St Ronans Pre-school

St Ronans Pre-school 1 Kings Square, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3QE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 September 2017 11 January 2017

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Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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 provide a varied range of play experiences for children. However, they regularly miss chances to extend and challenge children's learning effectively, particularly for the older children. Not all children make as much progress as they could.  The provider does not ensure information is shared consistently between the staff so they are clear of all aspects of their roles, for example, when covering for senior staff, to enable them to provide continuity for all children's care and development.  Staff do not organise group activities effectively. They do not tailor them to children's individual needs and learning priorities, and some children soon lose interest.  The provider's self-evaluation is not strong enough to help identify all areas where improvement is needed to provide good-quality care for children.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff are kind and gentle with the children, helping children to settle and feel secure.  Children can access many resources independently to make choices about their play.  Partnerships with parents are effective. Ongoing sharing of information about children's care and development, along with more formal meetings, actively involves the parents in their children's learning.  Children enjoy a wide variety of outdoor play experiences that provide opportunities for them to be physically active, such as developing their climbing and balancing skills.

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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 staff interaction to make the most of the opportunities to challenge children, in particular the older children, and extend their learning experiences 17/11/2017

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Due Date

 make sure that all staff are clear of their roles and responsibilities, to enable them to support the individual needs of all children well. 20/10/2017

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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

 review the organisation of group activities to make sure they are tailored to children's different needs, to enable all children to participate fully  use self-evaluation more effectively, to cover all aspects of the provision and identify areas for improvement to improve outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities indoors and outdoors, interactions between the staff and children, and looked at the play equipment and resources.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the deputy manager after viewing activities to discuss the impact of teaching.  The inspector spoke with the provider, the manager and deputy manager, the staff and some parents. She also talked with the children at appropriate times.  The inspector looked at documentation, including a sample of children's developmental records, planning and staff suitability records.  The inspector discussed the systems used to evaluate the pre-school.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Self-evaluation is not sufficiently robust to include all aspects of the pre-school. Although staff have completed training on observation, assessment and planning to increase their skills, there are still weaknesses in the quality of teaching. Safeguarding is effective. There are suitable recruitment and vetting procedures to check staff suitability, and adults not vetted are not left unsupervised with children. Staff have a clear understanding of the safeguarding procedures to follow if they have any concerns. The staff-to-child ratios are maintained and children are supervised appropriately. Staff carry out regular checks to ensure the premises and garden area are safe for children to use. Although a communication book is used to share information between the staff, this is not effective. Not all staff are clear on children's individual needs to ensure continuity of care.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Although staff get involved in children's play, they do not extend children's learning well enough. Older children are not provided with a sufficient level of challenge in activities and, at times, they wander around not engaged in any purposeful play. Children have fun using their senses to experiment with a wide range of materials, such as sand, paint and water. They show control as they scoop up the water and pour it down the tubes to collect in the bottom of the tub. Children enjoy looking at books on their own or sharing a book with a member of staff. They listen carefully to familiar stories and join in with the phrases, which helps support their early literacy skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Group activities are not organised well. Staff do not take into account the children's different ages and abilities, and the younger children lose interest and distract the older children. Children have trusting relationships with the staff, who offer reassurance and sensitive support. Staff address any unacceptable behaviour calmly and effectively. Children are clear about what is expected of them and behave well. For example, they are eager to help when it is time to put away toys at 'tidy-up time'. Children are provided with a wide range of nutritious snacks, such as fresh fruit, helping them learn about eating healthily.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children settle quickly when they arrive at pre-school. However, they are not consistently challenged to enable them to make the best possible progress in their learning. Children learn some skills that help prepare them for starting school, such as developing their independence in managing their personal care. Children have opportunities to learn about numbers through specific activities, such as finding the hidden number cards in the oats.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 139364 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 1113650 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 23 Name of registered person St Ronans Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 11 January 2017 Telephone number 01308 422128

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reference number

St Ronan's Pre-school registered in 1999. It is run by a board of trustees and operates from two rooms within a building in the centre of Bridport, Dorset. The pre-school opens five days a week during school term times, from 8.45am to 3.15pm. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged three and four years. The pre-school employs nine staff who work with the children, most of whom hold early years qualifications 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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