St Ronans Pre-school

St Ronans Pre-school 1 Kings Square, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3QE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 January 2017 30 June 2014

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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3

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Some staff are not consistently effective in their observations of children's play and achievements. They do not identify clear next steps in children's learning and use these to plan challenging activities. Not all children make as much progress as they could.  Staff sometimes miss opportunities to support children's learning priorities, such as through spontaneous play. The information about what each child needs to learn next is not routinely shared with staff.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff provide a safe and welcoming environment. Children build good relationships with staff and one another, and behave well.  Children enjoy opportunities to be active outdoors every day, as part of adopting a healthy lifestyle.  Effective partnerships with parents and other professionals help staff to support children with additional needs well. For example, the special educational needs co- ordinator is proactive in exchanging information with external agencies to agree on individual development plans.  Management values the views of staff, parents and children to help to improve children's experiences. For example, staff have re-arranged the layout of the room to increase children's play opportunities, particularly in their imaginative play.

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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 staff's understanding of observation and assessment to ensure that every child's learning needs are planned for effectively. 11/03/2017

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Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 develop methods for sharing information between staff to help them promote children's learning priorities more consistently.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's activities and staff's interaction with them inside and outside.  The inspector talked to the manager, staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector looked at a sample of documents, which included the safeguarding policy and children's progress records.  The inspector took account of parents' views, obtained in person.  The inspector carried out a joint observation and an interview with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The manager has made several improvements since taking on the role, which includes planning activities according to children's interests. However, this is still relatively new and is not yet effective for all children. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child. They keep their knowledge up to date through training. The manager is developing various ways to support staff in their professional development. For example, she encourages them to extend their knowledge through training, such as how to support all children's language development more effectively.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff's understanding of how to use their observations of children's play and achievements is inconsistent. For example, some observations are not purposeful or informative and are not effective in helping staff support children to make better progress. Children have various opportunities to learn through play and exploration. For example, they use their senses to explore a wide range of materials, such as foam, water, mud and dough. Staff provide a good range of books; some children enjoy stories and listen well. Overall, staff interact positively with the children as they join in their activities, but miss opportunities to provide sufficient challenge to support their learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are keen to take part in a broad range of activities. Staff provide a good range of play equipment and resources that children can select independently to extend their play and learning. Children know what is expected of them through familiar routines and explanations. Staff help children to understand people's differences and encourage sharing and kindness. Staff regularly praise children, which helps to boost their self-esteem and confidence. Staff encourage children to practise good habits for caring for their bodies and enable them to make choices from nutritious food options.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children learn some skills that help them prepare for starting school. For example, some children confidently relate to other people and make their needs known. Children become increasingly independent in caring for themselves, such as in using the toilet without help and managing their clothes. However, not all children are consistently challenged to help them make good progress in all areas of learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 139364 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 1068509 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 25 Number of children on roll 45 Name of registered person St Ronans Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 30 June 2014 Telephone number 01308 422128

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reference number

St Ronan's Pre-school registered in 1999. The group is run by a board of trustees. It operates from two rooms within a building in the centre of the town of Bridport, Dorset. The pre-school opens five days a week during school term times, from 8.45am to 3.15pm. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. The pre-school employs eight staff who work with the children, most of whom hold early years 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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