High Coniscliffe Pre-school

Inspection of High Coniscliffe Pre- school High Coniscliffe Church Hall, High Coniscliffe, The Green, Darlington DL2 2LR

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

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

p.1

The provision is good

Children thrive at the friendly pre-school. They are very happy, exceptionally confident and show that they feel secure. Staff create a welcoming and fun environment. They provide a wealth of praise and encouragement and get to know children wonderfully well. Children develop extremely positive relationships with adults. This contributes powerfully to children's well-being and their attitude to learning. The manager and staff have high expectations for children across the age groups. They have a good understanding of the age ranges that they are working with. Staff adapt activities and the environment effectively to provide for each child's next steps in learning. Children are motivated, curious and excited about their learning. They are supported well by staff, who use a variety of teaching strategies. However, there is not yet a targeted plan of professional development to raise the consistently good standards of teaching even further. Children's

p.2

The provision is good

behaviour is exceptionally good for their ages. Staff support children to recognise their own feelings. Children form firm friendships and practise their social skills in readiness for the eventual move on to school. They play contentedly together and manage small incidents for themselves. For example, children kindly share resources to cheer up a friend who is upset.

p.2

need to do better?

n The manager provides strong leadership. The manager and staff carry out accurate monitoring of how well individuals and groups of children are learning. This information is used effectively to identify improvements. Staff benefit from supervision meetings and regular peer observations. However, the professional development programme is not specifically targeted to raise the quality of teaching in all areas to outstanding. Nevertheless, staff state that they enjoy formal and informal discussions about their well-being. This provides them with good support. n There is a strong focus on helping children with their communication and language skills. Staff use skilful questioning to encourage discussions. Staff regularly read and sing with children in a lively style. Children delight in choosing and looking at books for themselves. A library loan scheme enhances the selection available. Children take home their favourite books, supporting

p.2

need to do better?

continuous learning. n Staff respond swiftly when children need comforting, changing, or support with their self-care. Children demonstrate excellent levels of independence during everyday tasks. For instance, they hang up coats on named pegs and register by moving their name cards onto a board. The environment is organised well to enable children to select toys and resources freely. Routines are planned thoughtfully to support this independence. For example, children carefully serve their own food from a selection of nutritious foods at snack time.

p.2

need to do better?

23 January 2020 n There are positive relationships with parents. Experiences from home are shared to celebrate children's achievements. From the start, staff gather and use detailed information from parents. This helps to settle children and meet their individual needs. Ongoing communication with parents further informs the plans for what children need to learn next. Parents welcome updates about their children's development and learning. Guidance is shared on how parents can help to support their children's learning at home. Partnership working with the local school is very strong and supports children moving on to their future learning. n Staff provide a broad range of interesting experiences, which promotes learning across the curriculum. For instance, children use their imaginations as they prepare for a pretend train ride. They line up, and count, large crates to represent the engine and carriages. With support from staff, children make

p.2

need to do better?

pretend money and tickets for the make-believe journey to the seaside. During this activity, children practise using scissors safely and develop their small-motor skills. Staff introduce new words to enhance their vocabulary. They model language well to help support the growing clarity of young children's speaking. n Children take trips to the wider community, including visiting older people in a care home. This helps children to understand about the similarities and differences between themselves and others. Children enjoy exploring the natural surroundings. They benefit from lots of fresh air and exercise during local walks.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The manager and staff have a secure understanding of how to keep children safe. Their good knowledge of how to identify potential signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedures that they would use to report any concerns is robust. This includes a whistle-blowing procedure for reporting allegations against another member of staff. Staff update their understanding of wider safeguarding issues, including the 'Prevent' duty. The manager has rigorous recruitment and induction processes in place. She completes appropriate checks to ensure that those working with children are suitable. Staff monitor the environment inside and outdoors to keep children safe.

p.3

should:

n implement a precise programme to enrich staff's professional development further and enhance the quality of teaching to consistently outstanding levels.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY386260 Local authority Darlington Inspection number 10131597 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care Age range of children 2 to 4 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 15 Name of registered person The Non-Profit Preschool Alliance Limited

p.4

reference number

Telephone number 07817 413138 Date of previous inspection 21 June 2016

p.4

Information about this early years setting

High Coniscliffe Pre-school registered in 2008. The pre-school employs three members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including the manager, who has qualified teacher status. The pre- school opens during term time on Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 3pm, and on Wednesday to Friday from 8.30am to 3pm. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.4

Inspection activities

n The manager showed the inspector around the pre-school and talked about how different areas are used to support the curriculum. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The manager completed a joint observation of an activity with the inspector. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities, in the playroom and outside, and the impact of this on children's learning. n The inspector looked at documentation, including evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff.

p.4

Inspection activities

23 January 2020 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.

p.4

Inspection activities

23 January 2020 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.

p.5

Inspection activities

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspection activities

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk

p.6

Inspection activities

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Inspection activities

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6