Finches Preschool

Finches Pre-School Finchampstead Finchampstead Memorial Hall, The Village, Finchampstead, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 4JU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 September 2015 9 July 2010

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision is inadequate

 The manager does not ensure that risk assessments identify all potential hazards to children's safety, which puts children at risk.  Confidential records regarding children are not stored securely when children are taken on outings. This weakness compromises children's welfare.  Assessment of children's learning is not precise enough. Staff do not accurately identify children's stages of development as they grow older to plan effectively for their needs. This restricts children's progress.  Self-evaluation and monitoring procedures are weak. This means some requirements are not met. Evidence of the manager's qualification was unavailable for inspection.  Managers do not effectively monitor staff practice, offer staff supervision or help staff to successfully identify areas for improvement of their knowledge and teaching skills.  Members of the management committee have a poor understanding of their roles and

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This provision is inadequate

responsibilities. Children's well-being, progress and safety are compromised as a result.  Staff do not take every opportunity to promote children's mathematical skills.

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It has the following strengths

 Children form positive relationships with staff, behave well and are confident  Staff engage children in a broad range of suitable activities that they enjoy.

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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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Due Date

 implement a rigorous risk assessment when assessing risks to children, in particular with regard to outings and leaving the building that children use unlocked and unsupervised 30/10/2015

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Due Date

 ensure sensitive records are kept confidential at all times to protect children's welfare 30/10/2015

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Due Date

 ensure that the committee members understand their roles and responsibilities, with particular regard to procedures to carry out suitability checks and to notify Ofsted of changes when necessary 30/10/2015

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Due Date

 ensure staff supervision fosters a culture of support to improve staff effectiveness and provides time for them to discuss sensitive issues 30/10/2015

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Due Date

 improve systems to monitor the delivery of educational programmes and to obtain an accurate assessment of each child's abilities and progress 30/11/2015

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Due Date

 ensure paperwork is made available for inspection, in particular with regard to the evidence of staff qualifications. 30/10/2015 To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 increase opportunities for children to learn about numbers and counting during everyday routines and activities  strengthen the self-evaluation processes to monitor, evaluate and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the provision, including by gaining the views of parents and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of the pre-school with the manager.  The inspector observed children and staff during play and carried out a joint observation of staff practice with the manager.  The inspector examined a sample of children's records, policies and other documents.  The inspector spoke with parents, committee members, children and staff to gain their views.  The inspector discussed the self-evaluation process with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective. Staff complete risk assessments of the building each morning. However, they leave the building unlocked when everyone is on outings so it is open to the general public. They do not complete safety checks on their return. These weaknesses compromise children's safety. Staff understand child protection procedures. The committee members do not ensure effective supervision of staff, including the manager, to help support their professional development and improve the quality of teaching. Recruitment processes ensure staff are suitable to work with children. However, not all necessary checks on committee members are undertaken and Ofsted is not notified of all changes to the committee. This weakness means that Ofsted cannot carry out necessary background checks.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Children make suitable progress in their learning. On occasions, teaching is challenging as staff encourage children to persevere with tasks and they manage children's varying physical needs well. Staff routinely observe and assess each child and devise some next steps in their learning. However, assessments do not focus precisely on children's ages and stages of development to accurately inform the planning process. This results in some activities that are not suited to children's individual needs. For example, children took part in a writing activity that was not suited to younger children's stages of development and some of them lost focus. Children enjoy listening to stories in groups. Staff help them to recall the story through careful questioning. However, children do not hear many numbers or counting during everyday routines and activities to strengthen their developing mathematical skills. They have opportunities to learn about people's differences and gain

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

an understanding of the world. Parents are suitably updated on their children's progress.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Children's welfare is compromised due to inadequate safeguarding measures. Staff fail to ensure all confidential paperwork is securely stored, including children's personal details, when leaving the building unsecured. Children receive healthy snacks and good hygiene is promoted effectively. Partnerships with other providers are suitable. Children learn to keep themselves safe. For example, they use the swings safely at the park. Children value praise and learn to respect each other. As a result, they play cooperatively and gain the skills they need for the next stage in learning.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children make suitable progress. Older children learn to recognise their names and gain suitable pre-writing skills in readiness for school. Younger children gain confidence. Children gain good personal skills in readiness for the next stage of learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 148685 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 841845 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Finches Pre-School, Finchampstead Committee Date of previous inspection 9 July 2010 Telephone number 07949 365335(sessions)

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Setting details

Finches Pre-School opened in 1995 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. The pre-school is situated in Finchampstead, Berkshire. The pre-school is open on weekdays during school terms. It is open from 9.15am to 12.15pm on Mondays, with an extended time for lunch club on Tuesdays to Fridays when the setting is open until 1pm. The pre-school committee employs eight members of staff, two of whom hold Qualified Teacher Status, with four others holding relevant qualifications. The pre-school is accredited to receive government funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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

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Setting details

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