Courtyard Preschool

Courtyard Preschool Courtyard Youth Centre, Launton Road, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 6DJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 February 2016 10 September 2015

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3

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 progress check for children aged between two and three years is not completed in line with the requirements. Important information regarding children's progress and emerging concerns are not being shared with parents.  Procedures for the induction of new staff are not rigorous enough. The provider cannot show that new staff have received all the information required to fully understand their roles and responsibilities, such as the equality policy.  Leaders do not have a clear picture of how well all groups of children who attend the pre-school are progressing. This means that any differences in attainment between groups of children, such as boys and girls, are not identified and addressed.  Arrangements for monitoring and developing staff's professional practice are not yet fully embedded or effective.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff build warm, nurturing relationships with children. As a result children demonstrate that they are happy confident and feel secure within the pre-school.  Children are independent and make choices about where they want to play in the well- resourced indoor and outdoor areas.

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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

 improve the arrangements for undertaking the progress check for children aged between two and three years so that it includes any areas where the child's progress is less than expected 08/03/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that a written summary of the children's progress check is shared with parents and other relevant professionals 08/03/2016

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Due Date

 introduce robust systems for the induction of new staff to ensure they are clear about their roles and responsibilities 22/03/2016

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Due Date

 improve the arrangements for monitoring children's progress to include how well different groups of children are achieving and identify and close any achievement gaps. 08/03/2016

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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

 embed the arrangements for supervision to secure the links between monitoring teaching, staff training and practice.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact on children's learning both indoors and outside.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to during the inspection.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager to discuss how she drives improvement, monitors the quality of practice and supports the staff team.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager to assess the quality of teaching.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The manager has made some improvements to the pre-school and has an accurate of view of what needs to be done next. Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have a secure knowledge of child protection and know what to do if they have concerns in order to promote children's welfare. Induction and supervision arrangements for staff have been recently reviewed. However, these have yet to be implemented for all staff. Systems to observe and monitor the quality of teaching have also been introduced. However, these arrangements do not yet ensure that appropriate targeted training and professional development opportunities are identified. Staff have benefitted from some recent training, but the impact of the training on the quality of teaching is not yet monitored. For example, training in the use of puppets is not yet being used consistently well to promote children's interest in books and stories.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff interact well with children. For example, they introduce new language and repeat words. This helps younger children in particular to develop their communication skills. They question children effectively to encourage them to express their ideas. Staff make good use of opportunities to promote and extend children's learning. For example, in the play shop children learn about number and the idea of needing a certain amount of coins to pay for their shopping. Staff know what older children can do and use this to help plan for the next steps in their learning. However, gaps in younger children's learning are not always clearly identified in the progress check. Consequently, appropriate intervention and support may not be accessed early enough.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Relationships with parents are positive overall. However, systems to share information with parents of younger children do not ensure they have a clear knowledge of how well their children are progressing or what their child needs to learn next. Children are confident and show good levels of self-esteem. They willingly take on roles within the pre- school such as preparing snacks, which helps with their independence. Children develop close bonds with key staff responsible for meeting their needs and this promotes their emotional wellbeing. Staff are caring and take an interest in what children have to say and do. New and younger children settle well into the routine because staff take time to get to know them and their families.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children concentrate as they engage in activities and are generally absorbed in their play. They enjoy expressing their ideas as they explore paint on their hands and talk about the colours they have made. Overall children were observed to make steady progress, but systems to monitor this are new and not yet fully effective. Staff do not yet monitor how well groups are achieving to ensure that all children make as much progress as they possibly can and are ready for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY425284 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 1034234 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Sarah Jayne Boucher Date of previous inspection 10 September 2015 Telephone number 07766913026

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Setting details

Courtyard Preschool registered in 2011 under new private ownership. The pre-school has been on the current site in the Courtyard Youth Centre in Bicester, for over 40 years. The intake of children is from the local area and accommodation consists of a playroom and facilities within the centre. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 38 children on roll in the early years age range. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. It opens in school term times, on weekdays from 9.10am to 2.50pm. There is an optional lunch club and some children attend for the full day. Support is offered to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff currently support children for whom English is an additional language. The pre-school employs seven members of staff, six of whom hold 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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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