Toybox Pre School Group

Toybox Pre School Group Sports Field, Handford Hall Primary School, 44 Gatacre Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 2LQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10 January 2018 2 October 2014

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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:

 The manager has yet to implement an effective system to identify weaknesses in staff practice and raise the quality of teaching.  Staff do not consistently manage children’s behaviour, particularly inside, to help children learn what is expected of them.  The manager has recently changed the times the pre-school is open and has altered routines within the day to accommodate children who stay all day. This has left some children unsure of what do to or what is happening next.  The manager does not make effective use of ongoing self-evaluation to evaluate the quality of the provision and help identify areas for improvement.

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It has the following strengths

 Children enjoy playing outside. They have access to the garden during the sessions and make good use of the resources available.  Staff use various ways of communicating with children whose first language is not English. For example, they use hand signs to help children communicate.  Staff sit with children at mealtimes, providing positive interaction and conversation which supports the children’s social skills and the development of communication and language.  Parents are happy with the level of care their children receive and the information that staff share with them.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and the Childcare Register the provider must:

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Due Date

 improve existing systems to help identify weaknesses in staff practice and the quality of teaching to provide children with suitably challenging activities 23/01/2018

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Due Date

 ensure all staff manage children's behaviour consistently. 23/01/2018

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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 and develop further the organisation of daily routines to help children learn what is expected of them and to keep them engaged and occupied  make effective use of ongoing self-evaluation to help identify weaknesses in practice and improve outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and activities provided indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the pre-school manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the pre-school manager and looked at relevant documentation, including evidence of the suitability of staff.  The inspector spoke with the chair of the committee and also parents that were available during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The staff team are undergoing a period of change. A new manager has just started and she has yet to make effective use of self-evaluation to fully evaluate all aspects of practice and the provision for children. However, she has contacted the local authority early years advisor who is supporting them. The manager meets with staff regularly to discuss their practice and areas for development. Staff have opportunities to attend training and further their professional development and skills. However, the manager has not yet put in place effective systems to observe and help staff to provide consistently good levels of teaching. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff regularly review the child protection policies to help ensure that they have a good understanding of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about children's welfare.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The quality of teaching is not at a consistently good level. Some staff interact with children confidently to help engage them. However, other staff do not recognise when children need additional challenge and occasionally, they fail to take into consideration children's different ages and stages of development. This leaves some children bored and disengaged. In addition, staff do not consistently recognise when children's behaviour interrupts other children's self-chosen play. The staff use an online assessment system that helps to develop links between staff, children, the pre-school and their home. Staff provide children with some opportunities to develop their physical skills and muscle control. For example, children practise picking up plastic balls with large tweezers and moving them from one container to another.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

The lack of consistency in staff's behaviour management does not help children to learn what is expected of them, particularly indoors. For example, staff tell children to walk indoors, but then encourage them to run indoors as part of role play. In addition, recent changes to the organisation of the daily routines has confused some children who are unsure about what to do next. Children become bored, which affects their concentration and behaviour. The manager and staff have links with other local settings and outside services. They share information about children's likes and dislikes, which helps to make the move between settings smooth and stress free. Children enjoy short physical movement sessions indoors. They sing and dance along to characters on a computer programme, copying the words and actions confidently.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

The weaknesses in staff teaching inhibits some children from making consistently good rates of progress. Children develop suitable communication skills and have appropriate social manners. For example, they know to sit and wait their turn during group and snack times and say thank you to staff and each other for acts of kindness, such as passing cups. Children enjoy number games. They join in with counting games and use numbers freely in their play. This helps to develop their early numeracy skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 251699 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 1103301 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 - 4 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 48 Name of registered person Toybox Pre School Group Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 2 October 2014 Telephone number 01473 216477

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reference number

Toybox Pre School Group registered in 1991. The pre-school employs 12 members of staff. Of these, 10 staff hold qualifications at level 3 and above. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions have recently been extended to provide wrap-around care and are available from 8am until 6pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

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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

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

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