Saltdean Preschool

Saltdean Preschool St Nicholas Church Hall, Saltdean Vale, Saltdean, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 8HA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26 April 2018 13 October 2015

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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

 Staff link activities to children's interests to motivate them to have fun and play. Children enjoy a broad range of opportunities which supports all areas of learning.  The management team receives good support from the chair of the committee to ensure the pre-school is well run. They work closely with staff and parents to identify ways to continue to develop the pre-school and improve children's outcomes further.  Staff work closely with other professionals to ensure children's needs are met. All children, including those learning English as an additional language, make good progress.  Staff communicate respectfully with children and each other to create a very positive learning environment. They deploy themselves very well to interact and supervise effectively. Children are very familiar with the established routines and behave well.  Managers and staff give high priority to preparing children for school. Children develop

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This provision is good

positive attitudes to learning and the skills they need. Older children sit, concentrate and join in well, for example, at register time as they remember the days of the week and describe the weather in song.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 At times, activities directed by staff do not fully support the learning of two-year-olds as they do not maintain their engagement.  Managers do not routinely give staff feedback from their observations, to support them to raise the quality of teaching and help children make rapid progress in their learning.

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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 systems for planning learning activities for younger children that consistently encourage engagement and learning  review and improve further the procedures for supervision of teaching so that staff have precise targets to help move their practice from good to outstanding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities, indoors and outdoors. She assessed the impact of this on the children's learning and development.  The inspector completed a joint observation with a pre-school manager to determine her ability to monitor and develop staff practice.  The inspector spoke to children and staff.  The inspector met with the two managers and the chair of committee to discuss the organisation of the pre-school. She sampled nursery documentation and checked evidence of the suitability of staff.  The inspector spoke with a number of parents, read two written comments and took their views into account.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Managers work alongside staff to share their good practice and maintain staffing ratios. Staff have good training opportunities to enhance their skills in focused areas, such as learning sign language to support children's speech. The managers track children's progress efficiently and gaps in learning are quickly identified and addressed. Managers target additional funding successfully to support children who have special educational needs. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a good understanding of their responsibility to keep children safe and follow effective procedures if they have concerns about their welfare.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff routinely share information about children's progress and actively engage parents in the children's learning at home. The qualified and experienced staff understand how children learn. They make good use of the garden area to very successfully encourage learning, particularly to engage boys to develop skills such as writing. Children practise large arm movements as they paint the fence with water. Staff support all children's communication skills consistently well. They listen carefully and encourage children to express themselves. Staff regularly use songs that the children enjoy, to add new vocabulary and extend speech. They ask questions to help children think about their activities and make predictions. For example, children wonder what colour the seeds will be and what will be needed to make them grow, as they plant cress.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff know the children and families well and help children to settle quickly when they first start. They take careful account of children's individual differences and consistently praise their efforts and achievements. Staff support children's growing confidence and self- esteem. Children show delight as they explore oats and pasta and watch the wind blowing them away. Children thoroughly enjoy play outdoors, develop a positive attitude to exercise and manage their own risks. For example, they test their physical abilities as they learn to balance on bicycles or see how fast they can go down a long ramp. Staff encourage children to develop independence skills and understand their own needs. For example, they find water when they are thirsty and know about eating healthy snacks.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children progress well from their individual starting points. They are enthusiastic learners, interested in accessing resources and developing their own play. Older children solve their own problems. For example, they try different ways to build walls so that they do not fall down. Children develop excellent social skills as they share, negotiate and patiently wait for their turn. They make friendships and share conversations and ideas. Children write their names and learn to count.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 130769 Local authority Brighton & Hove Inspection number 1126905 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 24 Number of children on roll 40 Name of registered person Saltdean Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 13 October 2015 Telephone number 07938970623

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reference number

Saltdean Preschool registered in 1994. It operates from St Nicholas Church Hall, in Saltdean, East Sussex. The pre-school is open each weekday from 8.15am to 12.55pm, during term time. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are five staff who all hold an appropriate early years qualification and the manager has a teaching degree.

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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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