Steventon Pre-School

Steventon Pre-School St Michaels Way, Steventon, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 6BA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 October 2016 6 November 2013

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The procedures to check that all staff are suitable to work with children are not robust enough. There are some missing checks and this compromises children's safety.  Some staff do not have an up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues, in order to effectively support children's welfare. This means they may not act promptly enough, or take the relevant action, if they were concerned about a child.  Staff lack confidence in planning for children's learning. They do not accurately check that each child is making progress, or plan activities which they know will challenge children and help them to learn.  Senior staff do not monitor how well staff support children's learning. As a result, the quality of teaching is inadequate.  The management team has failed to notify Ofsted about changes to the management committee. This means relevant checks have not been carried out. Children's safety is compromised and the legal requirements of the early years foundation stage are not

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This provision is inadequate

met.  Staff do not identify all hazards within the environment in order to keep children safe.

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It has the following strengths

 Children develop their independence and begin to learn how to look after themselves. For example, they find their names to register their attendance, wash their hands prior to eating and learn to put on their shoes before playing outside.  Staff are kind and caring, which helps the children to feel settled and secure.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to:

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Due Date

 ensure that any staff who have not completed checks to assess their suitability, do not have unsupervised access to children 04/11/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that all staff have an up to date knowledge of safeguarding issues to enable them to identify signs that children are at risk of harm at the earliest opportunity and respond in a timely way 04/11/2016

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Due Date

 improve understanding of the early years foundation stage, in particular the requirement to notify Ofsted of any changes to persons comprising the individuals who are members of the pre- school's governing body 04/11/2016

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Due Date

 improve procedures for identifying and removing risks to children, in order that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure children are not exposed to hazards in the outside play area 04/11/2016

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Due Date

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 improve the monitoring of children's learning by using the information obtained from parents and other settings children may attend to identify what children can do and plan suitable activities to challenge them and help them to make good or better progress 30/11/2016

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Due Date

 make sure senior staff monitor the quality of teaching and take action to improve it, including helping staff to accurately plan for children's learning and assess their progress. 30/11/2016

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact this has on children's learning, both inside and outside.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager to evaluate the quality of teaching.  The inspector had a meeting with the committee chairperson and deputy manager to discuss the leadership arrangements of the pre-school.  The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including planning and assessment records, policies and procedures and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre-school.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector spoke to members of staff, the setting's administrator and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding arrangements are not effective. Recruitment practices are not robust. Staff work unsupervised with children before reference checks have been obtained. This puts children at risk. Although staff attend supervision meetings and complete training, the management team does not review the impact of this on staff practice. For example, despite completing training, some staff do not understand all aspects of safeguarding, including the wide-ranging indicators that a child may be at risk of harm. Senior staff do not check on the quality of teaching, so weak practice is not identified and improved. Senior staff do not monitor the progress individual children are making. This means any gaps in children's learning are not picked up early so that additional support can be offered. The management committee has a poor understanding of its responsibilities and has failed to notify Ofsted of significant changes.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

The quality of teaching is poor. Some planned activities are chaotic, as too many children try to access the resources and materials at once and means staff cannot support learning effectively. Weaknesses in assessment limit the progress children make. Staff do not liaise with the other early years settings some children attend, in order to share information about what each child can do. Parents are invited to contribute their observations of their child's prior achievements, before they start in the setting. They are invited to share 'wow' moments they have experienced with their child and to support their child in completing 'maths challenges' at home. However, this information is not used effectively by the staff to accurately identify children's individual progress or plan for their future learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Children's safety is compromised because staff are not vigilant in completing rigorous risk assessments of the outside play area, to identify and manage hazards. For example, there were discarded, dirty items of cloth, paper and plastic toy parts accessible to the children on the day of the inspection. Despite these weaknesses, the premises are secure. The carefully arranged displays of children's artwork help to create a welcoming environment. Children behave well. Parents are complimentary about the staff and their caring ethos. Children help themselves to a varied menu of nutritious snacks. This helps them to gain an awareness of healthy food choices.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Poor quality teaching means children are not sufficiently challenged or expected to express themselves fully in order to develop their language and communication skills. For example, staff ask children what ingredients they need to make a cake and then immediately tell them the answer, without giving children the chance to respond. This has a negative impact on children's learning and the progress they make. Poor leadership means funding is not used effectively to improve teaching. As a result, children are not well prepared for the next stage in their development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 133410 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 1073630 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 3 - 4 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 25 Name of registered person Steventon Pre-School Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 6 November 2013 Telephone number 01235 820878

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reference number

Steventon Pre-School registered in 1990. It is managed by a voluntary committee of parents and carers. The pre-school is situated in the village of Steventon, adjacent to the local primary school. It is registered on the Early Years Register. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The pre-school opens during term time on Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 3pm. The pre-school employs nine members of staff. The manager holds a level 5 qualification and four members of staff hold childcare qualifications at level 3.

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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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