St Loys Preschool

St Loys Preschool St Loys Church of England Academy Primary School, Milthorpe Road, Weed Lois, Towcester, NN12 8PP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 April 2016 29 February 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

 The staff team is highly ambitious. Staff work tirelessly towards achieving the highest standards of care and education. Continuous evaluation and improvement, together with participation in training, enables staff to successfully build on the exceptional provision and improve outcomes for children.  Children benefit from excellent partnerships that exist between the pre-school and the adjacent school. Children frequently use some of the school facilities. This supports them when they move on to school as the environment is familiar to them.  The pre-school has developed superb partnerships with parents. Staff welcome and respect parents' contributions to their children's learning at the pre-school. The highly consistent approach and effective communication mean that children's needs are met very well.  Staff have outstanding teaching skills. They understand how children learn and use this knowledge to ensure that they are highly responsive towards children's learning needs.

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This provision is outstanding

 Staff gather detailed information about what children already know and can do at home. They make regular and precise assessments of their learning. This enables them to plan activities that motivate children and provide them with appropriate challenges for their next steps in learning.  Children develop very close attachments to staff, who understand when children need comfort and reassurance. Staff successfully nurture the development of children's confidence and sense of self-esteem through their calm, caring and reassuring manner.  Children's excellent behaviour is reinforced by positive praise from the staff. Children are helped to understand the importance of using good manners and to show care, respect and tolerance towards each other. They learn to share the resources to take turns in their games and wait patiently until there is a space at the snack bar.

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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

 enhance the already successful organisation of large-group activities, ensuring that every child taking part is well prepared and gets the best learning experience possible.

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Inspection activities

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

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Children and their families are enthusiastically welcomed into this warm, friendly and inspiring pre-school. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The manager and her staff have an in-depth understanding of how to manage any child protection concerns. The manager has robust procedures in place for the recruitment of staff. She monitors their ongoing performance through regular supervision meetings. The manager values the opinions of staff. For instance, she is currently taking into account their views on ways to enhance large-group activities to provide greater benefit for younger children. This team based approach actively contributes to the excellent motivation of the highly skilled staff. Parents, without exception, speak of the wonderful care and learning experiences that their children receive. They state that they are exceptionally well informed of their children's progress and feel positively included in their learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Children flourish in this inspiring and exciting learning environment. They freely choose from the extensive range of resources, and staff skilfully support them in their discovery, exploration and play. For example, staff follow the interest that children show in a fly on a window sill. They place the fly in a container so that the children can look at it more closely with a magnifying glass. Children count the fly's legs and marvel at the transparency of its wings. Staff ensure that children's learning is continuously extended. Children become highly engaged as they observe the blending of food colours that they have carefully dropped onto damp paper towels. This follows an activity that they enjoyed the previous day when they mixed different paint colours in puddles in the outside area. Staff support children to be effective communicators. They talk to them as they play, introducing new words to extend their vocabulary. Children chat with staff as they create a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

shopping list of their favourite foods by making marks on a piece of paper. Older children participate in small-group activities, such as playing games and learning rhymes to support their developing literacy skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children settle extremely quickly into the pre-school. Every effort is made by staff to ensure that children are offered a settling-in procedure that is very carefully tailored to suit their particular needs. Children have a wealth of opportunities to do things for themselves. They serve their own snacks, which are healthy and nutritious. Children are involved in deciding the pre-school's rules. This helps them to learn about keeping themselves safe. The outdoor area and well-planned use of the school hall provide children with wonderful opportunities to develop their physical skills.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are provided with an exceptional range of activities that enthuses their desire to learn. They are making rapid progress in their learning in relation to their starting points. Very effective strategies are put in place for any gaps in children's learning to ensure that these are closed rapidly. Children are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY435795 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 850241 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 17 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider Nicola Jane Carpenter Date of previous inspection 29 February 2012 Telephone number 07876106582

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Setting details

St Loys Preschool was registered in 2011. The pre-school employs four members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications, including two at level 5. The pre-school opens from 9am to 3.30pm, Monday to Thursday, during term time. 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

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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