Smarties Pre School and Out of School Club

Smarties Pre School and Out of School Club The Community Building, Steeple Morden CofE Primary School, 7 Hay Street, Steeple Morden,Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 0PD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 September 2017 2 May 2017

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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 teaching skills are variable. Not all staff have the confidence to engage children in purposeful and challenging experiences that support their interests and promote good progress in their learning.  Staff are not effective enough in making good use of what they know about children's capabilities. Assessments are not yet regular or precise. In some instances, children do not have their development reviewed frequently enough to ensure they are meeting their milestones.  Staff do not plan the environment well enough so that children are motivated to learn and have good opportunities to demonstrate their independence.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff have vastly improved the partnerships with parents. Parents report a good two- way flow of information and warmly praise staff for their supportive and approachable attitudes. Parents' views have been sought to help with the self-evaluation process.  Managers and staff have benefitted from training in safeguarding. They have improved their understanding of the local child protection procedures that help to keep children safe from harm.  Children are taught the benefits of having a healthy lifestyle. They learn to make nutritious food choices and have daily opportunities for exercise, indoors and outside.

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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

 support staff to raise their teaching skills, and the outcomes for children, to a consistently good level 13/10/2017

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Due Date

 ensure children's progress is accurately and regularly assessed and used effectively to plan challenging experiences that help them to make at least good progress in their learning. 13/10/2017

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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

 improve the environment indoors and outside to help children to more easily make independent choices about what they want to play with and enhance their motivation to learn.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to staff and children during the inspection. She completed a joint observation with the deputy manager and assessed the quality of teaching and children's learning.  The inspector looked at the areas of the premises used by the children and the resources available to them.  A range of documentation was looked at, including evidence of staff and committee suitability, the improvement plan and children's records.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents on the day and looked at written comments and the results of a parent survey.  Discussions about management processes were held with the acting manager, the deputy manager and representatives of the management committee and the local authority.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Since the last inspection staff have benefited from regular supervision meetings and have attended some training. However, the provider's capacity to improve all aspects of the provision has been hindered by staff changes and absences. The quality of teaching, and children's learning, is not consistently good. Links with other settings the children attend have been developed to support continuity of care and learning. Partnerships with schools are effective in helping children to move into Reception classes. Managers are beginning to monitor how additional funding is spent to assist disadvantaged children. Safeguarding is effective. All necessary suitability checks have been completed on committee members and Ofsted has been appropriately informed of any changes. Staff supervise the children well and ensure they play in a safe and secure environment.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Some staff show good teaching skills. They understand how to hold children's attention at group story time and help children to organise an enjoyable treasure hunt in the garden. Children are taught that apples can be quartered or halved and help to count the portions. However, overall, the quality of teaching is inconsistent. Staff do not always recognise opportunities to support and engage children during their play and enhance their learning and enjoyment. Staff now complete the required progress checks when children are aged two, but other assessments of children's progress are, in some cases, irregular. In particular, staff are not clear how well children who experience delay in their learning are catching up with their peers.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff do not give enough thought to the organisation of the learning environment to help children make independent decisions about their play. Untidy and incomplete resources occasionally demotivate the children and they cannot always access what they need. Children are not consistently encouraged to put away toys they have used. That being said, older children understand hygiene routines and all children help to prepare their food and clear away afterwards. Children develop positive relationships with staff. They invite staff to join in their games and show affection for them. Information is gathered from parents when new children start to help staff meet their individual care needs. Staff teach children to take turns and share their toys. Older school children develop their own rules and boundaries and play together harmoniously.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children gain the basic skills they need for the next stage of their learning; however, not all make enough progress in their development. Nonetheless, children have confident social skills. They talk readily to unknown adults and are keen to share their opinions. Some children mark their names on artwork and can find their name cards for self- registration. Children enjoy exploring different textures and materials as, for example, they play in the mud kitchen.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY434661 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 1099457 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 - 11 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 60 Name of registered person Smarties Pre-School and Out of School Club Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 2 May 2017 Telephone number 01763852888

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reference number

Smarties Pre School and Out of School Club registered in 2011 and is a registered charity managed by a voluntary committee. The setting employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years or playwork qualifications at level 3. The pre- school opens from 9am until 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. The out-of-school club operates each weekday from 7.45am until 9am and 3pm until 6pm, during school term time. In the school holidays sessions are from 8.30am until 6pm. The pre-school provides funded 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

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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