Medstead Pre-school and Nursery

Inspection of Medstead Pre-school and Nursery Roedowns Road, Medstead, Alton, Hampshire GU34 5LG

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children arrive eager to learn and are happy to share their thoughts with adults who they are clearly at ease with. They talk freely with staff and follow their good example of how to treat others with respect. Staff use strategies such as a 'kindness tree' to recognise and praise kind behaviours. Key-person systems support children's emotional development and sense of security effectively. Since the previous inspection, staff have worked hard to provide activities to develop children's understanding of people's similarities and differences in the wider world. For example, children thoroughly enjoyed learning the traditional Hindi dance of 'Bollywood'.

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The provision is good

Experienced staff are skilled at making learning exciting, which helps to motivate children's desire to learn and discover. Staff plan a rich curriculum that builds on children's interests and their next steps in learning. For instance, a weekly forest school learning experience encourages children to explore and use the natural environment to develop high levels of confidence, creativity and independence. During these experiences, children have the opportunity to develop an understanding about boundaries of behaviour.

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The provision is good

Staff have high expectations for all children. For instance, they cater very well for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They adopt different approaches, such as providing structured language groups.

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need to do better?

n Staff are warm and gentle in their approach. They skilfully support and nurture children's emotional well-being. Children thrive in the caring and inclusive environment staff carefully create. Staff implement a wide range of strategies to help children explore their feelings and develop a positive self-image. They offer frequent praise to children, which helps them to respond positively to new challenges. For example, younger children show extreme delight as they successfully balance on stilts and pedal bicycles around the outdoor area. n Staff plan a wide range of activities to engage children. This is illustrated as children eagerly demonstrate how they crush wheat using a pestle and mortar to make 'flour'. They use words such as 'squishing' and 'crunching' to describe what they are doing. Staff introduce new words such as 'yeast' and 'dough', which helps to support children's developing language skills.

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need to do better?

n The manager makes effective use of additional funding to help narrow any gaps in children's learning. For example, funding has previously been used to provide one-to-one support and for purchasing resources to help children deal with their emotions. The manager understands the importance of providing extracurricular activities to enhance children's experiences. For example, children benefit from

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need to do better?

16 September 2019 attending weekly yoga classes, French lessons and sports coaching sessions. n Partnerships with parents are well established. Parents are regularly informed about their children's progress and achievements. Staff work well with other settings that children attend. This approach helps to provide consistency for children's care and development. Older children are very well prepared for school. They develop confident social skills and are keen to talk to visitors about their learning. Staff have listened carefully to feedback from local schools and provide a wide range of opportunities for children to develop their independence. For instance, mealtimes offer children opportunities to be independent and develop self-care skills, such as opening packets and pouring drinks. n Staff encourage children effectively to enjoy the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle. Children enjoy spending time outdoors where there is plenty of space

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need to do better?

to run and play energetically. They climb confidently and negotiate space successfully. Children learn to keep themselves safe. For example, they are able to explain the rules that they need to follow when taking part in forest school sessions and why these are important to their safety and that of other children. n The manager gathers the views of parents, staff and children and uses these effectively to drive forward improvements to the service she provides. Staff attend regular training to enhance their knowledge and skills. However, staff monitoring and supervision are not highly effective in ensuring that the quality of teaching and learning is consistently improving to the highest possible level. For example, staff sometimes miss opportunities to challenge children and support them to develop their own ideas.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff have a good understanding of the signs and indicators that may raise a concern about the safety and welfare of a child in their care. They know the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about the welfare of a child. The manager checks staff's knowledge through quizzes and safeguarding scenarios. This has had a positive impact on staff's knowledge of safeguarding procedures and their role in keeping children safe. Staff recruitment is thorough. Recruitment and induction procedures are effective in checking staff's initial and ongoing suitability.

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should:

n build on the programme of staff training, coaching and supervision to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is constantly improving to the highest level.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 109996 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10104175 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 to 4 Total number of places 38 Number of children on roll 46 Name of registered person Medstead Pre-school and Nursery Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01420 561028 Date of previous inspection 23 April 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Medstead Pre-school and Nursery registered in 1992. It operates from a self- contained building in the grounds of Medstead Primary School, near Alton in Hampshire. The setting opens Monday to Friday from 8.05am to 3.05pm during school term times. There are 10 staff employed, all of whom hold relevant qualifications at level 3, level 4 and level 5. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector and the manager completed a learning walk across all areas of the pre-school to understand how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n A joint observation was carried out by the inspector and the manager. n The inspector spoke to staff about their knowledge of child protection and the procedures they follow to keep children safe. n A meeting was held between the inspector and the manager. n The inspector spent time with parents and children and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of the curriculum during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector reviewed documents, including those relating to staff, accident records, and policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

16 September 2019 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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