St Mark's Mini Mice Preschool Ltd

St Mark's Mini Mice Preschool Ltd Mini Mice Pre School, 7 Alton Road, Bournemouth, BH10 4AA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 February 2017 8 October 2013

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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 Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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

 Staff do not monitor children's development closely enough. They do not have clear information to help them to plan and provide activities that challenge and support children's learning consistently. Children do not make as much progress as possible.  The management team does not ensure that staff are deployed well to ensure they engage in children's play and extend children's learning through their interactions.  Although managers complete some monitoring of staff performance, this does not help them identify aspects of the provision that require improvement.  Weak organisation of the sessions sometimes means that children have limited space to play and are required to queue and wait. This restricts their opportunities for learning and reduces their enjoyment during these times.

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It has the following strengths

 Children settle well at the pre-school. Staff provide comfort and reassurance, helping children to feel safe and secure.  Parents are involved well in children's learning which helps staff to provide consistent support. They frequently exchange information to update staff on children's interests. Parents receive regular information about activities and are encouraged to borrow resources, to enable them to build on children's learning at home.  Recruitment procedures are effective and all staff complete the required checks to ascertain their suitability to work with children.

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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 procedures for monitoring children's progress and identifying the next steps in their learning, to ensure planned activities reflect children's individual learning needs and help all children to make good progress 21/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that staff are deployed more effectively to enable them to be more engaged in children's play and extend their learning. 21/04/2017

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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

 improve the monitoring of staff performance to help identify and address weaknesses in the quality of teaching  make better use of space and consider the organisation of routines, such as snack time, to increase opportunities for learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector completed a joint observation and held meetings at an appropriate time with the managers.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documents, and sampled welfare records.  The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, and reviewed the provider's self-evaluation document.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection, and engaged in discussions with staff and children at appropriate times.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective. Staff receive a thorough induction and clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. They undertake regular training, such as safeguarding and first aid which helps keep children safe. The managers carry out some monitoring and supervision of staff. However, this does not consistently identify weak practice or target support effectively to improve outcomes for children's learning. For example, weaknesses in how staff monitor children's progress have not been recognised by managers, and staff do not receive support to help them improve this aspect of the provision. Parents receive frequent information about how their children are getting on, and links are made with other professionals to help provide children with consistent support.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff are not deployed effectively to support and extend children's learning successfully. For example, children enjoy the role-play areas, but a lack of staff interaction with them limits the progress that children make. Staff encourage children to listen and follow instructions, such as at group times. They tell stories that aid children's awareness of letter shapes and sounds, providing some support for children's language skills. Staff do not monitor children's progress well enough to ensure the next steps in their learning identify the most important aspects of their development needs. Managers have recently introduced procedures for monitoring the progress of all children. However, these are not sufficiently embedded to identify gaps in children's learning and ensure these are effectively targeted and addressed.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff are very caring towards children, providing cuddles and reassurance to help children to settle well. They gently reinforce expectations regarding their behaviour, and support children in sharing and taking turns. Staff provide healthy snacks and remind children about effective hygiene routines, teaching them how to stay healthy. However, organisation of some routines does not benefit children's enjoyment and learning fully. For example, children spend time in a queue to wash their hands at the single sink and then queue for their snack.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children acquire some skills to prepare them for school, such as gaining independence when they pour their own drinks. Overall, children enjoy being at the pre-school. They learn to be respectful and helpful, such as joining in with tidy-up times to make sure areas are safe and free from hazards. However, the lack of interaction from staff during some activities, and the limited understanding staff have of the next steps in children's learning, limits their overall progress.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY319500 Local authority Bournemouth Inspection number 1061961 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 35 Name of registered person St. Mark's Mini Mice Pre-School Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 8 October 2013 Telephone number 07977141675

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reference number

St Mark's Mini Mice Pre-School registered in 2005. It operates from a church hall in the centre of Talbot Village, Bournemouth, in Dorset. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 9.15am until 12.15pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with an all-day session on Mondays from 9.15am to 3.15pm. A lunch club operates on a Tuesday and Friday from 12.15pm to 1.15pm. The pre-school receive funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years. A team of 10 staff work directly with the children, including the two owner/managers. The two managers are qualified to level 3 in childcare, and six of the remaining staff hold either teaching or childcare qualifications.

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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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