Mortimer Hall

Mortimer Hall Mortimer Hall, Oxford Road, Oxford, OX3 0PH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 February 2018 Not applicable

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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3

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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

 The management team has not made sure that teaching is consistently good. Staff training is not focused enough to improve teaching.  Although staff are planning for children's interests, they do not always place a sharp enough focus on targeting the individual needs of every child.  Assessment information is clear for individual children. However, it does not accurately identify the progress made by specific groups of children.  Leaders do not robustly evaluate the quality of teaching and the provision. This means they do not identify and address weaknesses to improve outcomes for children.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy and enjoy their time in pre-school. They develop good relationships with caring staff and this supports children's emotional well-being.  Staff develop positive partnerships with parents. They share information about the children's care, the activities they take part in, and the progress children make.  Children make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. For example, they demonstrate good levels of confidence, independence and self-esteem.  Children use their imagination well and like to experiment, such as with different painting techniques.

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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 the weaknesses in teaching and provide staff with targeted professional development opportunities to ensure children consistently receive effective support and good-quality learning experiences. 09/03/2018

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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

 make sure staff use the information they gain from assessments to target children's next steps in learning to provide consistent challenges and support children's progress  use tracking systems more effectively to closely monitor how well different groups of children learn, and quickly identify if any interventions are needed to help children catch up if needed  improve the rigour of self-evaluation to drive continuous improvement of the provision, the quality of teaching and the support for children's well-being.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main base room and garden.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager and checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.  The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including children's learning records, planning documents and a selection of the setting's policies.  The inspector held meetings with the manager and two committee members, and spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective. Leaders and staff have a suitable understanding of child protection issues and know what to do if they have any concerns about a child. The manager completes appropriate checks to make sure staff are suitable to work with children. However, the procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching are less effective. This has led to inconsistencies in the planning of activities. The manager provides support for staff during staff meetings, but this does not fully include an effective programme for their professional development. Self-evaluation is not always used consistently well to address areas of weakness promptly. There are good links with the local school to ensure continuity of children's care and learning needs.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff make regular observations of children's play. However, they are inconsistent in their use of this information to continually promote children's next steps in learning. Some planned activities do not always offer experiences that are challenging enough to fully extend older children's learning. Leaders are not focusing enough on reviewing the progress made by groups of children to ensure any emerging gaps close quickly. When teaching is better, staff provide a suitable balance of child-initiated play and activities led by adults. They interact positively with children during planned activities. For example, at small-group time they help children to develop their counting skills. Staff provide children with a variety of materials and textures to explore. Children have fun creating imaginative shapes with play dough.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children build strong emotional attachments with their key person. This has a positive impact on the way children develop their independence. Staff support this well through daily routines. For example, older children learn to manage their personal care and are given responsibilities to help, choose their own snacks and tidy up. Staff provide plenty of praise so that children know what they have done well to raise their self-esteem. Staff know the children well and meet their care needs effectively. Children's health and physical development are promoted well. They enjoy trying healthy snacks and have good opportunities to play outside. Children explore the outdoor space with confidence and enjoy making patterns on the ground with chalk.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children learn some of the necessary skills in preparation for school. Their physical, social and language skills are developing well. For example, they learn to recognise their own name and develop good independence skills. However, due to some weaknesses in the quality of training, teaching and assessment, not all children are challenged in their learning to make the best possible progress.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY496790 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 1034773 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 42 Name of registered person Mortimer Hall Pre-School CIO

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01865 604208

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reference number

Mortimer Hall pre-school re-registered in 2015. It operates from the local village hall in Old Marston, close to the centre of Oxford. The pre-school is open from 9am to 3pm from Monday to Friday, term time only. There are 10 staff working directly with the children. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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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