St. Marys Pre-School

St. Marys Pre-School St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Hall Road, Ormskirk, Lancs, L40 9QE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 February 2017 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 Outstanding 1

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This provision is good

 The quality of teaching is good and at times, it is better than good. Staff know children well and have a good understanding of how they learn. Children make good progress in all aspects of their learning and development in readiness for school.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents receive regular feedback and summaries about their child's progress and development. They speak highly of the staff team. They comment that their children thoroughly enjoy their time at the pre-school.  Children's emotional well-being is of utmost importance. Staff are extremely attentive and offer an abundance of encouragement and praise. Children develop a strong sense of belonging and ownership of the pre-school.  Children delight in the wide range of enticing learning opportunities in the highly stimulating environment. They make independent choices about what they would like to play with from the extensive range of resources available.

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This provision is good

 The manager and staff are very ambitious and dedicated to providing the best quality provision they can for children. They carry out accurate evaluations of the pre-school to support their proactive drive for continued improvement.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The programme of professional development is not always highly targeted to ensure that the the quality of teaching is consistently outstanding.  Although the manager monitors the progress that individual children make, she has not yet made best use of the information to assess the progress made by different groups of children.

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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

 build on the programme of continuous professional development so that the quality of teaching is consistently outstanding  make best use of information gathered from tracking children's progress to identify progress made by different groups of children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the pre-school manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the pre-school manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre-school.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff know what to do if they have any concerns about a child's welfare, and the designated lead for safeguarding has a clear understanding of her responsibilities. Staff are vigilant and supervise the children well, ensuring that their safety and security are prioritised. Staff are well qualified and are effectively deployed in the environment to ensure that the children's needs are met at all times. There are secure safer recruitment procedures in place and ongoing suitability checks are completed to ensure that staff remain suitable to work with children. Staff have regular supervision meetings with the manager, and they are encouraged to attend additional training, which supports them to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff have a good understanding of how young children learn. Staff provide a good range of activities that is carefully matched to children's abilities and covers all areas of learning. These activities help to support children to be engaged and focused on what they are doing for periods of time. Staff gather information about what children already know and make accurate observations and assessments. Staff use these to plan for the children's individual next steps in their learning. Staff demonstrates good interactions with the children to support children's communication and language skills. For example, staff interact and teach children new words during activities. They encourage children to describe the different types of houses in which they live in. Children are developing key skills in literacy. For example, they can identify letters and enjoy listening to stories.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Support for children's personal, social and emotional development is at the centre of the ethos of the pre-school. Excellent relationships between staff, parents and children develop through a well planned settling-in process. Staff are exceptional role models who are always on hand to offer gentle praise and reassurance. Children understand the high expectations that staff have of their behaviour, which are displayed on the wall as a gentle reminder. Staff skilfully build children's confidence and self-esteem. For example, older children approach the younger, less experienced children to help and guide them in their play. Children's names are placed on a reward chart when they have helped other children who may be feeling sad or are on their own. Children enjoy being active. They develop great physical agility, as they relish the extensive outdoor experiences on offer.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make at least consistently good progress. They are well prepared for their next stage in learning and for school when the time comes. This includes those who are in receipt of additional funding. Children are active learners who shape their own learning experiences. Children show good levels of listening, concentration and interest as they construct houses with play dough and different natural materials. Early mathematical skills are emerging as children learn about numbers and size, for example, as they play build in the construction area. Strong links with the local school help to prepare children emotionally for starting school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY491390 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 1026832 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 23 Name of registered person St. Mary's Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01704 880626

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reference number

St Marys Pre-School was registered in 2015. The pre-school employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one member of staff at level 4. The pre-school opens from Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday term time only. Sessions are from 9am to 3.15pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, 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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