Barlow Pre School

Barlow Pre-School Village Hall, Millcross Lane, Barlow, Dronfield, Derbyshire, S18 7TA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 July 2015 17 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 Outstanding 1

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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 natural curiosity to learn is nurtured through well-planned activities. Consequently, children are eager, ready to learn and are developing the skills needed for school.  The outdoor learning environment and Forest school approach is a particular strength of the pre-school. Children have access to a wide range of resources across all areas of learning.  Staff have positive partnerships with parents because they use a number of successful strategies to work with them. For example, parents regularly come into pre-school to share their knowledge and traditions, such as during cooking sessions. This promotes a collaborative approach to enrich children's learning.  The well-qualified and experienced staff demonstrate a strong commitment to promote a high-quality provision. They implement ideas and information gained from regular training. This enhances children's care and learning.  Children's safety and happiness is paramount and at the heart of the pre-school's

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This provision is good

ethos. Staff are vigilant and have an excellent understanding of how to support children's well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Assessment information is not used precisely enough to focus on specific groups of children, in order to compare the progress made.  Staff do not always have enough opportunities to reflect on the quality of their teaching.

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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

 refine systems for assessment to further analyse and evaluate the progress of specific groups, such as more-able children and boys  help staff to develop their skills so improve the quality of teaching so that children make rapid progress in their learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the children and staff participating in activities and daily routines, inside and outside.  The inspector spoke to children and parents to gain their views on the pre-school.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to members of staff and held discussions with management and the chair of the pre-school.  The inspector checked qualifications and suitability. She also viewed assessment and observations, policies, samples of children's learning stories and a sample of staff supervisions and appraisals.  The inspector observed the Forest school session and held discussions with the two Forest school leaders.

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who attend. This is good

The quality of teaching in the pre-school is good. Staff deliver consistent practice, observing, assessing and planning effectively for each child. They have a clear knowledge of each child's individual learning needs. As a result, children make good progress. Children are active learners as they freely move around the pre-school selecting what they want to play with. This is further enhanced during the Forest school session, which encourages children to independently explore their environment and provides endless opportunities for learning. As a result, children are developing the skills needed for their future learning. Staff are skilful at engaging children in discussions. They model language during play and use questions effectively to help develop children's thinking skills.

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outstanding

Children flourish as the time spent getting to know them initially enables staff to form warm and caring relationships. As a result, children settle quickly, and feel safe and secure. Children develop an excellent understanding of how to stay safe and are given plenty of opportunities to manage risks, particularly outdoors. For example, children carefully balance on small rocks in the stream. This significantly develops their physical skills and boosts their self-confidence. Staff support children to stay safe in the sun and children pour their own drinks, reminding each other to stay hydrated. Rich opportunities are provided to promote healthy lifestyles, such as growing fruit and vegetables. Children become highly independent as they choose when to eat, what to play with and manage their personal care competently. Children's behaviour is exceptional. They learn how to work with each other and willingly get involved at tidy up time. As a result, children are

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outstanding

learning how to care for their environment.

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provision is good

Safeguarding procedures are robust. All staff are clear of their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. The management team work extremely well together. As a result, staff are enthusiastic and keen to drive their practice forward. They implement improvements, such as smaller group activities to enhance children's concentration. Management implement regular supervisions. However, staff do not always have the opportunity to reflect on their practice. Consequently, some of the good teaching practices are not shared effectively to support staff's skills. Although arrangements are in place to assess progress, these are not sharply focused on groups of children. Consequently, staff are not able to fully evaluate, in order to quickly close any gaps in learning. Staff have established strong links with parents to support children's individual needs. For example, parents contribute to children's learning on the 'Wow board'. Good links with local schools ensure

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Setting details

Unique reference number 206717 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 865420 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider Barlow Pre - School Committee Date of previous inspection 17 March 2011 Telephone number 0114 2899046

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Setting details

Barlow Pre-School registered in 1974 and is run by a voluntary management committee. The pre-school employs eight members of staff, including two relief staff and an administrator. Of these, four hold appropriate childcare qualifications at level 3 and two are working towards qualification level 3. Two staff hold a Forest school qualification at level 3. The pre-school operates Monday to Friday from 9am until 12 noon, term time only. On a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday a Forest school session is available from 12.30pm until 3pm. 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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