Mepal and Witcham Pre- School

Mepal and Witcham Pre- School Brangehill Lane, Mepal, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 2AL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 April 2018 16 June 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

 The manager is enthusiastic and committed to providing children with good-quality care and education. She continually reflects on children's progress. She seeks ongoing improvements to practice to enhance the learning of those children who attend.  Children are eager and motivated to learn. They engage well in a wide range of opportunities, indoors and outside. Staff carefully plan the environment and activities to support children's interests, extend their learning and help them to progress well.  Staff are good role models. They are calm, patient and kind. Children build secure attachments with staff and enjoy playing alongside them. Children behave well throughout the day and show good levels of confidence and self-esteem.  Staff plan many opportunities to support children's mathematical and literacy development. Children are eager to practise their early writing skills in a variety of ways. Staff introduce numbers and counting at every opportunity.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 While staff communicate effectively with parents generally, they have not developed highly effective partnership working with all parents so that children fully benefit from a collaborative approach to supporting their learning.  Occasionally, staff intervene to help children and do not challenge them to complete small tasks for themselves.

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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

 strengthen partnership working with parents so that all children fully benefit from high levels of consistency and support for learning both in the pre-school and at home  use every opportunity to encourage children's high levels of independence and sense of responsibility to complete small tasks for themselves.

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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 with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the pre-school deputy manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the pre-school manager and deputy manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre-school.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a secure understanding of how to respond to any concerns they may have about children's welfare. The manager knows the procedures she must follow to ensure she reports concerns quickly and to the appropriate professionals. The manager and staff complete robust and ongoing checks of the environment to ensure it is safe and suitable for children. The manager supports staff well in the pre-school. She helps them to access training and to learn from each other. Staff are confident to bring back ideas from training to share with others to secure the continued development of staff's practice. The manager values staff's ideas, helping them to implement their ideas to enhance children's mathematical development. Staff use additional funding effectively to target and swiftly close any gaps in children's learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children play imaginatively as they recreate familiar situations. Staff join in children's play to enhance their learning. Children pretend to buy items in the role-play area. Staff encourage children to name the items and to count coins to pay for them. They further extend children's learning and encourage them to buy healthy items. Children recognise fruit as healthy. Outdoors, staff join children building a wall. They show children how to check the wall is level using a small tool. Children listen well and try for themselves. Staff know the children well. They complete detailed assessments of children's progress and keep a close track of their development. They take account of children's interests when planning activities. This ensures that children stay motivated to learn.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children learn rules and boundaries and begin to show an understanding of risk. They ask staff if they can access the shed outdoors before entering. Children develop good social skills as they play collaboratively together. They help each other to achieve their goals to build a wall using bricks, sand and water. Children know the pre-school routines and follow instructions well. There is minimal disruption to play as they move between different routines of the day, such as snack time and group time. Staff encourage children to eat healthily and to follow good hygiene procedures. Children help themselves to water when playing outdoors to ensure they stay hydrated. Children enjoy spending time playing outdoors in the stimulating environment. They play actively and have regular opportunities to develop their physical skills, such as running on the school field.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children progress well given their starting points. They develop in confidence and show that they feel safe and secure. They listen and respond to staff and are kind to each other. They are busy and engage well throughout the session. They enjoy participating in different activities and are keen to share what they know with others. Children develop skills to help them to be successful learners and to be prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 221729 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 1101797 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 18 Name of registered person Mepal and Witcham Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 16 June 2014 Telephone number 07510 173 818

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reference number

Mepal and Witcham Pre-School registered in 1995. The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday during term time only. Sessions are from 9am until midday on Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 9am until 1pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. 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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