Saint James Pre-School

Saint James Pre-School St. James School, Guildford Road, COLCHESTER, CO1 2RA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 May 2016 26 November 2015

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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

 The committee, manager and staff are committed to providing children with high- quality care and education. The manager continually monitors the pre-school to robustly check on the quality of the provision. The actions and recommendations raised at the last inspection have been successfully addressed.  The well-qualified staff have a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They have a good awareness of children's individual needs and plan a wide range of activities linked to children's interests and abilities. The environment is exciting and stimulating for all children. Children make good progress in their learning.  Children benefit from being cared for by a friendly and caring staff team in a welcoming environment. Staff work closely with parents to support children to settle well.  Staff work in close partnership to support all children. They communicate regularly with other settings that children attend. They share information with other professionals

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This provision is good

when necessary, so that children are fully supported in their care and learning needs.  Children have good opportunities to discover and learn about the world around them. For example, staff plan outings to the library and walks in the local environment to the river. Children learn about each other's similarities and differences, other cultures and ways of life outside of their own experiences.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although partnerships with parents are good overall, staff do not consistently gather precise information about what children are learning at home, in order to be able to better complement their learning in the setting.  At times, staff miss opportunities to extend children's thinking skills to higher levels.

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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

 build on the existing good partnerships with parents to encourage them to share more information about their child's learning and development at home, so that this can be taken into account when planning for children's future learning  enrich children's thinking skills to higher levels, giving them more time to think about and formulate their own responses to questions that arise from their play and learning.

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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 spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the pre-school manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the pre-school manager and spoke with the provider. She looked at relevant documentation, including the pre-school's self-evaluation, records of children's learning and development, a selection of policies and procedures and risk assessments.  The inspector checked the evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff.  The inspector spoke to a small number of parents during the inspection, took account of their views, and looked at comments expressed in feedback questionnaires.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Staff are fully aware of what to do should they have any concerns about children's welfare. There are robust procedures in place to recruit staff, and assess the suitability of committee members including obtaining the required Disclosure and Barring Service checks. The manager effectively monitors staff performance. Staff take every opportunity to attend further training to extend their knowledge and acquire new skills. They share their new learning within the staff team. This contributes towards effective changes in practice and helps to promote good outcomes for children. Staff routinely track the progress children make. They update parents regularly on their children's progress and advise them how they can support their children's learning at home. There are good systems in place for monitoring the progress of groups of children. Any gaps in learning are quickly identified and addressed. Additional

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

funding is spent effectively to help to promote the development of children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children experience a wide range of opportunities to learn across all areas, both indoors and outside. They are extremely motivated and eager to learn through play. Staff get to know children well and are very responsive to their individual needs. They get down on children's level as they play alongside each other. Children enjoy taking part in adult-led activities. For example, they take part in small-group cooking activities. Staff interact purposefully with children to support their learning and development. They skilfully adapt their teaching skills to accommodate different abilities. For example, they use a wide range of strategies, such as sign language and picture cards, to support children's communication and language skills. Staff also support children who speak English as an additional language, to use their home language as well as English in their play.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff are good role models. They offer regular praise throughout the sessions. This enables children to develop their sense of self-esteem and confidence. Staff are calm and provide clear guidance for children about what is acceptable behaviour. Staff conduct robust risk assessments of the environment and outings. They are vigilant and carry out daily checks on the premises to ensure that all areas used by children are safe and suitable. Children enjoy a range of healthy snacks. They have daily opportunities to be active in the spacious outdoor play area. This helps to promote their good health and supports their physical well-being. Staff support children effectively to be prepared for their move on to school. They arrange for teachers to visit children at the pre-school.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop key skills in readiness for when they start school. They learn how to share and take turns, and have many opportunities to develop their early writing skills. Children develop a practical sense of responsibility as they happily carry out tasks in the pre-school, such as preparing snack and tidying away toys and resources. They become more independent as they select their own plate and cup at snack time, and pour their own drinks. All children make good progress given their starting points and capabilities.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY390889 Local authority Essex Inspection number 1033852 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 39 Name of registered person Saint James' Pre-School Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 26 November 2015 Telephone number 07765029987

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reference number

Saint James Pre-School was registered in 2009. The pre-school employs seven members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including one with early years professional status. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 8.45am until 11.45am. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, sessions also run from 12.30pm until 3.30pm, with a lunch club from 11.45am until 12.30pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children. It supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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