Swarland Pre-School Group Limited

Swarland Pre-School Swarland County First School, Swarland, MORPETH, Northumberland, NE65 9JP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 November 2015 1 December 2014

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Planning and assessment are used effectively to provide a wide range of good quality activities for children. As a result, children are motivated and eager to participate in learning opportunities and so make good progress.  Children are well supported by adults to develop the skills they need to become independent in managing a range of self-care tasks. For example, children are encouraged to get changed by themselves for PE.  A significant strength of the preschool is how well leaders and staff work with parents, school and other professionals. This ensures that if any children have additional needs, these are swiftly identified and addressed, helping them catch up quickly.  Staff teach children well. In particular, children are well supported to both express themselves and listen to the opinions of others. They confidently answer questions about why things happen, using their own experiences to support this.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The pre-school has a relatively new staff team in place. This means that the manager has yet to carry out observations of teaching as part of the supervision process. As a result, the quality of teaching is occasionally inconsistent, as staff's individualised training plans are in the early stages of development.  Existing systems for self-evaluation and action planning do not support leaders and staff to fully understand how to achieve the outstanding standards they are working towards.

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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

 embed systems for supervision to ensure that staff receive the individualised support and training they need to reflect on and improve the quality of their teaching practice further  ensure identified areas for development are always robustly planned for, and improvements stringently monitored, to support leaders and staff to achieve their goal of becoming an outstanding setting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main playroom as well as the outside play areas.  The inspector spoke to members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection and held a meeting with the manager.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's records, planning documentation, evidence of the suitability of staff working in the provision and a range of other documentation, including policies and procedures.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Procedures for the recruitment and induction of new staff are thorough. This ensures that all staff are suitable to work with children and have a good understanding of how to keep them safe from harm. This, alongside effective links with health visitors and the adjoining school, ensures safeguarding arrangements are effective. Systems to evaluate what is working well and what needs to improve are accurate and take into account the views of staff, parents and children. However, planning to address identified areas for improvement is less well developed. Consequently, staff lack clear direction to help them improve to an outstanding level. Good arrangements for supervision and checking on staff performance are in place. However, most of the current staff team have only been in post for a short time and the manager has yet to complete formal observations of teaching. Consequently, the quality of teaching is occasionally inconsistent, and staff's training plans are not yet

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

sufficiently focused on their individual needs.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Practitioners have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn. They use this well to motivate and engage children in a wide range of stimulating and challenging activities. Children are actively encouraged to use what they have learnt previously in order to solve new problems, with staff on hand to support and extend their learning. For example, children follow the clues in the nursery garden in order to find the 'stolen' sound system. They happily recall the visit from the policeman the previous day, and encourage one another to look for footprints in the mud. Skilful questioning by staff supports children's developing conversational skills, whilst also introducing new vocabulary such as 'investigate'. Younger children enjoy completing jigsaws with the support of their key worker. Effective praise and encouragement ensures that children persevere and complete the puzzles, taking pride in their achievement.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Outdoor activities encourage children to take risks and challenge themselves through a range of toys and resources. Older children demonstrate their well-developed physical skills as they race round on scooters, changing their speed and direction in order to avoid their friends. Children behave well because staff offer clear routines and boundaries. Gentle reminders about the 'Mr Men' nursery rules are immediately adhered to and children play and share happily together. Children move up through the nursery and on into school with confidence. This is because staff have excellent links with school and take effective steps to ensure children are well prepared for these changes.

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Outcomes for children are good

Improvements to planning and assessment have ensured that practitioners are now tailoring experiences and interactions more precisely to meet children’s needs. Any gaps in achievement are identified swiftly, and staff can demonstrate that they have liaised with parents and other relevant professionals, ensuring any gaps in learning are narrowed. Consequently, all children make good progress in their learning and are consolidating new skills effectively. This ensures they are ready for the move into school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY388490 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 1005329 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 19 Number of children on roll 47 Name of provider Swarland Pre-School Group Ltd Date of previous inspection 1 December 2014 Telephone number 01670 783323

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Setting details

Swarland Pre-school was registered in 2009 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It operates from a portacabin classroom in the grounds of Swarland First School, in the Swarland area of Morpeth, and is managed by a limited company. There are enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications, two at level 3, one at level 4 and one at level 6.2. One member of staff holds a level 2 qualification and is working towards a level 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are Monday to Thursday 9am until 3pm and Friday 9am- 1pm. In addition, the pre-school operates a before and after school care from 8am until 9am, and 3pm until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 24

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Setting details

early years children attending. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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. 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

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Setting details

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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