Kintbury Pre-School

Kintbury Pre-School Preston Hall, Gainsborough Avenue, Kintbury, Berkshire, RG17 9XN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 March 2018 8 January 2015

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The designated lead lacks the knowledge to carry out her role effectively. She fails to take appropriate action to ensure children's safety and does not support staff adequately to safeguard children. The safeguarding policy lacks the required details. Staff have a very poor understanding of signs that indicate a child is at risk.  The committee does not implement effective systems to ensure staff's suitability. Recruitment and vetting procedures are weak. The committee fails to implement a robust procedure to ensure staff's ongoing suitability, such as disqualification by association.  Staff are not effectively deployed to ensure that children are adequately supervised and kept safe at all times. Staff, including the manager, do not receive effective support or guidance on how they can improve on the quality of their teaching or overall practice.  Assessments of children's learning are not always accurate or shared sufficiently with

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This provision is inadequate

parents. Teaching and planning are weak and do not take full account of each child's individual needs, interests and stage of development. Staff do not effectively address gaps in children's learning or support all children to make good progress.

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It has the following strengths

 The committee is committed to making the necessary improvements. Despite being previously unaware of the weaknesses, on the day of the inspection it took immediate action to address these, demonstrating its sound capacity to improve.

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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

 ensure that the designated lead for safeguarding has attended a suitable child protection course enabling them to effectively identify and respond to signs of possible abuse and neglect in a timely way and so that they are capable of providing support, advice and guidance to staff 24/04/2018

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Due Date

 implement a policy and procedures to safeguard children that is in line with the guidance and procedures of the relevant Local Safeguarding Children Board that includes an explanation of the action to be taken when there are safeguarding concerns about a child and in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff 24/04/2018

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Due Date

 ensure all adults working with children have a secure understanding of the safeguarding policy and procedures, to enable them to identify signs and symptoms of abuse, including children who are at risk of female genital mutilation, and to refer concerns in a timely and appropriate way 24/04/2018

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Due Date

 establish effective recruitment and vetting arrangements to ensure that all required suitability checks are completed when employing new staff 24/04/2018

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Due Date

 develop knowledge and understanding of the disqualification requirements and implement policies so that staff understand their responsibilities, and have opportunities, to declare any relevant information concerning themselves or members of their household 24/04/2018

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Due Date

 ensure that staff are deployed effectively to meet children's needs at all times and ensure their safety 24/04/2018

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Due Date

 ensure arrangements for staff supervision are effective in providing support, coaching and training, and enable staff to discuss any issues, particularly concerning children's development or well- being, including child protection concerns 24/04/2018

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Due Date

 ensure that staff use observation and assessment to accurately identify children's developmental starting points and to effectively plan for the next steps in children's learning, and share these with parents 24/04/2018

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Due Date

 plan challenging and enjoyable experiences that take full account of each child's individual needs, interests and stage of development, to promote good progress in their learning and development. 24/04/2018

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play indoors and outdoors.  The inspector looked at samples of children's assessment folders and discussed children's learning with staff and the manager.  The inspector spoke with a number of parents and also spoke to the staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector held a meeting with the chairperson and another member of the committee.  The inspector jointly observed and discussed aspects of staff's practice with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective. Despite attending training for her lead role, the manager, who is also the designated lead for safeguarding fails to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns. She is unclear on when to act after concerns are noted and fails to make timely referrals as required, placing children at risk. In addition, she is unclear on the steps to take when a concern is raised about another adult and fails to provide accurate advice and support for staff when they raise concerns about children's welfare. The committee does not ensure that the safeguarding policy accurately reflects the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. The policy contains a very limited amount of information for staff and does not support them in successfully identifying or reporting on concerns as required. Staff show a poor understanding of the procedure to follow when a safeguarding issue arises and indicate they would not swiftly report on concerns. They do not have sufficient

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

knowledge of wider risks to children that may affect their well-being. Further breaches in safeguarding compromise children's safety. The committee does not follow robust recruitment and vetting procedures and has recruited new staff members without taking thorough steps to check their suitability. The committee does not ensure that staff understand their responsibility to disclose any changes that may affect their suitability, such as those that affect individuals with whom they are associated. However, the committee does ensure staff have the necessary Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Staff are not well supported in their roles and do not benefit from guidance and support to improve their personal effectiveness or teaching. Staff fail to effectively supervise children at all times to ensure their safety. On the day of the inspection, during a group session, staff were unaware that a child was left alone in the bathroom until this was brought to

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

their attention. The committee and staff do not accurately evaluate the provision or gather the views of parents sufficiently. At the inspection, several parents raised concerns about their children's safety, support for their move to school, and lack of communication about accidents and procedures used to manage behaviour in the setting. These concerns were considered at this inspection and the inspector found that the committee is in breach of a number of requirements that affected children's well-being and development.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Few staff in the pre-school have recognised qualifications and, those who do, do not use these effectively to support children's learning. Staff do not use what they know about children's development to accurately identify what children need to learn next or share this with parents so they can promote consistency in learning. Their support is ineffective in helping children successfully work towards their targets quickly enough, including for older children who are getting ready for their move to school. Staff leave children to play on their own, unsupervised, for long periods. For example, older girls play imaginary games of mermaids with only the occasional input from staff, while a younger child is left on his own for an extended period sitting with an electronic device. Staff fail to effectively support some of the most able children. For example, despite children asking for help with a complex building project, they do not get the attention they need to challenge them in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

their thinking and in the end they complete this project on their own.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The significant weaknesses in staff's understanding of safeguarding and staff deployment have a detrimental impact on how well they support children's welfare overall. Throughout the day, staff frequently attended to tasks where they were not able to supervise children effectively. For example, while one member of staff changed nappies behind a tall screen, the only other member of staff in the room entered a cupboard, leaving children in the room on their own for a period. Nevertheless, children adequately settle on arrival and enjoy the company of their friends. However, there are few opportunities to develop children's independence as staff complete tasks that they are able to do for themselves, such as putting on their coats or pouring their drinks. Staff suitably manage children's behaviour and ensure they are supported to share toys and follow simple rules. Staff now use only positive methods to help children when they struggle to manage their feelings.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Staff fulfil their responsibilities to gather information about children's medical needs. They keep a record of accidents when they have observed them and inform parents.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Weaknesses in teaching mean that children are not equipped with all the essential skills they need to move on to school. Activities set out are often mundane and uninviting. Children lack challenge, lose their curiosity to learn, play on their own or wander aimlessly. Overall children make poor progress and, for some children, the gap between their progress and their peers' progress is widening due to the lack of targeted support.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY349727 Local authority West Berkshire (Newbury) Inspection number 1085870 Type of provision Sessional 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 26 Number of children on roll 23 Name of registered person Kintbury Pre-School Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 8 January 2015 Telephone number 07765040269

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reference number

Kintbury Pre-school registered in 2007. It is open for four days a week during term time only, with sessions operating on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 3pm. The pre-school does not open on Wednesday. It provides funded educational places for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The pre-school employs five staff and, of those, only the manager has a recognised early years qualification at level 3 or above. There are three staff members with a recognised NVQ at level 2.

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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

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