Noah's Ark Pre School (Wells)

Noah's Ark Pre School (Wells) c/o St Joseph and St Teresa Catholic Primary School, Lovers Walk, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2QL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 7 June 2018 20 July 2017

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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

 Leaders and managers demonstrate a strong commitment to improvement. They have addressed previous issues from the last inspection successfully. For example, planning considers children's interests and next steps effectively. Staff challenge children well and they make good progress from their unique starting points.  Leaders and managers use effective evaluation to reflect and develop useful action plans to enhance the setting. For example, they have identified the need to use tracking of different groups of children more efficiently and to gain further information from parents about children's achievements at home, to improve outcomes for children.  Children have a good sense of community. They feel emotionally secure and staff value them as individuals. Children thrive in responsibilities and become actively involved in challenging themselves. For example, they add their ideas of what they could do better

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although leaders have strategies in place to engage with other early years providers that children attend, they do not use them consistently to enable a continuous approach to children's learning and development.  The manager does not consistently provide new members of staff with guidance on routines and activities, for example, to ensure children are involved in tasks they are capable of doing for themselves, to support them to become more independent.

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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

 develop further strategies to engage all other early years providers that children attend, to provide a consistent approach to children's care, learning and development  provide new members of staff with guidance on routines and activities to support children's developing independence even further.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff's interactions with children as they played inside and outside.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke with the registered individual, manager, staff, parents and children at convenient times during the inspection.  The inspector observed documentation, including the pre-school's self-evaluation, staff's suitability records and children's assessment records.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Leaders, managers and staff have good understanding of their responsibilities to report any concerns about a child or an adult to appropriate agencies. There are effective arrangements to recruit suitably vetted staff and to keep Ofsted informed of changes to the committee. Staff have good opportunities to develop their professional skills, in particular to support children's emotional well-being and their communication and language skills. Managers track children's individual progress efficiently, identifying gaps in their learning and acting promptly to reduce these. There are strong links with the school to support a smooth transition for children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff use information gathered from parents as children start at the pre-school effectively to prepare initial activities successfully. They keep parents well informed of their children's progress. Staff plan an exciting range of experiences across all areas of learning. Children develop good physical skills, for example, they negotiate space well on the tricycles and adjust their speed to avoid collisions. Staff question children effectively to help them plan their imaginary journey and extend their ideas. Children are confident communicators. They keenly share their news and respond well to questions asked by staff and each other.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff provide an inviting learning environment, which is well organised with a broad range of resources. Children enter happily and engage quickly in activities, making choices about their play. Staff provide good encouragement and praise, for example, when children try new skills, such as pedalling the tricycle, building high levels of self-esteem. Children behave well and play nicely together. Children have good opportunities to be outside and active. For example, they develop good physical skills as they engage in forestry skills and gardening activities. They carry out research using electronic devices and learn how to care for living things. Children feel secure in familiar daily routines and follow these well. For instance, they know to wash their hands before they eat, fetch their lunchbox from the fridge and sit at the table without guidance.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress and develop the skills they need for their future learning and eventual move to school. Children demonstrate good early writing skills. For example, older children make good attempts to form letters when they write their name and make comparisons between letters, such as recognising 'M' from a food outlet sign. Children count confidently and begin to recognise numbers to label groups, such as how many boys and girls attend the session.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 143014 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 1110239 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 - 4 Total number of places 16 Number of children on roll 14 Name of registered person Noahs Ark (Wells) Pre-school Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 20 July 2017 Telephone number 07773 688943

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reference number

Noah's Ark Pre School (Wells) registered in 1992. It operates from the grounds of St Joseph's and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School in Wells, Somerset. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 3.15pm, during term time only. The pre-school is run by a committee of parents and receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. The committee employs a manager and two staff, two of whom hold early years qualifications at level 3.

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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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