Owlets Preschool

Owlets Preschool Methodist Chapel, High Street, Langford, Bedfordshire, SG18 9RU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 July 2017 19 January 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's support and care for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. Effective strategies engage parents and external agencies in supporting children's sustained progress. This has a positive impact on all children's outcomes.  The key-person system is strong and consistent. Children form secure emotional attachments with their key person. They meet children's individual needs well and this helps to build their confidence and self-esteem.  Staff teach children mathematics well. They use daily routines, such as register times and snack, to promote children's understanding of number and counting. Staff talk about shape and measures as children play with dough. Children learn simple addition as they make candles to put on their pretend birthday cakes.  Parents speak highly of the pre-school staff. They are kept very well informed of their children's development and say the staff offer them support and guidance as parents.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Systems for monitoring the progress that different groups of children make have not been fully implemented, to help identify any emerging gaps in children's learning even more precisely.  The information staff gain from parents when children start attending is not always detailed enough to help them to accurately identify children's starting points in learning.

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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 tracking of children's progress to provide a sharper focus on how well different groups of children achieve, to help identify any emerging gaps in their learning  gather more detailed information about what children know and can do on entry to the setting, to plan more swiftly and precisely for their ongoing learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff interactions with children indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke to staff and children, and held a meeting with the chairperson of the committee and the manager.  The inspector observed an adult-led activity with the manager and discussed children's engagement and learning.  The inspector looked at a sample of paperwork, including staff qualifications and suitability checks of staff and committee members. The safeguarding policies and procedures were also seen.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff know the possible signs of abuse and when and where to refer any concerns they may have about a child in their care. The provider has established robust recruitment procedures to help ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Staff performance is monitored through supervision meetings and targeted training. Staff talk about the positive impact training has had on their understanding of how children learn and develop. The manager and staff are highly reflective about their practice. They observe each other, lead activities and give constructive feedback. This helps all members of staff to continually improve their teaching skills.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff provide many opportunities for children to engage in sensory play. Children enjoy painting their hands. They say the brush is tickly and the paint is cold. They bend their fingers as the paint dries and watch with interest as it cracks. Children playing with dough are excited to discover that it smells like chocolate. This helps them to engage in imaginative play. They pretend to make cakes with intricate detail on top. Outdoors children explore water. They work out how to make water come out of a range of receptacles, by pressing levers, squeezing pipettes or pouring. Staff make regular observations and assessments, and plan well for children's next steps in learning. These are regularly shared with parents and with any other settings where children attend. This helps to promote continuity in children's learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children settle well and are happy and content in the pre-school. Staff give children opportunities to talk about their feelings. This helps children to learn how to manage their own behaviour in positive ways, such as by moving away from an activity when they are feeling frustrated. Children thoroughly enjoy the sustained amounts of time they can spend outdoors, in all weathers. They develop positive attitudes to healthy lifestyles and strong physical skills as they run and play ball games. Children choose what they want to eat for snack from the range of fruit available to them. Staff use knowledge gained from training to provide parents with information on healthy, packed lunches to further promote children's health. Children demonstrate high levels of independence as they help to prepare snacks and manage their own personal care needs in readiness for school.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, considering their starting points, gain the knowledge and skills that prepare them well for their next stage of learning and for starting school. They are inquisitive, keen to explore and motivated to learn. Children develop into independent learners as they choose from the wide range of stimulating activities. They gain good literacy and mathematical skills, as they learn to write their names, count and recognise shapes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY244757 Local authority Central Bedfordshire Inspection number 1091547 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 32 Number of children on roll 42 Name of registered person The Langford Owlets Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 19 January 2015 Telephone number 07935784567

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reference number

Owlets Preschool registered in 2001. The setting employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, during term times. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm, on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 9am until midday on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The playgroup is in receipt of funding to provide 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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