Wethersfield Preschool

Wethersfield Preschool The Pavillion Playing Field, Hedingham Road, Wethersfield, Braintree, Essex, CM7 4EQ

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 June 2016 11 January 2016

p.1

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

p.1

This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Although many improvements have been made since the last inspection, the quality of teaching is not yet consistently good. Staff are not always effectively deployed to promote high-quality interactions and support children's learning throughout each session.  Staff do not take every opportunity to extend all children's pre-reading and early writing skills. They also sometimes rush conversations and do not consistently give all children sufficient time to think for themselves, share their thoughts and develop their own ideas.  Staff do not consistently check that the toilet facilities are clean and welcoming to children.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 Children are happy as they play. They confidently leave their parents and seek out their friends to join them in an activity when they arrive.  Staff understand the importance of working in partnership with parents and with other professionals to promote individual children's welfare and development.  Effective systems are in place for communication with the local primary schools. The staff attend transition meetings, teachers visit the pre-school, and joint events, such as sports days, are held. This helps children to move smoothly on to the next phase in their education.  Parents say they are happy with the pre-school and speak positively about the staff team. They are consulted about their views and any suggestions are valued and acted on.

p.1

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:

p.2

Due Date

 improve the quality of teaching and ensure that staff are more effectively deployed and can focus on supporting children's learning and development throughout each session 01/09/2016

p.2

Due Date

 ensure that the toilet facilities are consistently clean, welcoming for children and suitably meet hygiene requirements. 01/09/2016

p.2

Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

p.2

Due Date

 extend opportunities for all children to develop their pre-reading and early writing skills  support staff in giving children more time to think for themselves, share their thoughts and develop their own ideas.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor learning environments and looked around the premises.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held discussions at appropriate times with the manager, representatives from the committee, staff and children.  The inspector viewed a sample of the children's development records.  The inspector saw evidence of the suitability of the staff and committee members, self- evaluation, qualification certificates, risk assessment and policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from their responses to surveys organised by the pre-school.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Children are now protected by the robust recruitment and vetting procedures. All staff have been cleared as suitable to work with the children. Committee members also now complete the relevant checks. The manager and staff have a clear knowledge of safeguarding procedures underpinned by recent training. They know who they need to contact if they have concerns about the welfare of a child. The performance of staff is monitored through observations, supervision meetings and appraisals to enhance their practice through honest and critical reflection. Staff overcome the constraints of using a community premises generally well. The security of children is given a high profile and any visitors are closely monitored. However, staff do not always rigorously check the cleanliness of the premises prior to use. Nevertheless, they appropriately act when any omissions are pointed out to minimise the

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The well-qualified staff have a sound understanding of how young children learn. Assessment records are consistent in quality and staff identify children's learning priorities. However, activities are not always tailored to children's individual needs and they are not consistently encouraged to learn as much as they can. Although the required staffing levels are always met, sometimes staff are not deployed effectively. At times, they are overly focused on dealing with domestic tasks, such as preparing food or tidying away equipment, rather than working directly with the children. Parents are made to feel very welcome. They become involved in their children's learning through providing items of interest linked to topics and themes. They also add their contributions about achievements at home to the learning journals. The pre-school has established helpful links with outside professionals who support children who have special educational needs or disability.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children are well behaved and staff are caring, calm role models. Resources which portray positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disabilities are used within everyday play. This helps to build children's self-confidence and helps them acquire a positive attitude towards others. Children learn to adopt healthy lifestyles and have many opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, children use the recreation field to learn ball skills and to practise for sports day. Staff encourage suitable hygiene practice and deal sensitively with toilet training. They promptly change children's clothes, when required. However, children do not consistently have a clean and reassuring environment where their personal care needs are managed.

p.3

Outcomes for children require improvement

Most children are making the expected progress from their starting points. They are beginning to develop the skills they need in readiness for starting school. However, not all children are making the progress they could in their literacy and communication due to the weaknesses in the quality of teaching. Nevertheless, children are eager and inquisitive. They enjoy taking part in new activities and doing things for themselves.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number 404874 Local authority Essex Inspection number 1036234 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 26 Name of registered person Wethersfield Preschool Committee

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 11 January 2016 Telephone number 07935 771835

p.4

reference number

Wethersfield Preschool was registered in 1984 and is run by a committee. The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff, all of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.

p.4

reference number

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

reference number

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

p.5