Sandford Pre-School

Sandford Pre-School 14 Blundellsands Road, West Blundellsands, Liverpool, L23 6TF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 June 2016 5 June 2015

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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

 Leaders have enhanced the learning environment, teaching, planning and assessment, which has improved outcomes for children. Leaders have worked effectively with the local authority since the previous inspection and all requirements are now met.  Prior to starting at the pre-school, children receive a lovely book of photographs of staff and of the pre-school. This helps them to settle in quickly. Before they start school, they receive a similar book about their new teacher and classroom. The teacher visits to meet the children and to discuss their assessments with staff, so children do not lose any learning time when they start school.  Children’s emotional well-being is carefully nurtured. For example, leaders have borrowed specialist equipment to help children going into hospital to get used to the equipment by using it on soft toys and acting out their feelings during role play.  Staff work effectively with parents and external professionals to support children,

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This provision is good

including children with specific needs. For example, they devise individual care and learning plans together to meet children’s needs and interests.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Leaders do not use the wealth of assessment information they collect to check that gaps in achievement between different groups of children are closing. This includes groups of children who receive additional funding or support to help them catch up.  Although behaviour is good, at times the one main room used by children gets too noisy. This makes it difficult for children to listen carefully to adults and to one another.

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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

 develop effective systems to show how any gaps in achievement are narrowing for those children considered to be at risk of not achieving as well as their peers and use this information to help these groups of children to catch up  continue to check and adjust the volume of background noise in the room in order to help children to be able to listen carefully to adults and each other.

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Inspection activities

 Her Majesty's Inspector (HMI) observed the quality of teaching during activities in all areas of the pre-school, including the outdoor area.  HMI held meetings with the two joint-managers. She also spoke with a Reception teacher from one of the schools near the pre-school, with parents, staff and children.  HMI carried out two joint observations with one of the managers.  HMI reviewed evidence of staff's qualifications, training and suitability. She looked at the self-evaluation form and supervision records.  HMI tracked two children and viewed their assessments. She sampled other assessments including the two-year-old progress checks. HMI sampled policies and procedures, including those supporting safeguarding and risk assessment. She looked at a sample of information shared with parents including accident records.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Leaders have set their staff team high expectations and the team share a strong commitment to improve further. Staff receive supervision and feedback to help them develop. Leaders encourage staff to access extensive training offered by the local authority in order to enhance their teaching and build on their qualifications. This greatly benefits children's learning. Leaders identified weaknesses in the children’s communication and mathematical skills. They therefore trained some staff as language and mathematical development champions to make sure children are secure in these skills before entering school. Staff streamlined resources and made the main room a much more attractive and useful learning environment. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have updated their training recently on the latest government safeguarding initiatives, including information about safe use of the internet. They know how to identify and refer concerns about children or

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

adults, which helps them to protect children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children’s are confident learners, well prepared to start school. Their knowledge of early science is enriched as they investigate magnets and the properties of ice and water. They talk confidently about the insects, snails and beetles they examine. They develop the muscles and skills needed to support their early writing in 'dough gym' and 'funky fingers' programmes. Occupational therapists visiting the setting were so impressed by this that they included these strategies into some children's individual learning plans. Children express themselves creatively as they paint, sing, and independently act out favourite rhymes, confidently using props. Parents confirm that the assessments of children's abilities are accurate and shared regularly to help parents support children’s learning at home. Staff plan activities which help children to achieve well and they work sensitively as a team to extend children's learning. For example, when one staff member noticed

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

children enjoying an outdoor story time in the newly refurbished shed, sheltering from the pouring rain, she took out more books and a snack, to enhance the story time even more.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children assess their own risks well as they confidently climb and balance on a 'bouncy' tree. They develop healthy habits, such as eating a variety of fruit, sometimes linked to stories which teach them about children’s lives in other countries. They learn that exercise is good for their hearts and they manage their own hygiene needs independently. The key person system helps children to feel emotionally safe and secure. Although children behave well, at times the noise level in the room is too loud. This is sometimes the happy buzz of excited children, but is sometimes due to avoidable background noise. This is especially relevant given the number of children with speech and language delay.

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Outcomes for children are good

Most children leave the pre-school working comfortably within the levels typically seen in children of their age. They have good early writing and counting skills and can name and match shapes. Staff provide resources worth exploring and talking about, which is helping children to develop the enquiring attitude and language skills needed to do well in school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY252767 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 1037846 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 20 Number of children on roll 32 Name of provider Sandford Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 5 June 2015 Telephone number 07761 241 064 and 0151 924 4769

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Setting details

Sandford Pre-School in the Blundellsands area of Sefton, Merseyside, was registered in 1966. It is run by a voluntary committee. The pre-school employs seven members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications, including one with Qualified Teacher Status and two staff with Foundation degrees in Early Years Leadership and Practice. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The setting also receives additional funding in the form of the Early Years Pupil Premium, although no children were in receipt of this funding at the time of the inspection.

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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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