Great Linford Village Pre- School

Great Linford Village Pre- School Memorial Hall, Marsh Drive, Great Linford, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK14 5AX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 October 2016 22 October 2015

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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 pre-school has breached many of the requirements of the statutory framework for the early years foundation stage. Many of the weaknesses identified at this inspection have been raised at previous inspections too.  Leaders have not ensured that Ofsted has up-to-date information regarding those that have legal responsibility for the pre-school.  Children's safety and well-being are not well protected. Managers and staff do not have an adequate knowledge and understanding of statutory and other government requirements put in place to promote children's welfare.  Staff do not have a secure understanding of how children learn. This means that children do not make the progress they should. Monitoring and supervision arrangements have not yet brought about the improvements needed in teaching.  Strategies to manage children's behaviour are not appropriate or in line with the pre- school's own policies and procedures.

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It has the following strengths

 The manager is enthusiastic. She has only recently taken up the post. She is ensuring that staff complete essential training; for example, food hygiene and paediatric first aid courses.  Most parents are pleased with the quality of the pre-school and have seen positive recent changes.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to:

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Due Date

 ensure that all staff have a sound understanding of safeguarding issues, policies and procedures in order to keep children safe 09/12/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that any safeguarding concerns about children are responded to in a timely and appropriate way 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 consider the safe use of social media and obtain parental permission for children’s photographs to appear on social media sites 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the designated lead for safeguarding is appropriately trained and has the knowledge and understanding to support, advise and guide other staff appropriately 09/12/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that the manager is aware of how to manage any allegations made against members of staff appropriately 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure staff understand matters that may affect their suitability to work with children, such as what may make them disqualified or disqualified by association 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that discussions with staff, including supervision meetings, lead to effective action being taken to address any concerns about children’s development or well-being 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that key person arrangements are effective so that concerns regarding children’s development and well-being are shared in an appropriate and prompt manner with parents 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that healthy eating is promoted within the pre-school and with parents 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that behaviour management strategies are age appropriate and in line with the pre-school’s own policies and procedures 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure information is gathered and recorded regarding who has parental responsibility for each child attending the pre-school 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that there is a record of children’s actual hours of attendance at the pre-school 09/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that Ofsted is advised about changes to the membership of the pre-school committee and the nominated individual as early as practicable and always within 14 days. 09/01/2017 To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 improve the quality of teaching to good or better through effective monitoring and supervision arrangements 10/03/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that accurate observation and assessment enables any gaps in the learning of children to be identified and addressed effectively so that all children, and groups of children, make good or better progress 10/03/2017

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Due Date

 improve partnerships with parents by involving them more effectively in their children's learning and development, taking into consideration those that do not use the internet or social media. 10/03/2017

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to some parents and took their views into account.  The inspector spoke to children and staff throughout the inspection.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager of the pre-school.  The inspector spoke to the previous and new chairperson of the committee.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector sampled documentation including policies, children's folders, supervision notes and suitability checks on staff and committee members.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

There is a lack of accurate self-evaluation within the pre-school. Leaders and managers of all levels have not been effective in identifying weaknesses in the quality of the provision. This has resulted in many breaches of statutory requirements. Safeguarding is not effective. For example, children's non-attendance is not followed up promptly enough and some staff are hesitant in approaching parents regarding sensitive matters concerning their children's welfare. This means that children are at risk of not being protected. The previous committee has not informed Ofsted of changes to its membership. This is an offence. Although it is very early days for the new manager, she is overly optimistic about the quality of teaching in the pre-school. Current arrangements to ensure that staff understand how to improve their practice are not fully effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Parents are not fully involved in their children's learning and development. For example, they do not routinely provide the information that staff need to carry out accurate assessments of children's learning. This lack of information about what children already like, know, and can do, means that there are weaknesses in the pre-school's planning. Activities are not sufficiently based on individual children's interests or on what they need to learn next. Although some interesting activities are planned, learning objectives are not always achieved. For example, no tools are provided to encourage children to make Halloween lanterns from pumpkins, despite the use of tools being one of the aims of the activity. Staff do join in with children's play, but they do not provide adequate challenge to ensure that children are learning. Staff interactions are kindly, but staff are not asking good quality questions to promote children's thinking. The staff do not introduce rich

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

vocabulary to extend children's communication and language skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Breaches in safeguarding and welfare requirements have a negative impact on staff's ability to keep children safe. Children are not encouraged to learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, there is more to do to ensure that parents provide healthy lunches for their children. Snacks and rewards provided for children by the pre-school are not always nutritious or appropriate. Children and families who may need some extra support are not always identified soon enough. This means that help is delayed and impacts on children's progress and readiness for school. Staff do praise children: each week there is a 'star of the week' award. However, staff do not always provide children with clear explanations about their behaviours, both positive and negative, to help them learn right from wrong. Some behaviour management strategies in the pre-school are not appropriate for these very young children.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Outcomes for children are hampered by ineffective teaching. Some children flit from one activity to another and do not engage in purposeful play. Children enjoy selecting resources, for example, when joining some magnetic train pieces together. Some activities are overly adult-directed which means children are not able to experiment freely. For example, staff help all children to make identical spiders as part of a craft activity, rather than allowing children to explore their own creative ideas.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 141811 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 1036763 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 24 Name of provider Great Linford Village Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 22 October 2015 Telephone number 07749 869688

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Setting details

Great Linford Village Pre-School registered in 1997. It is open from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Monday and Wednesday, from 9.30am to 12 noon on Tuesday and from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Thursday, during term time only. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are seven staff; of these, two hold a level 3 and one holds a level 2 childcare qualification.

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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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