St Clare's Pre-School

Inspection of St Clare's Pre-School The Cabin, Baddesley Gardens, Havant, Hampshire PO9 4HN

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the nurturing and inclusive pre-school. They arrive in the morning with big smiles, leave their parents confidently outside the setting and greet their friends excitedly. Children explore the stimulating environment eagerly and demonstrate how safe and secure they feel. They develop very close bonds with the caring staff and show a strong sense of belonging.

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The provision is good

Children particularly enjoy singing and confidently remember the words and actions they have learned. During the inspection, they excitedly practised their special songs for an upcoming graduation celebration, joining in enthusiastically. Children take pride in their achievements and enjoy warm praise from staff. For example, they clapped loudly after each song and cheered together.

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The provision is good

Children engage busily in the wide range of planned activities and experiences provided. They respond well to staff's high expectations for their learning. Older children answer questions confidently and enjoy managing tasks, for example clearing away their snack and washing their hands independently. They develop good early literacy skills and begin to give meaning to the marks they make, ready for early writing. Younger children enjoy physical play and develop their understanding of colours, such as when lining up coloured rings. They are eager to play, explore and try new things.

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need to do better?

n Managers and staff provide a fully inclusive setting and welcome children of all abilities and backgrounds. They offer strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who receive additional funding. For example, when needed, staff access support from local inclusion services quickly and follow the guidance of outside professionals closely. All children progress well in their learning, regardless of their individual circumstances. n Managers are dedicated to treating each child as an individual and closing any gaps in learning. The curriculum currently has a high level of focus on children's language development, confidence and self-esteem. Staff work closely with speech and language therapists to share expertise and provide excellent support for children with speech delay. This is a particular strength of the pre-school. n Staff are strong and positive role models for children and give clear, consistent

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need to do better?

messages about their expectations. Children behave well and listen carefully to what staff say. They are kind, thoughtful and make positive early friendships. For example, they happily include others in their role play, saying 'You can be daddy and I'll be mummy'. Younger children enjoy cuddles with staff for reassurance and learn to share with gentle encouragement. n Staff assess children's development closely and plan well for their learning. They

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need to do better?

9 July 2021 successfully pair children's next steps in learning with their interests to help children engage. For example, children enjoy exploring musical instruments and learn to copy and tap out simple rhythms, tapping faster and slower. However, staff do not always adapt their teaching to fully support children's different ages and abilities. For instance, when older and younger children play together, staff sometimes do not give younger children the individual support they need. On these rare occasions, younger children are not supported to engage fully in their learning. n Children benefit from plenty of outdoor play in the stimulating and challenging garden. They are very physically active and show strong balance and coordination as they climb and ride bicycles. Staff read to children well and children enjoy joining in with stories. Children excitedly discuss what might happen next and remember key events. They share their ideas, knowledge and

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need to do better?

views confidently and feel completely free to express themselves. n Managers lead their enthusiastic and well-qualified staff team well. There are plenty of opportunities to discuss the children's development, well-being and staff roles during individual and team meetings. Together they access training and make improvements to their knowledge. For example, the whole team recently completed training to help identify and support children with autism spectrum disorder. n Managers have identified some key areas for further development, such as strengthening support for the youngest children. Although there are good systems in place to support staff, improvements have not been fully embedded in this area to achieve a consistently higher level of practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is given high priority at the pre-school. Managers and staff attend regular safeguarding training and work well as a team to keep children safe. They confidently know how to recognise the signs that a child's welfare may be at risk, including from wider safeguarding issues, such as extremism. Managers and staff confidently know how to report and escalate any such concerns if needed. Staff's suitability to work with children is checked vigilantly and recruitment is thorough. Managers build strong links with local agencies and, when needed, work closely with professionals to monitor and support children's safety.

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should:

n continue to embed the support in place for staff to help raise the good quality of their practice even higher n adapt teaching when supporting children of mixed ages to support their different

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY556385 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10174599 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 Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 41 Name of registered person St Clare's Pre-School

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reference number

Telephone number 02392451000 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

St Clare's Pre-School registered in 2018. It operates in Havant, Hampshire. The pre-school is open each weekday from 8am to 4pm, during term time. There are eight members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications between level 3 and level 6. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector was given a tour of the nursery by the manager and they carried out a learning walk to discuss the curriculum. n The manager and the inspector discussed the play activities and children's learning during the inspection and undertook a joint observation of an activity. n The views and opinions of the staff, children and parents were taken into account during the inspection. n A sample of documentation was viewed by the inspector.

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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

9 July 2021 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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