Tudor Pre-School Group

Inspection of Tudor Pre-School Group c/o Tudor Primary School, Redwood Drive, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP3 9ER

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

p.1

The provision is inadequate

Children's safety and welfare are compromised. The pre-school management has allowed an individual to temporarily manage the setting without the necessary suitable checks being completed. This puts children at risk. Staff and management do not recognise potential child protection concerns. The manager does not share important information with key staff for them to monitor children. As a result, potential safeguarding concerns are not highlighted or reported in a timely manner.

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The provision is inadequate

Children take part in activities that, for the most part, interest them. However, staff do not have a good enough knowledge of children's individual ages and stages of development. This means children are not challenged appropriately and their play is not always purposeful. Nevertheless, children are happy, and, when supported by more capable staff, they gain some skills and knowledge. Children's independence is supported by well-intentioned staff who are warm and caring.

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The provision is inadequate

Children who also attend the host school are not helped to consolidate what they learn at school. Partnership with the school is poor, so children's learning is not focused or extended. The health of children is not supported well enough. Not enough action is taken to prevent the spread of cross infection.

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need to do better?

n The provider has not made enough improvement since its last inspection. The judgement at this inspection is the third consecutive inadequate judgement. This shows a lack of capacity, on the part of the management and staff, to make the necessary improvement over an extended period of time. Furthermore, the quality of education has declined since the last inspection. This has a negative impact on children's safety, learning and development. n Recruitment procedures are poor. The pre-school management fails to check the suitability of all staff working in the pre-school. For example, an individual was given the responsibility of managing the setting in the manager's absence. This person is not known to the pre-school committee or to Ofsted and the expected suitability checks were not completed. This significantly compromises children's safety and welfare. n Management fails to identify, record and report possible safeguarding concerns.

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need to do better?

Patterns of concern go unnoticed and important information about children is not shared with all those involved in keeping children safe. Concerns are not reported promptly to the relevant agencies to ensure the welfare of all children is protected. n Staff supervision arrangements are weak. Poor practice is not recognised and staff professional development needs are not identified. For example, weaknesses in teaching are not recognised, and, as a result, possible coaching

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need to do better?

30 January 2020 and training are not sufficiently targeted. The monitoring of the manager, by the committee, is ineffective, and there is an over-reliance on the manager understanding how to effectively meet requirements. n The key-person system is not effective. For example, there is a lack of communication between parents and key persons. Furthermore, parents are not provided with suitable information to help them build on children's learning at home. Therefore, staff do not ensure that children's care is fully tailored to meet their individual needs. n Partnerships with other providers are weak. Ineffective procedures mean that little information is shared between pre-school staff and teaching staff at the host school about children who attend both settings. As a result, staff are not supporting and complementing children's care and learning experiences. n Staff fail to effectively promote the health of children. They do not take action to

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need to do better?

limit the spread of contagious illness in the setting. For example, children put their mouths directly onto a microphone when they sing karaoke. Staff do not take appropriate steps to prevent the spread of illness and infection. Nevertheless, children learn about some hygiene routines, such as when using the bathroom. For example, they wash their hands after using the toilet. n Children have daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise. They use the outside area, accessing some resources, such as balls. They show interest in the 'bug hotel' and use different tools to investigate the area. This supports their physical development. In addition to this, children enjoy interesting story times. n Children's imaginations are supported. For example, many children show interest in the role-play café. They pretend to cook and serve children and staff. However, although staff recognise that the area is too small for the number of

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need to do better?

children using it, they do nothing to improve this. This means children's play becomes fraught.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Weaknesses in leadership and management mean children's safety is compromised. Recruitment procedures are not robust. The provider fails to ensure that staff working in the pre-school are all suitably checked. Staff attend safeguarding training. Despite this, patterns of behaviour, and concerns relating to safeguarding matters, are not consistently linked to ensure they are reported appropriately in a timely manner. This impacts on children's welfare. Staff know how to identify some basic signs and symptoms of abuse and say they would report concerns to the provider or local safeguarding team. However, not all staff are confident with the reporting structure. This does not promote the protection of children attending the setting.

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Due date

ensure staff are alert to any issues of concern in a child's life at home or elsewhere. Train staff to identify possible signs of neglect and abuse, including being able to link changes and/or patterns of behaviour 24/02/2020

p.4

Due date

ensure that recruitment and vetting procedures are robust; implement suitable checks on all staff working at the pre-school 24/02/2020

p.4

Due date

ensure that effective arrangements are in place for the supervision of managers and staff to identify inconsistent practice and training needs; use this to improve staff's professional development opportunities and the quality of their teaching 24/02/2020

p.4

Due date

ensure that the key-person system is effective in tailoring care and learning to the individual needs of all children; establish appropriate information sharing with parents and other providers, to implement appropriate opportunities for all children 24/02/2020

p.4

Due date

ensure that staff promote the good health of children attending the setting, with particular reference to taking necessary steps to prevent the spread of illness and infection. 24/02/2020

p.4

Due date

30 January 2020 make the most of what is known about individual children, so specific areas of development can be targeted for children to make good progress in their learning; deliver all areas of learning through planned, purposeful play. 24/02/2020

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Setting details

Unique reference number 129404 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10128920 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 26 Number of children on roll 37 Name of registered person Tudor Pre-School Group Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01442 256294 Date of previous inspection 4 October 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Tudor Pre-School Group registered in 1992. The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, two members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday from 8.45am until 3.30pm, term time only. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector held a learning discussion with the pre-school manager to understand how the early years provision and curriculum are organised. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the pre-school manager and evaluated the quality of teaching. n The inspector spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views. She also spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The inspector held meetings with the provider and the pre-school manager. She looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre-school.

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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

30 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.

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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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