Tollesbury Preschool

Tollesbury Preschool The Manse, 2 Station Road,Tollesbury, Maldon, Essex, CM9 8RA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13 October 2015 16 June 2011

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 The provider's monitoring of practice is not robust enough to ensure all weaknesses in teaching are identified. Professional development is not sufficiently focused on improving the quality of teaching and the learning experiences for children.  Staff do not use the information they gather about children's development to inform planning. Children are not always challenged and motivated to make the best progress in all areas of learning.  Self-evaluation is not effective. It is not thorough enough to continuously bring about positive changes for the children that attend.  Occasionally, the arrangements of group activities are not successful in maintaining children's interests.  The staff team have not fully developed a good working relationship with local schools.

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It has the following strengths

 The partnership with parents is a strength. Parents feel welcome and supported. Children arrive at the pre-school happy, confident and ready to learn.  Staff are warm and nurturing, children have close, positive relationships with staff and this helps them feel secure and promotes their emotional well-being.  Children choose freely from a wide range of resources, which helps to develop their growing independence.

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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

 ensure that staff receive the support, coaching and training they need, in order to deliver good quality teaching across the provision so that all children make the best possible progress 13/01/2016

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Due Date

 use the information gathered through observations of children's development to inform planning, so that the individual needs, interests and the stage of development of each child is considered and each area of learning is promoted through purposeful play. 13/01/2016

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Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 improve the organisation of large groups so that children can fully engage in their learning and develop their listening and concentration skills  strengthen partnership working with local schools so that children fully benefit from a shared understanding and common approach to supporting their progress  develop a self-evaluation process that is robust, accurate and precise to ensure quality of practice is raised to a higher level.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out observations of childcare staff and their interactions with children throughout the day.  Two joint observations were completed by the inspector and the manager.  The inspector held meetings with the manager. She spoke with staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector examined samples of documents relating to children's learning and welfare. She reviewed documentation regarding staff suitability, qualifications and recruitment procedures.  The inspector had a tour of the premises.  The inspector discussed the evaluation process with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have a good understanding of the procedures they should follow in the event of any concerns they have about children's welfare. Suitable arrangements are in place to ensure staff are effectively deployed and children are adequately supervised at all times. Risk assessments for the premises and outings are completed and regularly reviewed, in order to identify any hazards and minimise risks to children. The quality of teaching is monitored and observations of staff practice are used by the manager to inform their individual supervisions. Staff receive basic support to help improve their practice. However, this is not sufficiently focused on improving teaching practice to enhance children's level of achievement. The evaluation process has not been sufficiently developed to identify improvements that raise the quality of the provision to a good standard.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The quality of teaching is variable. The manager and staff demonstrate a suitable knowledge of the learning and development requirements. Staff complete observations of children as they play and provide some suitable activities. However, they do not use the information gathered to plan effectively so that children make good progress in their learning. All children enjoy group sessions. They talk about topics of interest and sing songs. However, the planning of these sessions is not always effective in sustaining children's interests. As a result, some children become bored. Staff aim to ensure children are prepared for school. However, they have not fully established links with the local school to help support children to make a smooth move into full-time education.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

The environment is relaxed and welcoming. Children are confident and self-assured within their surroundings. They know staff well and are happy in their care. Children are provided with daily healthy snacks and drinks. They begin to understand personal safety and take part in regular emergency evacuations. Children develop an understanding of positive hygiene practices as staff provide opportunities for children to carry out their own care routines. Behaviour is good and children take care of one another and listen to requests from adults. Children have daily outdoor exercise and staff take them into the local community for walks.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children do not consistently make the best progress due to variable teaching. However, children develop good independence skills and are confident to ask questions. Children develop some of the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 402290 Local authority Essex Inspection number 868971 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 19 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider Tollesbury Pre-school Community Interest Company Date of previous inspection 16 June 2011 Telephone number 01621 869230

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Setting details

Tollesbury Preschool was registered in 1967. It is a registered Community Interest Company. The pre-school employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 to level 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 11.30am and 1pm until 3.30pm. 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

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Setting details

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