Windmill Pre-School

Windmill Pre-School 2 Tresham Street, KETTERING, Northamptonshire, NN16 8RS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30 November 2017 7 May 2014

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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

 Children settle quickly into the very welcoming and stimulating environment. The warm and friendly staff form strong relationships with children and every child is valued and supported effectively.  Staff develop very strong partnerships with parents. Parents describe staff as approachable and dedicated. They comment on how well their children are developing in the pre-school.  Children make good progress from their starting points. Staff take action to address any identified gaps in children's achievements. For example, children who speak English as an additional language are steadily developing their spoken English.  The manager evaluates the strengths and areas of development for the pre-school well. She seeks the views of others to continuously make improvements. For instance, following feedback from parents, she has introduced a new way to keep them more informed of their child's day at pre-school.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Occasionally, some activities are not organised well enough by staff to make sure all children taking part are fully engaged and benefit from these experiences.  Staff do not routinely gather precise initial information from parents about children's skills, to enable them to plan highly challenging learning opportunities from the start.

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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 support for children when needed so all children stay focused and engaged in their learning  gather more precise information about children's prior learning and skills, from parents when children begin to attend, and use this swiftly to plan highly challenging learning opportunities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working within the pre-school.  The inspector engaged in a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector sampled various documents, including risk assessments, a range of policies and procedures and the provider's evidence of self-evaluation.  The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector considered the views of parents in discussions during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Staff are knowledgeable about the signs of possible abuse and know the correct procedures to follow if they have any concerns. Managers keep staff up to date through regular training and discussions about safeguarding. Effective systems for staff supervision are in place and managers use a variety of effective ways to help staff develop professionally. Staff routinely share good practice with colleagues to benefit children's learning. Monitoring of children's progress is undertaken and any gaps in their learning are quickly identified and addressed. Managers use funding effectively to ensure any gaps in children's learning quickly narrow.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff have a good understanding of how children learn. They observe and assess children's development, using information gathered to plan activities and support their next steps in learning. Staff provide a range of interesting activities for children. For instance, children become excited as they participate in a yoga session. Children's communication and language skills are well supported. Staff are skilled at bringing familiar stories to life and children enthusiastically join in, talking about the pictures and what will happen next. Children's mathematical development is helped through planned and spontaneous activities. Children use pretend people to represent their families in play. Children are proud to talk about their families and staff use the opportunity to help children to count by asking questions about how many family members there are.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children develop high levels of confidence and self-esteem through the praise they receive for their achievements. For example, children display a huge sense of pride in their accomplishments when they make a cave for their superhero toys. Staff place a high priority on children's awareness of leading healthy lifestyles. Children thrive in the fresh air daily. This includes time in the pre-school's allotment where they learn how to grow and harvest their own vegetables. Staff provide good support to help children's understanding of other cultures. They encourage families to share their cultural backgrounds and festivals and provide children with rich and exciting experiences about traditions in other countries.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children, including funded children and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are confident and independent learners. Any gaps in their learning are closing swiftly and they acquire the key skills they need in readiness for their next stage in learning and their eventual move on to school. Staff fully encourage children's independence, such as preparing their own food at breakfast and snack time.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY421904 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 1088110 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 50 Number of children on roll 36 Name of registered person Windmill Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 7 May 2014 Telephone number 08450268539 or 07985369591

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reference number

Windmill Pre-School opened in 1999 and re-opened in new premises in 2011. The pre- school is open Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 4pm, all year round. There are nine members of childcare staff, of whom six hold early years qualifications at level 3. 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

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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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