Magpies Preschool

Magpies Preschool North Kidlington School, Benmead Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, OX5 2DA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 7 January 2016 29 January 2015

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Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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 quality of teaching varies across the staff team. Some staff do not use what they know about children to challenge them. Some activities are not well thought out and are sometimes mundane. This hinders children's learning experiences.  Observation and assessment are not always precise enough to ensure that planning for learning is fully effective so that every child makes the best progress.  Leadership and management systems for monitoring staff practice are not effective enough to ensure that teaching and planning for learning are consistently strong.  The provider does not ensure all requirements of the Childcare Register are met. Staff fail to keep an accurate record of daily attendance for older children, including their times of departure.  Staff do not always act quickly enough to address possible risks. Self-evaluation is not yet used effectively to identify aspects of practice that require further improvement.

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It has the following strengths

 The provider implements effective recruitment and induction procedures to ensure that staff working with children are suitable to do so.  Children develop their self-care skills. For example, they help with the preparation of snack and staff encourage them to try to put on their coats before they play outdoors.  Children are settled, well cared for and enjoy their time in the pre-school.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register the provider must:

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Due Date

 develop an effective process for monitoring staff's performance to address inaccuracies in assessments, to improve the quality and consistency of teaching to a good level, and to help staff focus more precisely on continued professional development 25/02/2016

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Due Date

 ensure assessments of all children are accurate and effectively used when planning activities, in order to provide children with more suitably challenging activities that are more precisely matched to their next steps in learning 25/02/2016

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Due Date

 maintain the daily record of attendance for the children looked after on the premises, ensuring their hours of departure are accurately recorded. 21/01/2016

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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

 review the procedure for dealing with incidents that relate to the maintenance and upkeep of the premises, to ensure that prompt action is taken by staff to minimise any risk to children's safety  make effective use of self-evaluation to focus more precisely on identifying actions which improve outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children during activities indoors and outdoors.  The inspector looked at samples of children's assessments and records, and a range of other documentation.  The inspector spoke with the staff, children and parents at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector met with the provider, manager and staff.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective. Staff demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and the action to take if concerned about a child's welfare. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure that children's needs are met and that they are sufficiently supervised. For example, staff are vigilant in monitoring the exit during arrival and collection times to promote children's safety. Staff are making steady improvements. Since the last inspection, they have addressed weaknesses in record keeping, teaching and assessments. Training in assessment has led to the introduction of new ways of tracking and sharing children's progress; however, these new initiatives have not been sufficiently monitored, so some weaknesses in teaching and planning still remain. On the day of the inspection, staff failed to promptly address a small water leak from the ceiling; however, the impact was minimal as children's safety was not compromised. Although there is an

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

evaluation process, this is not effective enough to support staff to identify or plan for further improvements, so some weaknesses remain.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The educational programme generally takes account of children's interests and supports them to make steady progress. Children enjoy using paints and drawing materials to express their creativity. They read books with staff, which helps to promote their love of stories and supports their imagination. Staff generally use questions effectively to extend children's thinking and share their thoughts. However, planned activities and the quality of staff interactions are still too general. Staff do not always motivate children's curiosity to learn through purposeful play or help them make good progress overall. Staff engage parents with their children's learning appropriately, encouraging them to share information about their children at home and to access their child's online profile.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff plan a learning environment that supports children's well-being appropriately; however, they do not fully support children's skills and development in all aspects of learning. Children develop suitable attachments with their key person, who generally knows their needs and make some provision for them. Children independently choose the resources they want to play with and have regular opportunities to take on small responsibilities. Children's behaviour is good and they show kindness to others and share toys. Staff provide children with healthy snacks and regular opportunities to play outdoors, where they explore the natural environment and extend their physical skills.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children are not as well prepared as possible for starting school. Not all children are making consistently good or better progress from their starting points.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY425468 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 1032874 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 2 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 62 Name of provider Magpies Kidlington Limited Date of previous inspection 29 January 2015 Telephone number 07726051044

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Setting details

Magpies Pre-School registered in 2011. They are based in self-contained premises on the grounds of North Kidlington School. The pre-school operates from 8am until 6pm Monday to Friday, term time only, offering wrap around care to school age children. The main pre- school sessions operate from 8.45am to 11.45am and from 12.15pm to 3.15pm, offering a lunch club from 11.45am to 12.15pm to enable some children to stay all day. The pre- school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early years education to children aged two, three and four years. The pre-school employs 15 staff, of whom nine staff have appropriate early years qualifications.

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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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