Platform 3 Pre-School Playgroup

Platform 3 Pre-School Playgroup Manor Field Primary School, Junction Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 0PZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 June 2018 26 November 2015

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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:

 Monitoring, observation and assessment systems are not fully effective to enable staff to plan for children's developmental next steps and challenge their learning effectively. Children, including specific groups such as boys and girls, do not make the best possible progress in order to be fully ready for the next stage in their learning.  Systems for self-evaluation and monitoring the effectiveness of staff practice are not fully effective to support all staff in raising their level in specific areas of teaching.  Staff do not make the best use of group activities to fully engage and extend all children taking part, in particular the youngest children.

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It has the following strengths

 The manager and staff work well with other professionals and provide consistent support for children who have special educational needs and receive additional funding.  Caring staff show a genuine interest in the children's lives and build trusting bonds with them. Children are happy, secure and develop positive social skills and early friendships. They behave well and respond positively to the consistent and gentle reminders of staff.  Partnerships with parents are positive and, overall, staff effectively involve parents in their children's learning. They regularly discuss children's interests and give some helpful ideas for how parents can support learning at home.

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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 use of observations and assessments to effectively monitor individual and groups of children's progress, identify any gaps in their learning and plan precisely for their next steps in learning. 06/08/2018

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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

 extend the systems for self-evaluation and monitoring of staff performance so that they are focused more sharply on specific areas of staff practice in order to improve assessment, planning and outcomes  enhance group activities to fully support the learning of all children taking part, in particular the youngest children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching practices and the impact these have on children's learning.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff, children and parents.  The inspector read some of the pre-school's documentation, including the safeguarding policy and procedures.  The inspector sampled children's development information and records.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager and discussed children's play, learning and progress.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The manager models good practice to staff and shares advice and guidance to help develop their skills. However, she does not monitor their practice closely enough to identify and act on the weaknesses in assessment and planning to help ensure all children make good progress. The manager does not evaluate the effectiveness of the pre-school effectively or monitor the progress different groups of children make to help close gaps in learning. However, the manager and staff have made some positive improvements to the provision. For example, they have improved the outdoor area and introduced enjoyable new opportunities for children to develop their imaginary play and lead their own learning. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a thorough, up-to-date understanding of child protection issues and know how to report any concerns about a child's welfare.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff know children's interests well and children enjoy learning through play, accessing a wide range of resources. Staff ask good questions to encourage children's thinking and problem-solving skills. For example, as children build train tracks, staff ask them what pieces might fit, where the trains could go and how they could add a bridge. Although staff know children well, they do not use their assessments effectively to plan accurate, challenging next steps in learning. They do not ensure the environment is planned to challenge the learning of all children and some group activities do not meet the needs of younger children. Staff support children's language development successfully. For example, they listen carefully to what children say, encourage plenty of conversation and model correct pronunciation and sentences.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff are strong role models for children and sensitively remind them of their high expectations. They give clear and consistent messages and children behave well. Children learn to express their needs and talk about what makes them happy and sad. They are thoughtful, considerate and kind. For example, they happily pass each other the colour pencils they need when drawing and ask if anyone else needs help. Staff encourage plenty of outdoor play and exercise in the spacious and well-resourced garden. Children confidently build with large blocks, play running games and ride bicycles. They show good balance, coordination and physical development.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Not all children make good enough progress. Weaknesses in the quality of assessment mean that not all children are challenged appropriately by staff to ensure they reach their full potential. Despite this, children communicate well, express themselves and develop some skills that prepare them for school. Children have secure mathematical skills and confidently count as they play. They enjoy singing songs and show good creativity as they explore play dough. Children are inquisitive and willing to give things a go.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY443287 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 1131833 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 25 Number of children on roll 43 Name of registered person Platform 3 Pre-School Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 26 November 2015 Telephone number 01444 237796

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reference number

Platform 3 Pre-School Playgroup registered in 2012. It is open between 9am and 3pm each weekday, during term time. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early years education to children aged two, three and four years. There are seven members of staff, all of whom hold relevant early years qualifications between level 5 and 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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