North Cestrian School

Acorns Preschool United Reformed Church Hall, Bower Hinton, Somerset TA12 6LA

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Inspection date 2 April 2019 Previous inspection date 10 March 2016

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 2 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2 Outcomes for children Good 2

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This provision is good

n Children receive good support to develop their communication and language skills, including those who speak English as an additional language. Staff engage children well in discussions, to encourage them to think and share their ideas. n Children receive good support to be kind and considerate to others. Staff are positive role models and support children sensitively to adapt their behaviour when needed. n The manager makes good use of funding to support individual children's learning experiences, ensuring interesting and stimulating activities captivate children's engagement. n Although staff successfully track the progress individual children make, processes to monitor the progress of all children as a whole and in different groups are not as effective to help identify and address any gaps in learning and the curriculum. n Staff know the children well and provide tailored support to meet their individual

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This provision is good

needs. However, they miss opportunities to develop children's sense of belonging and the importance of their own cultures and differences to further respect and accept each other's uniqueness. n At times, the play room environment becomes very noisy and not all planned activities support all the children effectively. During these times, children do not engage, focus and concentrate on the learning opportunities as well as they could, especially the younger ones.

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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

n track the progress of all children as a whole and in different groups, to be able to identify and address any patterns and gaps in their progress and the curriculum n extend opportunities for children to develop a stronger sense of belonging and self- awareness of their own and each other's backgrounds, helping them to respect and accept each other's uniqueness n monitor the noise levels and the planned activities so they continue to help children engage, focus and concentrate on the learning opportunities, especially the younger children.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed the staff and children engaged in their activities indoors and outside. n The inspector and manager completed a joint observation of an activity and talked about the learning and teaching. n The inspector spoke to parents to gain their views of the setting. n The inspector talked to the manager, staff and children during the inspection. n The inspector sampled a range of different documents, policies and paperwork.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff understand safeguarding matters and what to look out for. They know to act on and report any concerns promptly to the appropriate authorities. Staff supervise children well and ensure the areas they play in are safe. They remind children of expectations for safe play. The manager reviews the resources well to ensure they meet children's changing needs. This enables her to target funding where it is needed the most to benefit the children. This has resulted in children's improved exploration and social skills outdoors and their control and coordination on ride-on toys. Staff work well with parents to meet children's individual needs. They share information about the children's learning, enabling them to work together to provide children with consistent support. This has helped children to settle quickly and become independent from a young age. Staff teaching has improved to help

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

children to communicate, extend their vocabulary and to learn English.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff support children's communication and language well. They engage the children constantly in discussions. They ask questions that encourage the children to think and share their views. This leads to interesting conversations at circle time, where the children share their experiences. Children who speak English as an additional language learn new words rapidly and show they understand staff expectations well. They are inquisitive and ask questions, repeating the new vocabulary confidently. Staff support children's learning well outdoors. For example, the youngest children investigate in the mud kitchen, carefully exploring the effects of sand and water as they spoon and pour it into different containers. They use one-handed tools with increasing control. Staff ensure children benefit from targeted mathematical challenges that introduce them to simple calculation well. Children learn to count beyond 10 and add small numbers together, for

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

example to show how many boys and girls are present.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children learn to share and take turns. They understand staff's expectations for good behaviour and know when to seek help to resolve any issues about sharing or being kind. Children have good relationships with each other and staff. They are emotionally secure and confident learners. Children take care of their own needs when using the toilet, getting ready for outdoor play and at mealtimes. Children enjoy learning outdoors. They gain good physical skills as they manoeuvre safely around others and obstacles on their bikes, showing good balance and the ability to control their speed and direction.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress from their starting points and gain the skills they need for future learning, including going to school. Children speak confidently to express themselves and communicate and share their views with others. At circle time, they engage in positive discussions about recent events. They talk about the life cycle of the butterfly, remembering the 'cocoon' and 'chrysalis' stages. Children confidently do things for themselves, gaining their independence. They enjoy being physically active and taking care of their own needs.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 143104 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 10067697 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 17

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Name of registered person

The Acorns Pre-School (Bower Hinton) Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 10 March 2016 Telephone number 07599 981932

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reference number

Acorns Preschool registered in 1992. It operates from the church hall in the village of Bower Hinton, near Yeovil in Somerset. The pre-school opens Monday to Thursday from 9.30am to 2.30pm and Friday from 9.30am to 1pm, during term time only. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early education to children aged two, three and four years. There are three members of staff working with the children. Of these, two have relevant qualifications at level 3 and one at level 2.

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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.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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