Little Elms Pre-School

Little Elms Pre-School VILLAGE HALL, Elmley Castle, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 3HW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 7 December 2016 15 January 2016

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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 Requires improvement Outcomes for children Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider does not demonstrate the capacity to drive forward the improvements that are needed to make sure good quality learning experiences are provided for children. Monitoring and self-evaluation are weak.  The quality of teaching is not consistently good because staff miss too many opportunities to promote children's development. Staff do not assess all children's progress effectively to ensure that they plan to meet their individual learning needs.  The youngest children often spend too much time engaged in solitary play where their communication and language development are not supported. Older children are not provided with enough challenge to help extend their emerging skills in writing.  Staff do not involve all parents sufficiently in children's learning. They do not use what parents know about their children to help make accurate assessments or to plan effectively.  Performance management arrangements for staff are not effective. Staff do not receive

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This provision is inadequate

ongoing supervision and monitoring that help them to reflect on and improve their teaching skills.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff provide children with a range of toys and resources that they enjoy playing with. The environment is suitability laid out so that children can easily make choices about what they would like to do.  Children appear happy and they quickly settle on arrival because they have formed strong bonds with staff, who provide them with care and affection.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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Due Date

 improve the quality of teaching, ensuring that children benefit from activities that are tailored to their individual needs and that support them to make consistently good progress in all aspects of their learning 27/01/2017

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Due Date

 improve the assessment of children's progress and rigorously monitor their ongoing development to inform the planning of activities that support their next steps in learning 27/01/2017

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Due Date

 gain more information from parents about all children's starting points on entry and engage all parents more effectively in their children's learning 13/01/2017

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Due Date

 establish an effective system of performance management for staff, to precisely identify and address where teaching can be improved 13/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the youngest children benefit from interactions that help to promote their communication and language skills to a good standard 13/01/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the oldest and most-able children have access to stimulating and challenging experiences that build on their developing skills in writing. 13/01/2017

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outside.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and discussed the impact of self- evaluation and monitoring.  The inspector looked at relevant documentation, such as evidence of the suitability of staff.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

The manager has not ensured that the areas of weakness raised at previous inspections have been successfully targeted. Although she is highly qualified, she demonstrates poor leadership and management skills because she is not addressing weaknesses in teaching that impact negatively on children's progress. Effective monitoring and evaluation have not been carried out. Consequently, children do not always benefit from being in an environment that promotes their ongoing learning and development. Staff do not benefit from performance management that is effective in supporting and developing their practice. As a result, on too many occasions staff do not enable all children's learning. Staff attend training that helps them to promote children's welfare. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The manager and staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities with regard to child protection. Appropriate policies and procedures are

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

implemented to help ensure children's overall safety.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

The quality of teaching is often not good enough. Although staff have positive interactions with children, these do not always facilitate learning. For example, staff miss opportunities to encourage children to develop their skills for writing, because when children show very good pencil control and a keen interest in writing, staff take over and write for them. On other occasions activities are not matched sufficiently to children's needs. Children who have different levels of ability are given the same instructions and prompts to complete the same task. Consequently, some do this easily because there is not enough challenge and others find it too difficult. Staff have begun to assess and monitor most children's progress. However, this is not consistent for all children and staff do not use the information gained to plan effectively or to help children make their next steps in learning. In addition, key persons do not involve parents sufficiently in children's learning. For

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

example, they do not support all parents to share detailed information about what children already know and can do when they first start, to help inform accurate assessments of their starting points for learning. This limits opportunities to plan effectively and to target children's learning from the outset. Although younger children appear happy, they spend too much time engaged in solitary play while the older or more confident children gain staff's attention. This limits opportunities for the youngest children to develop their speaking and listening skills. Nevertheless, the quality of teaching with regard to children's social skills and physical development is sufficient to secure some steady progress in these aspects of their learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Weaknesses within the provision impact on children's overall progress because experiences are not always tailored to meet children's individual learning needs. However, children enjoy their time at the pre-school because staff are tuned into children's care needs. For example, they understand that some children benefit from having familiar toys or items from home with them. They refer to these at registration time and offer other children the opportunity to pick a toy too. Children benefit from daily opportunities to run around freely in the fresh air, promoting their physical development. They take turns and share ride-on toys, excitedly roll cars down a track and explore the sand. Staff ensure that children are well supervised at all times. They promote acceptance of the children's similarities and differences.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Children, including those who receive funded education, do not have the opportunity to make the best possible progress. Continuing weaknesses in the quality of teaching mean that children's learning is not extended and challenged well enough. This impacts negatively on children's ability to gain the skills that they need to reach their full potential in readiness for school. However, children follow the daily routine and they are developing basic self-help skills. For example, they confidently pour their own drinks at snack time and sit sociably with their friends.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY469365 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 1037266 Type of provision Sessional 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 24 Number of children on roll 7 Name of registered person Little Elms Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 15 January 2016 Telephone number 07860 106486

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reference number

Little Elms Pre-School was registered in 2013. The pre-school employs two members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 6 and one at level 3. The pre-school opens term time only, on a Wednesday from 9am until midday and from 9am until 3pm on other week days. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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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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