St Vincents Preschool Playgroup

St Vincents Pre-School Playgroup Manor Park South, Knutsford, WA16 8AL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 4 November 2015 11 January 2012

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Leadership is inspirational. Managers have a clear vision for the setting and communicate this well to all staff, motivating every member of the team to strive for excellence.  Children benefit from the excellent key-person system and consistent staff team. Children settle quickly and feel secure as they build strong relationships with staff. Staff get to know children's individual characters and carefully match activities to their interests. This helps children to make rapid progress in their learning and development.  Children are exceptionally well prepared for the move on to school. Well-established relationships are in place with the local school and information is shared to ensure children benefit from seamless care and consistent learning experiences.  Staff promote children's language and communication skills exceedingly well. They provide daily activities on letters and sounds so that all children's language and literacy

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This provision is outstanding

skills are significantly enhanced.  An excellent range of methods is in place to engage parents in children's learning, including loaning books and resources. Parents are also regularly invited to attend parents' evenings where they share information about children. This excellent approach means that parents are fully involved in their children's development and well equipped to continue learning at home.  Children experience exceptional outdoor activities within the grounds of the setting. They enjoy superb opportunities to investigate the natural world. Learning opportunities indoors are also excellent as all staff demonstrate outstanding teaching skills.

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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

 consider undertaking more activities outside of the setting, so that children benefit from more opportunities to engage in the wider community.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the deputy manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the deputy manager and looked at relevant documentation, such as the self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the setting.  The inspector spoke to a small selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Inspirational leaders and managers are highly skilled and enthusiastic about their work. Safeguarding is effective and children are protected from harm as all staff demonstrate high levels of understanding about how to protect children. The highly qualified staff team is focused and passionate about their roles. They benefit from ongoing training and development to continually build on their skills. High-quality monitoring means that the managers have detailed knowledge of every child's progress. Consequently, all interventions are sharply focused to ensure that no child is left behind. Policies and procedures are of the highest standard and consistently implemented. All staff understand their roles and responsibilities and are highly effective in creatively assisting children's learning and development. The self-evaluation process is used to good effect as the managers have clear vision for the setting with a defined sense of purpose and direction.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

This contributes to the ongoing pursuit of excellence.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Children access a wide range of high-quality resources based on their interests and individual learning needs. For example, children are interested in recycling. Staff involve parents in collecting resources at home and children gain an understanding of the impact of waste in the environment with activities using these materials. Staff promote children's language, communication and literacy skills exceptionally well. Children learn to link letters and sounds, and this is extended further as staff provide a range of highly effective activities for parents to do at home with children. As a result, children rapidly develop a wide vocabulary. Learning is extended to the extremely well-resourced outdoor environment where children experience a large range of challenging and exciting activities. They explore and investigate, and learn to grow vegetables. They greatly enjoy harvesting and eating the crops they plant. This helps them to understand about the natural world

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

around them and where food comes from. Management is now considering ways to extend outdoor activities into the wider local community.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children are highly valued as unique individuals, and staff work with parents and other professionals to ensure any additional needs are fully met. Children learn how to stay healthy through activities such as movement and dance sessions. These fun activities encourage children to move their bodies with increasing control to music. Children learn about germs and the importance of regularly washing hands to keep themselves safe from infection. This is done in a fun and meaningful way, with children seeing how quickly paint transfers from their hands to other surfaces. Behaviour is exemplary. Children are reminded to take turns, share and show consideration to their friends.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

All children, including those who receive funding, make excellent progress and are extremely well prepared for the next stage in their education. They develop a wide range of skills and attributes that help them to be active and keen learners.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 305334 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 855095 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 11 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 49 Name of provider St Vincents Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 11 January 2012 Telephone number 01565 651948

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Setting details

St Vincents Pre-School Playgroup is run by a voluntary committee. It was registered in 1996 and is located in the grounds of St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School. The setting employs 17 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications, including one at level 4, nine at level 3, one at level 2 and one with Qualified Teacher Status. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term time only. The out-of-school sessions are from 8am until 9am and 3pm until 6pm. The pre-school sessions are from 9am to 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

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Setting details

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