Priory Pre-School

Priory Pre-School Priory School, Queensway, Weston-Super-Mare, Avon, BS22 6BP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13 September 2016 Not applicable

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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 strong management team has highly effective systems to monitor children's progress and accurately identify any gaps in learning. Management uses rigorous self- evaluation to review the provision, implement improvements and keep standards extremely high.  The manager ensures that staff have extensive opportunities to attend training, develop their excellent practice and enhance outcomes for children. For example, staff have reviewed the way they speak to children and now give them more time to process questions, think and respond.  The special educational needs coordinator has an excellent knowledge of her responsibilities. She works extremely well with parents and outside agencies to help ensure children receive any additional support needed to swiftly close gaps in learning.  Staff have high expectations and help children to believe that they can achieve. Staff gain extensive information from parents on children's abilities when they start. They

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This provision is outstanding

use this information and their meticulous observations highly effectively to help plan challenging activities that motivate children. Children make excellent progress from their starting points.  Children thrive at the pre-school. Staff meet their physical and emotional needs exceptionally well. Children's behaviour is excellent and they have high self-esteem. Staff are highly sensitive in helping children to understand their feelings and manage any conflict. For example, children agree to use a sand timer to help share resources fairly.

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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

 explore further ways to encourage parents to access the available information on children's assessments more frequently, to further enrich learning at home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and the quality of teaching indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke with parents, children and staff. She carried out a joint observation and discussions with the manager in relation to observations of the children's play, learning and progress.  The inspector held a meeting with the headteacher of the school, the pre-school manager and the play leader, and took account of their self-evaluation.  The inspector checked safeguarding information and the safety of the premises.  The inspector sampled documentation, including policies and procedures, children's development records and planning.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. The manager trains all staff in having a very strong knowledge of the procedures to follow should a child be at risk of harm. Staff are vigilant in keeping children safe, including dealing with children's specific medical needs. The play leader works directly with the staff and children. She provides extensive support and ensures that staff use their qualifications to provide high-quality teaching. Staff engage in informative daily discussions with parents to help them be highly consistent in children's care. They send home information on children's next stages of learning each term and hold biannual meetings. They inform parents that they can access their children's development records at any time to support learning at home further, although not all parents do.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff are exemplary role models for children, and this has a significant impact on their attitudes to learning new skills. For example, staff demonstrate that they need to find things out and that there is more than one way of doing things. They help children to review what went wrong to help them have a better understanding next time. Staff expertly follow children's lead, sparking their enthusiasm so that learning is long lasting. For example, children eagerly wanted to find out what happens to paper if left in the rain. Staff supported them extremely well in experimenting with different types of paper and noticing the differences. Staff help children exceptionally well in predicating and testing their ideas. For example, children suggested that pouring water down a tube would dislodge a ball that was stuck. When that did not work they tried a greater volume of water until they succeeded.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff engage children in highly successful ways to get to know each other and build very strong relationships. Children new to the pre-school settle extremely quickly and take an active role in all activities. Staff provide an inspirational and rich learning environment. They encourage children to think about the resources they need, make independent choices and use them in their own way. Children gain an excellent awareness of having a safe and healthy lifestyle. For example, they stop what they are doing when staff call out 'danger, danger'; children say what the hazard is and what needs to be done about it.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are highly confident, self-motivated and prepared exceptionally well for their future learning. For example, boys enjoy practising their early writing skills, enthusiastically using water and paintbrushes. Children recognise their names and use mathematical skills throughout their play. Children listen extremely well to instructions and concentrate fully, such as during group stories. They work exceptionally well as a team. For example, they lay pipes in a line to see how far they can make water travel.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY362385 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 1072528 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 56 Number of children on roll 46 Name of registered person Priory Community School Governing Body

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01934 511411

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reference number

Priory Pre-School re-registered in 2007. It is located in a self-contained unit within Priory Community School in Weston-super-Mare, Avon. The school management team manages the provision. The pre-school operates every weekday, from 9am to 3.45pm, during term time only. There are nine members of staff, including the manager. Of these, one holds an early years qualification at level 5 and seven hold a qualification at level 3. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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

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

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