice. To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 ensure any person on medication only works with children if there is no adverse effect on the individual's ability to provide childcare (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure any person on medication only works with children if there is no adverse effect on the individual's ability to provide childcare (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities both inside and outside and assessed the support for children's learning.  The inspector spoke to parents and carers to gain their views on the quality of the pre- school.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including children’s developmental records and staff information.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager to access the quality of teaching.  The inspector met with the nominated person to discuss how he monitors the quality of the pre-school and contributes towards making improvements.

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who attend. This requires improvement

The quality of teaching is inconsistent because staff are unclear of the purpose of activities and what children will learn from them. When children first start at the setting, staff do not gain enough information from parents about their child’s stage of development. Observations and assessments are carried out; however, staff do not use this information consistently to plan for children’s individual needs. For example, during large group activities, some of the younger children wander off part way through. This lack of planning prevents some children from making good progress in their learning. Children mainly initiate their own play and explore their environment. They develop their own ideas in the garden, building ships from large blocks, and making flags from sticks and foil blankets. Other children become deeply involved in building a house for snails, showing increased interest and curiosity. Staff talk to children about what they are doing, and they ask

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who attend. This requires improvement

questions to challenge children's learning and encourage them to think for themselves. Parents receive relevant amounts of information to show their child’s achievements. Staff share ideas with parents about how they can help their children’s development at home. The staff work together well with other professionals to support children in their development and learning.

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inadequate

Staff do not ensure that children are safe because hazards identified in the outside area are not sufficiently addressed. For example, in the garden sections of the boundary hedge have been damaged. This means the area is not secure and children’s safety is put at risk. Children are happy to go to pre-school. They generally form positive relationships with both adults and children. For example, when staff notice children are upset, they are given their comforter. This makes children feel secure and supports their emotional well-being. Children generally behave well, share toys and are kind to one another. They benefit from a healthy range of snacks, such as fresh fruit and cereals. During meal times, children develop their independence skills. This prepares them well for starting school. Children and staff sit together and this helps to develop children’s social skills. However, the breaches in safety and security arrangements on the premises mean that children’s safety

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provision is inadequate

The leadership and management arrangements of the pre-school are ineffective. The inspection was prompted by a concern in relation to suitability checks, safeguarding procedures and information that must be notified to Ofsted. The inspector found that recruitment procedures are weak. There are insufficient records of all checks undertaken on staff and those who are on the committee, including the Disclosure and Barring Service check. Therefore, there is no evidence to show how leaders and managers assess staff suitability. In addition, the systems in place for checking the continued suitability of staff are not robust. Therefore, staff are not regularly checked to ensure they remain suitable to work with children. Staff regularly discuss the arrangements for protecting children as part of staff meetings. They also attend training so they understand their responsibilities with regards to supporting children's welfare. The leadership team has failed to notify

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provision is inadequate

Ofsted of changes to members of the management committee. This is an offence. As a result, we are issuing a warning letter. Although there are staff supervision arrangements in place, they do not include discussions about children's developmental progress or well- being. Leaders and managers of the pre-school do not evaluate the quality of practice in order to identify areas for future development. As a result, staff fail to recognise the breaches of the legal requirements. This also means the legal requirements of the Childcare Register are not met. The pre-school has addressed the area for development identified in the previous inspection.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 110498 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 1014684 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider Little Lambs Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 7 July 2011 Telephone number 07758 888123

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Setting details

Little Lambs Pre-School opened in 2000. It operates from the Church of the Good Shepherd in Winklebury, Basingstoke. The pre-school has access to two rooms and a large fully enclosed outdoor area. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 34 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The pre-school receives funding for free early education for two, three and four-year-olds. Children attend a variety of sessions a week. The pre-school supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, during term time only. Sessions run from 9:15am to 2:45pm Monday to Thursday, and from 9:15 to 1:00pm on a Friday. There are three different starting times (9:15, 10:30 or 12:00) and three different finishing times (11:45, 1:00 or

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Setting details

2:45). Children who stay over the lunch period bring a packed lunch. There are eight members of staff who work with the children. Seven staff hold early years qualifications, four at level 4 and three at level 3.

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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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