Castle Pre-School (Banbury)

Castle Pre-School (Banbury) Broughton And North Newington Sports Club, North Newington Road, Banbury, OX15 6AA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 November 2016 Not applicable

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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

 Staff effectively use their ongoing observations and assessments of children's learning to support their progress in preparation for their move to school. All children progress well relative to their capabilities and starting points.  The nurturing staff are skilled at ensuring children have good levels of emotional well- being. Children behave well and the staff celebrate their positive behaviour. Children learn to help each other, for example, as they enjoy being the helper of the day.  Key persons ensure that parents are actively involved in their children's learning and care. This helps parents extend their children's learning at home.  The managers accurately evaluate the provision. They consider the views of parents, children and the local authority adviser to identify what is working well and any areas that are in need of further development. This helps them make improvements that positively affect children's outcomes.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 On occasions, staff do not provide younger children with the highest levels of challenge to build on what they know and can do, to extend their learning further.  Staff do not consistently enable children to follow their own creative ideas to further develop their expressive art and design skills.

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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

 improve the already good teaching to offer more opportunities for younger children to think as they play and explore, to extend their learning even further  make the most of opportunities for children to follow their own creative choices to further encourage their expressive art and design skills.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interactions with the children, and viewed the toys, resources and equipment.  The inspector held discussions with the managers, staff and children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector checked evidence of safeguarding practices, staff recruitment, staff training and professional development, and the evaluation process. The inspector looked at children's records, and discussed how staff assess children's progress.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Both managers have many years' experience of working with children and families. Safeguarding is effective. Managers ensure all staff are familiar with the appropriate safeguarding policy and know the procedures to follow in the event of any concerns for children's welfare. The managers regularly monitor the effectiveness of the provision. For example, they effectively evaluate safety in the setting in many ways. Robust security procedures, risk assessments and well organised deployment of staff keep children safe and well supervised. For example, there are sufficient locks and staff monitoring on doors to ensure children may not leave the premises unnoticed. The manger provides good support and professional development for staff to maintain good practice and teaching. They ensure key persons establish good continuity for children's care and learning such as by information sharing with any other settings children attend. Managers check the

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

development of all children to ensure any gaps in their progress are quickly addressed.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff support children's communication and language skills well. For example, they speak clearly to younger children, ask older children questions about their play and introduce new words such as 'courgette'. Age-appropriate books are readily available for all children and children enjoy listening to stories that staff animatedly tell. Older children suggest story endings as they develop good early reading skills. Staff help children explore their understanding of the world in many ways. For example, children explore their understanding of different roles and jobs, and they grow their own vegetables and use magnifying glasses to look for changes. Older children who are progressing onto school benefit from good opportunities to focus on early reading, writing and mathematics.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff get to know children and their physical and emotional needs well. They ensure children are confidant and motivated to learn. Staff support children well in learning about healthy lifestyles. For example, children talk about healthy eating and take responsibility for their own care needs, relevant to their ages. Children benefit from plenty of outdoor learning. They are physically active and enjoy exploring the garden area. Children learn to value the beliefs of others and celebrate different festivals.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop a good understanding of safety, such as learning to use the woodwork materials safely. All children develop good skills for future learning and in readiness for the move on to school. For example older children learn to count and recognise numbers and their printed names. Two-year-old children learn to ask questions and listen to replies. Children enjoy their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY482723 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 1077366 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 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 29 Name of registered person Castle Pre-School (Banbury)

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07963 046219

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reference number

Castle Pre-School (Banbury) opened in 1973. It re-registered in 2014 due to a change in legal entity. It is situated in North Newington, Oxfordshire. The pre-school is open each weekday between 9am and midday. It also opens on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons between 1pm and 3.30pm, during school term time. The pre-school also runs a lunch club every day between midday and 1pm. Additional care is provided for up to two weeks during the summer holiday period, between 10am and 1pm, depending on demand. The provider employs six staff, including two managers, to work directly with the children. One manager holds a foundation degree in early years and three other staff hold appropriate early years qualifications 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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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. 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

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

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