Merryfield Pre-School

Merryfield Pre-School St Mary & St Peter's First School, Ilton, Ilminster, Somerset, TA19 9EX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26 June 2017 15 June 2015

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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 Good 2

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This provision is good

 Staff are approachable and establish warm relationships with children. They are sensitive to the children's needs and support their emotional well-being effectively. Overall, children are happy to explore the welcoming environment confidently.  Staff use the information for their observations and children's interests well to plan activities to support children's next stages in their development. Children make good progress and any gaps in learning are steadily closing.  Staff successfully build on children's mathematical skills, such as counting and comparing shapes.  Staff's support and care for children who have special educational needs are good. They establish effective partnerships with parents and external agencies to support children's sustained progress. Staff meet together regularly to discuss children's ongoing needs and development.  The setting's self-evaluation process is effective. The manager actively seeks feedback

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This provision is good

from parents, other settings and professionals and acts on advice to help improve children's outcomes. For example, the manager is planning to include more technology for children to use in their play.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff miss opportunities to encourage children to write and draw in their play.  At times, staff do not extend children's good language skills to enable them to learn new vocabulary and use new descriptive language in their play.

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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

 provide more opportunities for children to write and draw in their play  extend children's good language skills to enable them to learn new vocabulary and use new descriptive language in their play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff and children inside and outside.  The inspector spoke with the manager, staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector sampled documentation, including policies, suitability checks and children's records.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector reviewed the self-evaluation form.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff implement the safeguarding procedures effectively. They know where to refer any concerns about a child's welfare to protect them from the risk of harm. The manager continually improves the quality of staff practice. For example, she organises relevant training to support any gaps in children's learning. Following recent training, staff are introducing more activities to help children learn about emotions and how their behaviour affects others. This is already helping to improve children's behaviour. Staff are well qualified. They have used the knowledge they gained when achieving qualifications well, to include children's feedback and interests more when planning activities to support their learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff use their teaching skills well. They plan and provide interesting, exciting and challenging activities that entice children to learn. For example, outside they provide resources for children who enjoy pretending to be builders. Children use large puzzle pieces to 'build a path' through the garden, adding mud to work as the 'concrete'. Staff provide good opportunities for children to carry out experiments, such as working out which items might float or sink when placed in water. Children explore and investigate different materials and textures. Staff support children well to explore outdoors. Children excitedly look for bugs in the garden, using magnifying glasses to see what they have found and to count how many legs they have. Older children set themselves challenges, such as seeing if they can build towers as tall as they are. Younger children enthusiastically explore the world around them. They create pictures using materials such

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

as grass, twigs and flowers that they find outdoors.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff encourage children to be polite and well behaved. They build on children's confidence and sense of belonging well. For example, they constantly praise children for their achievements. Staff help children to develop their awareness of healthy lifestyles. For example, children prepare their own snack and pour their drinks. Children successfully build on their physical skills. For instance, they ride bicycles, build with toy bricks and assess their own risks as they use tyre swings and balance on ropes. Children develop a good understanding of the different families that attend the pre-school, and they learn to care for others through their role-play activities.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop into independent learners as they choose where and with what they want to play. They swiftly gain the skills they need to be ready to move to their next stage of learning or on to school. They are confident to talk to adults and share their wider experiences, such as going on holiday. Older children confidently count and recognise groups of numbers. Younger children use puppets to join in listening to stories and singing, following the instructions in the songs well.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 142953 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 1089648 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 20 Number of children on roll 12 Name of registered person Merryfield Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 15 June 2015 Telephone number 0146052574 or 07818214045 or 07925287116

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reference number

Merryfield Pre-School registered in 1990. It is committee run and operates from the grounds of St Mary and St Peter Primary School in Ilton, Somerset. The pre-school is open Mondays to Fridays from 9am to midday, with the option of staying for lunch club until 1pm, during term time only. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for early education for children aged two, three and four years. The manager has an early years qualification at level 6. She is supported by two members of staff, both of whom have early years qualifications; one at level 5 and the other 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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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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