Bowland Montessori Pre- School

Bowland Montessori Pre- School St. James C of E Primary School, Greenacre Street, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 1ED

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 March 2017 17 June 2014

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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 Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision is inadequate

 Risk to children's welfare is not always managed effectively during outdoor activities, including from hygiene risks. Staffing arrangements do not always promote children's needs and their safety, when outdoor activities are provided.  Staff who handle food have not had relevant training in food hygiene. Children do not receive consistently effective teaching which helps them to understand when and why handwashing contributes to their good health.  The procedures to support students or volunteers who have regular contact with children in the pre-school are not adequately robust or timely. They do not help them to maintain knowledge of all their roles and support children's welfare.  The progress check for children aged two to three years has not consistently been implemented for all children in this age range.  Some records are not correctly maintained or have all information that meets legal requirements. Reflection on the quality of provision is not sufficient to bring about

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This provision is inadequate

continuous improvement or check that all statutory requirements are implemented.

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It has the following strengths

 Parents are encouraged from the outset to exchange information about their children's learning to help plan for further progress. They praise the range of activities offered.  The manager and staff identify and act on some areas where training can help them to carry out their roles, such as for reporting possible abuse or neglect of children.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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Due Date

 ensure that risk is managed effectively when outdoor activities are provided for children, including minimising any hygiene risks 28/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children and promote their safety, including when outdoor activities are provided 28/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that staff handling and preparing food have had relevant training in food hygiene 28/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that an accurate record is held of children's daily hours of attendance 28/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that statutory requirements are met when recording information about the Disclosure and Barring service checks obtained for persons who work directly with children in the pre- school 28/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the induction process for any students or volunteers likely to have regular contact with children in the pre-school enables them to understand their roles and responsibilities and promote children's welfare 28/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the progress check for children aged two to three years is carried out for all children in this age range. 28/04/2017

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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 teaching to enable children to understand when and why handwashing contributes to their good health and hygiene  improve the precision with which practice is reflected on, checking that statutory requirements are met and bringing about continuous improvement in the quality of provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of practice during activities indoors and outside, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning and welfare.  The inspector spoke with staff, students 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, including evidence of checks on the suitability of staff and others working in the pre-school.  The inspector spoke to one parent during the inspection and took account of several parents' views in document form.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is not effective. Although staff have a secure knowledge of how to report any concerns about children's welfare, not all other adults who work unsupervised with children retain this from the induction process. In addition, as the other adults do not have a clear understanding of their roles, children are occasionally out of sight during outdoor play on the premises, increasing the risk of accidents. The management team's lack of detailed planning contributes to this. Information about emergency evacuation, safeguarding and safety is not always passed on in a timely manner before students begin to work directly with children, so that they have a secure knowledge of this from the outset. The manager has not identified shortcomings in required recordkeeping. For example, some dates are not recorded of when Disclosure and Barring Service checks were completed for all persons aged over 16 years working directly with children. The

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

record of attendance also only indicates whether children have been present in the pre- school and not the precise hours during which they have been cared for. The manager has addressed all actions previously raised by Ofsted. However, she has not made adequate checks that all other legal requirements are implemented to promote children's welfare.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The manager does not have a secure understanding of how to implement the progress check for children aged between two and three years. As a result, this was only carried out for funded children under the age of three years during this school year. However, regular accurate assessments are made of children's learning and summaries of their progress are shared with parents termly, so the impact of this is minimised. The management team has begun to analyse information about the progress of all children attending and identify some areas where improvements in teaching can be made. For example, it has identified that children could make greater progress in gaining the skills needed before learning to write and forms plans to address this. Information is exchanged with other settings that children attend and this contributes to continuity of progress.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Routines to help children learn to manage their hygiene are not consistently taught. Children are encouraged to handle natural materials when outside, but are not provided with the means to clean their hands before eating snacks outdoors. This increases the risk to their good health and does not promote their independence for managing their hygiene. Checks are not rigorously carried out to remove potential hazards in outdoor areas on the premises, such as discarded sharp parts of small knives. Some measures taken to promote safety outdoors are not effective. For example, children trip over the cord across a path, which is intended to be a line that they must not cross, as it is difficult to see. Children are provided with a variety of ways to develop their coordination and strength. They balance on logs and climb low trees with supervision. Staff demonstrate effective teaching to help children learn to manage their feelings and behaviour. Children show good self-esteem

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

and gain the skills to form friendships. Staff provide a range of opportunities for children to learn through responsibilities. Children routinely put away resources they have used and help to care for the pre-school's hamster.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children make good progress towards readiness for school in almost all areas, including children who receive funding and children who speak English as an additional language. They gain a positive awareness of diversity through a varied and interesting range of activities. Children are polite, confident talkers who are developing an extensive vocabulary. They learn through a multitude of opportunities for experiencing the natural world and the locality's amenities. Children's curiosity and motivation to learn is well nurtured. However, their safety and well-being outdoors is not always managed to suitable standards.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY373011 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 1088055 Type of provision Full-time 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 16 Number of children on roll 29 Name of registered person Nancy Jane Bigmore

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 17 June 2014 Telephone number 07942334234

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reference number

Bowland Montessori Pre-School was registered in 2008. It operates from 9am to 3pm during term times only. The pre-school employs four staff, including the manager who is a qualified teacher and holds a Montessori diploma. One member of staff is qualified to level 6, one member is qualified to level 3 and another to level 2 in relevant subjects. The pre- school provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years. It supports children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school follows the Montessori method of teaching.

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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

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