St Andrew's Pre-School

Inspection of St Andrew's Pre-School Huddersfield Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 0AA

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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 Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children enter the setting happy and eager to learn. They relish a challenge and persevere well on tasks. Staff know the children well and understand their capabilities, continuously building on their knowledge and skills.

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The provision is good

When children returned to the setting, following time off during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff were quick to identify areas of focus and shape the curriculum accordingly. They prioritised children's emotional well-being and planned activities that allowed children to talk about how they were feeling. For example, staff encouraged children to talk about how they were feeling using food colourings to represent different emotions. They then mixed these together in water to show that sometimes we feel different emotions all at once and this can be overwhelming.

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The provision is good

Children are encouraged to develop an early appreciation and love of books. Each week, children chose a book to take home and read. Before choosing another, they talk about the book they have read and what they enjoyed about it. They retell the story in their own words, talking about the main characters and recalling the key events.

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The provision is good

Staff deployment is effective in ensuring children are safely supervised. Children behave well. They learn about responsibility and develop their independence during daily routines. They cooperate well on tasks, help one another and look after their environment as they help to tidy away the toys.

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need to do better?

n Staff have an in-depth knowledge of children's capabilities. They are skilled at knowing when to intervene to add to the child's learning experience and when to allow them to try out their own ideas during planned activities. n The staff team reflects on their practice well, ensuring the curriculum continues to challenge children and build on their knowledge and skills. However, at times, during less structured times of the day, staff are not always alert to those children who are less engaged in purposeful play. n Children are actively encouraged to share their ideas and contribute to the self- evaluation process. Just one of the ways this is done is through the children's committee. Children put forward their ideas and suggestions, such as requests for further resources such as a remote-control robot and why they feel it is needed. They talk about the quality of the snack and healthy eating and their

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need to do better?

ideas are valued by staff and acted upon. Staff encourage children to share any concerns and talk through their worries about starting school. This leads to a conversation about what to expect. This approach helps to build children's

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need to do better?

30 June 2021 confidence, speaking and listening skills. n Staff encourage children to learn about healthy living during planned activities. After reading 'Jack and the Beanstalk', children went on to grow their own fruit and vegetables in the outdoor area. Staff supported children to learn how to care for the plants, to help them grow, and harvested them when ready. They used tools safely to chop and prepare the vegetables to cook a healthy soup, which they enjoyed for their lunch and took home to their families. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported to reach their full potential and staff work closely with any professionals involved to provide appropriate levels of challenge. Any funding is used to well to ensure it helps children to make good progress. For example, staff buy appropriate resources to help children develop and practise key skills identified in their

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need to do better?

individual plans. n There is a strong emphasis on continuous professional development, in terms of identifying training that will ultimately improve outcomes for children. Staff have regular supervisions and appraisals and they work well together to evaluate practice. However, the manager does not always critically evaluate teaching practice to identify areas that could be further improved. n Staff work effectively in partnership with parents. They find out about children's starting points and complete a baseline assessment when they first start to be able to plan their next steps in learning. This allows them to build on children's prior knowledge and skills and identify any gaps in learning. n Parents report how well their children are supported. They talk of their achievements and the new skills they have acquired, particularly around gaining increasing independence and their speech and language. Parents value the

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need to do better?

ongoing feedback they receive from staff about how their children are progressing and how they can support them in their learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are clear of their duties in relation to safeguarding. They attend regular training to ensure they have an up-to-date knowledge of all aspects of safeguarding, including local procedures for reporting any concerns. The staff team work well together and in partnership with parents. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, steps were taken to keep in touch with families and provide appropriate support.

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Safeguarding

Risk assessments ensure any hazards are minimised to keep children safe. Staff deployment is effective in ensuring children are safely supervised. A good balance is achieved between keeping children safe and allowing them to explore and take risks to grow and develop their physical skills.

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should:

n review the quality of learning experiences for children during less structured times of the day to ensure that they remain engaged in purposeful play n improve evaluations of teaching practice so that areas for further improvement are consistently identified.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 303819 Local authority Calderdale Inspection number 10145178 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

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inspection

Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 28 Name of registered person St Andrews Preschool Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01422 360950 Date of previous inspection 24 January 2020

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Information about this early years setting

St Andrew's Pre-School registered in 1999. It is open Monday to Friday during term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm. The pre-school employs three members of staff, all of whom hold suitable level 3 childcare qualifications. The pre-school offers funded early education places for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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 manager and the inspector completed a learning walk where the manager explained the skills and knowledge she wanted children to learn. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager evaluating the quality of education during a planned activity. n The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and children during the inspection. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspector to seek their feedback and evaluation of the setting. n The inspector looked at a sample of the relevant documentation during the inspection.

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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 June 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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