St Michaels Preschool

St Michaels Preschool St. Michaels Hall, Routh Lane, Tilehurst, Reading, RG30 4JY

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 January 2017 1 November 2016

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

p.1

This provision is good

 The committee and management team have significantly improved the provision since the last inspection. All staff understand their role and responsibility to safeguard children and meet their individual needs.  Staff consistently observe, track and check children's learning and development to ensure they all make ongoing progress. Outcomes for children are good.  Children are warmly greeted by the staff and enter the pre-school with confidence. Staff provide a good range of activities that interest and support children's ongoing learning and development.  Staff encourage children to share and take turns well. They talk effectively to children to develop their understanding of good behaviour.  Partnerships with parents are good. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's day. For example, they talk and meet regularly with parents to share their children's achievements.  Strong recruitment, induction and ongoing appraisal programmes are used to ensure all

p.1

This provision is good

staff working with children are confident and capable in their roles and safe to do so.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because:

 Children's knowledge and understanding of similarities and differences in people in the world around them are not as well supported as other aspects of their learning.  At times, staff miss opportunities to help children fully develop their writing skills.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 increase the ways in which children can develop their knowledge and understanding of the world further  create more opportunities for children to build on their early writing skills.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed children's involvement in activities within the pre-school and outside.  The inspectors looked at a sample of children's records and discussed these with staff.  The inspectors took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspectors looked at and discussed documentation in relation to safeguarding, risk assessments and daily attendance registers.  The inspectors undertook a joint observation with the manager.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Since the last inspection, the committee and staffing team have made some significant changes to improve the pre-school. For example, all staff have undertaken training on planning and assessment and now fully understand how to observe children's development to support learning outcomes. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a suitable understanding of their role and responsibility to safeguard children, including what to do if they have concerns about a child's welfare. Staff have positive relationships with other professionals involved in children's care, which helps them to maintain continuity in care. Self-evaluation is used effectively to help guide and shape the team's work to improve the overall care and education children receive.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

The management team reviews children's ongoing development well, to ensure all children have targeted learning to meet their individual needs. For example, the manager uses children's tracking records to assess their development and ensure all gaps in learning are minimised. Staff encourage children's communication and language skills well. For instance, they consistently ask children questions about their play and use questioning well throughout story times, to support children's speaking and listening skills. Children have good opportunities to be creative and use their imagination. For example, they pretend to make sandwiches for each other in the play kitchen and have fun as they push their dolls around the room pretending to get them to sleep.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff offer good support to children and help them to gain independence and social skills well. For example, children are encouraged to chat informally to their friends at mealtimes. Children behave well and staff support their developing understanding of safety well. For instance, as children explore with water staff talk to them about why it is important to mop up spills so their friends do not slip. Staff support children to learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, they begin discussions on healthy food choices while children share fruits at snack time. Staff encourage children to be physically active. All children have good opportunities to play outside.

p.3

Outcomes for children are good

All children progress well and are well prepared for their next stages in their learning. Children enjoy learning and being creative. For example, they enjoy exploring and experimenting with sand; filling and transferring sand between a variety of pots and containers. Children gain a good awareness of mathematical ideas and extend their knowledge of numbers and shapes, for example, as they discuss which pieces go together on puzzles.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number 509277 Local authority Reading Inspection number 1078004 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 30 Name of registered person St Michael's Playgroup Committee

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 1 November 2016 Telephone number 07594627139

p.4

reference number

St Michaels Preschool opened in 1965 and registered in 1992. It is located in the church hall of St Michaels Church in Tilehurst, near Reading. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday from 9.15am until 12.15pm during term time, with an optional lunch club on some days. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. A total of seven members of staff are employed to work with the children and they all hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least level 2.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.

p.4

reference number

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

reference number

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

p.5