Knebworth Pre-School Group

Knebworth Pre-School Group Trinity Church, Park Lane, Knebworth, Hertfordshire, SG3 6PD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 January 2018 20 October 2014

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Good 2

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

 The provider has not provided Ofsted with the relevant information for all committee members to enable it to check the suitability of these individuals.  Staff do not always gather detailed enough information from parents about their child’s prior learning to sharply focus on children’s precise learning needs.  Occasionally, staff do not provide the most able children with excellent opportunities to develop an understanding of numbers.  Staff do not share precise information about children’s ongoing achievements with staff from other settings that they attend to fully support their continuity of learning.

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It has the following strengths

 The well-qualified and dedicated staff team works very well together. They complement each other’s skills to provide children with stimulating experiences that ignite their curiosity and help them to make good progress.  Children demonstrate that they feel relaxed and confident in this welcoming pre-school. They form warm and secure bonds with their key person, all members of staff and each other. For instance, children work cooperatively and help each other to balance vegetables on weighing scales in the role-play area.  Staff receive regular supervision meetings and have good training opportunities to consistently update their skills. Recent training has enhanced staff knowledge of placing an even greater focus on promoting and assessing children’s communication and language skills using a specialised method.

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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

 provide Ofsted with relevant information to enable the checking of all committee members to be completed. 15/02/2018

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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

 gain more detailed information from parents about what their child knows and can already do  strengthen opportunities for the most able children to build on their mathematical knowledge of numbers  strengthen partnerships with staff from other settings that children attend, so that more precise information about children's achievements is shared to fully support continuity of learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector spoke and interacted with children and also spoke with staff during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with one of the managers.  The inspector held a meeting with both managers and two members of the committee. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre-school and committee members.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The provider has not made arrangements to provide Ofsted with the relevant information to enable it to complete checks for some committee members. A majority of these individuals hold Disclosure and Barring Service checks. They do not have unsupervised contact with children and are not responsible for the recruitment of staff. Their sole commitment is fundraising for the pre-school. The provider and chairperson of the committee is known to Ofsted and holds all suitability checks. There is minimal impact on children. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The managers and staff show a good understanding of how to identify and act upon any concerns about children's welfare. The whole staff team is reflective and regularly evaluates the provision they offer. The managers monitor children's progress. Swift action is taken to address any gaps in children's learning. Parents compliment the service that staff provide. They feel fully

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children engage in activities with enthusiasm in this vibrant pre-school. For instance, they persevere using scissors to cut around pictures. This helps to develop the small muscles in their hands in preparation for writing. Staff skilfully adjust their teaching to meet children's individual needs and learning preferences. They immediately capture children's listening and attention skills as they make stories come alive. Staff introduce children to the names of less familiar vegetables, this motivates children to use complex sentences to talk about the vegetables that they eat at home. Children who speak English as an additional language make good progress and are well supported in their learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children's well-being is not fully protected due to weaknesses in leadership and management. Children behave well and use good manners. Staff successfully help to prepare children for changes in their lives, such as the arrival of a new sibling or moving to a new house. Children develop good physical skills and positively benefit from group exercise sessions soon after they arrive. They shriek with delight as they move their body into different positions in rhythm to the music. Staff help to provide children with clear messages about the positive effect of exercise on their body.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make good progress in relation to their starting points and some make very good progress. Children operate and complete age-appropriate software programs on the computer. They join in with action songs that help them to link letters to the sounds that they represent. Children gain the necessary skills needed to help prepare them for their future learning at school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 146762 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1103031 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 30 Number of children on roll 46 Name of registered person Knebworth Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 20 October 2014 Telephone number 01438 234804

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reference number

Knebworth Pre-School Group registered in 1995. It is situated in Knebworth and is managed by a voluntary committee. It employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above, including one of the managers who holds early years professional status. The pre-school opens from 8.30am until 3pm Monday to Friday, during term time only. It 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

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

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