Yaxley & Mellis Pre-School

Yaxley & Mellis Pre- School Mellis C E V Cp School, Yaxley Road, Mellis, EYE, Suffolk IP23 8DP

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Inspection date 10 May 2019 Previous inspection date 15 January 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 Parents speak highly of the welcoming, friendly and professional staff. Staff genuinely care for the children and give them lots of individual care and attention. As a result, children settle well at the pre-school and show good levels of emotional well-being. n Staff make the most of the well-planned outside area. They offer lots of free-flow access to the outside. Children show high levels of motivation and engagement. Some children particularly enjoy collecting rainwater to give to the plants and vegetables, while others enjoy climbing on the rope ladder and blowing bubbles with their friends. n The manager is able to accurately evaluate the quality of teaching. She uses knowledge gained from her level 6 qualification to plan well-focused improvements to drive the ongoing development of the pre-school. The manager works well in partnership with the local authority to provide training and guidance to staff.

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This provision is good

n Thorough tracking procedures are in place to monitor children's learning. These show that all children are meeting expected milestones for their ages. If the manager identifies gaps in children's development, she works well with staff to enhance the pre-school environment and the activities on offer, to help gaps to quickly close. n Children benefit from many well-planned activities to enhance children's reading skills. For instance, children enthusiastically take part in rhymes about food that is 'yummy for my tummy'. They have many opportunities to join in with songs. Children concentrate as they listen and join in with favourite stories. n At times, staff miss opportunities to encourage children to fully develop their independence and take responsibility for routine tasks. n Opportunities for older children to practise their developing writing skills are not consistently promoted during child-led play activities.

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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 enhance opportunities for children to take responsibility for small tasks and develop their independence n give older children more opportunities to practise their writing skills in meaningful contexts.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

n The inspector spoke to parents and viewed written feedback to gain their views. n The inspector held a meeting with the chairperson and manager. She looked at evidence of the suitability of staff, risk assessments and discussed plans for improvement. n The inspector observed a range of activities, indoors and outside, and assessed the impact these have on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager and discussed the impact teaching has on children's development. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times. She viewed a sample of children's learning records and tracking documents.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have effectively addressed actions raised at the last Ofsted visit. Children are very well supervised at all times and risk assessments are thorough. Staff check that clear security measures are in place. Staff understand child protection procedures. Up-to-date safeguarding policies are followed. Staff access training and support to keep their knowledge up to date. They benefit from regular supervision meetings to discuss their performance and identify areas for further development. Recruitment and induction systems are rigorous to check that staff are suitable to work with children. The manager and chairperson are highly organised and understand how to inform Ofsted about changes to the directors of the pre-school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff embrace a child-led approach to teaching and learning. They look at what children are interested in and help them to develop this further. For instance, they help children to explore the digging pit and look carefully with them at their findings. Staff help children to count how many stones they find and compare sizes. Children show creativity and imagination. For example, they pretend to work in a travel agent and plan holidays for staff and their friends using a map of the world. Children excitedly talk about 'going to Wales' and give their friends imaginary tickets. Staff know children very well and talk confidently about their interests, developmental needs and next steps in learning. They place high importance on enhancing children's social skills and speech development. Parents receive regular updates about their child's progress. Staff encourage parents to share observations of their child's development and family activities on the pre-school's

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

online system. Assessments of children are regular and accurate.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff spend time getting to know children and their families. Parents are encouraged to help their child to get used to the pre-school by attending settling sessions with them. Staff work in partnership with parents to support children with toilet training and sleep routines. Parents are grateful for the advice and guidance they receive. Children benefit from many opportunities to play outside and exercise. For example, staff encourage children to pretend to be seeds by curling up small, and show them how to stretch tall to grow into apple trees. Children happily talk about their pre-school experiences. They say they particularly enjoy visiting the nearby school field with pre-school staff to play with hoops and balls. Staff embrace children's varying cultural experiences. They find out about special family celebrations and traditional foods, and they introduce these to children at the pre-school. Children's transitions to primary school are carefully planned.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children are well-prepared for their move on to school. They engage well in a range of activities and play harmoniously with their friends. Behaviour is excellent and there is a calm and relaxed atmosphere. Children talk well for their ages and independently choose books to look at. Children count during their play and confidently compare sizes. Staff are aware of children who are eligible for additional funding. Funding is carefully used to support children's individual interests and development needs.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY393732 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 10074255 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Sessional day care Age range of children 2 - 11 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 76 Name of registered person Yaxley and Mellis Pre-School

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 15 January 2016 Telephone number 01379788458

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reference number

Yaxley and Mellis Pre-School registered in 2009. The setting employs seven members of childcare staff. Six staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 3 to 6, including the manager who holds early years teacher status. Pre-school sessions are from 9am until 3pm. The pre-school also offers wraparound care for pre-school children and those who attend the primary school on site, from 7.45am until 9am and from 3pm until 6pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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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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