Newbery Lodge Pre- School

Newbery Lodge Pre- School 51 Armour Hill, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 6JP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 July 2017 30 September 2016

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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 Good 2

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3

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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

 Staff do not teach children well enough to help them make good progress in their learning. They do not match activities to children’s individual needs.  Staff do not all carry out regular and precise assessments of children's development, including the required progress check for two-year-olds, or use this information effectively to plan suitably challenging activities for each child.  Parents are not actively encouraged to be partners in their children's learning. The pre- school does not use good communication to keep parents informed about what is happening in the setting.

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It has the following strengths

 Children behave well and make independent choices about what they do and where they play, gaining confidence and independence in readiness for school.  The new manager is working hard to address weaknesses in the pre-school and raise the quality of the provision offered to children.  Additional funding is being used well to target and support individual children’s specific needs.

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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

 plan and provide a broader range of challenging activities and improve teaching so that children make good progress in all areas of learning 31/10/2017

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Due Date

 improve the assessment of children’s progress, including the progress check for two-year-olds and include parents as partners more effectively in this process. 31/10/2017

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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

 strengthen partnerships with parents to keep them informed about the pre-school and more involved in their children’s learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the support for children's learning both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, such as records of the progress that children have made, staff records and policies and procedures.  The inspector talked to parents who were available on the day of the inspection and took account of their views.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held discussions with the manager and staff throughout the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The new manager has quickly and accurately identified weaknesses in the quality of teaching and the planning and assessment arrangements. She has drawn up a clear action plan to tackle these weaknesses to improve the educational provision in the pre-school. However, plans are too new to have addressed all weaknesses effectively. Staff have a sound understanding of their roles regarding the protection of children from risks of harm and they supervise children closely. There are suitable procedures for ensuring the suitability of staff, both at the time of recruitment and on an ongoing basis.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Children are not always provided with a broad range of challenging activities to support their development in all areas of learning. For example, some staff skilfully probe children's understanding of nature as they search for bugs, using open-ended questions. However, at other times children are repeatedly asked to name the colour of objects as they play, which does not add to what they already know. Children clearly enjoy playing in the garden, for example experimenting with water play, learning how to balance as they move across tyres and comparing the different insects they find in the bug houses. Parents receive daily diaries and informal feedback about their child's day. However, staff do not communicate effectively with parents to help them to understand more about their child's current learning needs and the progress being made.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are happy, confident and enjoy their time at the pre-school. They play very well together, taking turns as they use new equipment. They receive plenty of praise and encouragement from the staff to promote their self-esteem. Healthy eating is actively promoted in the pre-school and children engage in physical activities throughout the day to support their good health. They learn important messages about how to keep safe as they play and they take care using equipment, for instance as they slide down the fireman's pole in the garden.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

The children settle quickly on arrival at the pre-school, showing they feel comfortable and secure in the environment. Staff gather some information from parents about the children and what they can do when they first join the pre-school. This helps staff to identify where there may be gaps in a child's learning. However, they do not always continue to monitor children's development rigorously. For example, not all staff have completed the required progress checks to assess children's progress when they are aged between two and three years. This has a detrimental impact on how efficiently they support each child's needs. The new manager has scrutinised the assessment systems and clearly identified where children are making less progress than expected for their age and is taking action to help them catch up.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 116834 Local authority Reading Inspection number 1097441 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 - 5 Total number of places 17 Number of children on roll 25 Name of registered person Newbery Lodge Pre-School

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 30 September 2016 Telephone number 0118 942 3644

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reference number

Newbery Lodge Pre-School registered in 1974. It operates from a single-storey building, solely used by the pre-school within the grounds of Arthur Newbery Park in Reading, Berkshire. On Monday and Tuesday it is open from 9.15am to 12.15pm. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday it is open from 9.15am to 2.45pm. A lunch club is available every day from 12.15 until 1pm. There are currently 25 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery accepts funding for early education for children aged two, three and four years. A total of five members of staff are employed to work with the children, four of whom hold relevant 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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reference number

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