Mama Bear's Pre-School Whitchurch

Inspection of Mama Bear's Pre-School Whitchurch 59 Bristol Road, Whitchurch, Bristol BS14 0PF

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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 are happy to attend pre-school and they settle very quickly. Children are eager to explore the resources available for them and staff are responsive to children's needs and interests. Children have secure relationships with the staff and other children in the pre-school. All children behave well, they learn to share and manage their feelings appropriately and staff support them to manage minor disputes independently. Children know the behavioural expectations and they follow the rules well. For instance, they know to alert staff if they want to play on the large slide and there is not an adult nearby. Children are keen to be involved in activities with staff, they thoroughly enjoy making their own play dough. Children confidently estimate what ingredients they need to add to change the consistency of their dough, and they explore what happens when they add different coloured paint to their dough.

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The provision is good

Children are confident at making their own choices about where they would like to play and staff facilitate this well. Children benefit from lots of fresh air and exercise, they enjoy spending time exploring in the garden and playing football with their friends. Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, parents are not currently able to go in to the setting, so the manager shares information about procedures and events through their online system.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and staff have made improvements since the last inspection. They have put good procedures in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have worked closely with other professionals and they have attended training to help them to put provisions in place to support children's individual needs. For example, recent training has helped staff to implement strategies to support children with SEND to listen and take turns. n The new manager and staff work well as a team. They reflect on their practice and make changes that benefit the children and their families. The manager and staff have reflected on the learning environment and have made changes to the arrangement of how the room is organised. Staff have introduced areas with resources readily accessible for children to select from based on their current interests. For instance, the manager has introduced recipe cards and shopping

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need to do better?

lists to support children's imaginative play, as they were enjoying playing shops and restaurants. n Parents are happy with the pre-school and they say the staff are caring and kind. Staff share information with the parents through an online system, and through having discussions at the start and end of the session. However, this information is limited, and these procedures could be strengthened to enhance the sharing of information with parents, so that they can support their children's

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need to do better?

13 July 2021 learning at home. n Staff know the children well. They use good methods to monitor and assess children's progress and they target their teaching effectively. Staff plan their curriculum around the children's interests and what they need to learn next. Children are excited and keen to join in with the activities that staff provide. Children enjoy painting on the large paper in the garden and they explore what happens when they paint their hands and feet. Children demonstrate a can-do attitude, they excitedly talk about the unicorns that they paint and proudly write their names on their art work. n Children enjoy being creative and staff give them lots of opportunities to explore using their senses and with different materials. They enjoy joining in with making 'birthday cakes' with mud in the garden. Children excitedly talk about what they have made and pretend to blow the candles out. n Staff play alongside children and model language well, they engage children in

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need to do better?

conversations and support children to listen as they share stories. Children confidently join in with rhyming stories as staff purposely leave gaps to encourage them to be involved. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language to help them to feel valued and welcomed. They greet children and use key words in their home languages. However, staff do not consistently support the quieter children and those with limited language to communicate their needs to them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff recognise the importance of their responsibilities to keep children safe. They have a good understanding of the procedures that they should follow to monitor and report any concerns that they have about children's welfare. The manager and staff carry out regular training to ensure that they keep their knowledge up to date and relevant. Staff support children to learn to about risk and how to keep themselves safe. For example, as they play in the garden staff remind them to keep hydrated and talk to them about the importance of sun safety.

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should:

n strengthen procedures to work more effectively with parents, to help them be more informed about their children's learning and how they can support them at home n develop more effective procedures to support the quieter and less verbal children to communicate their needs.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY546733 Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council Inspection number 10133043 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 29 Number of children on roll 36 Name of registered person Mama Bear's Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01275 838510 Date of previous inspection 25 November 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Mama Bear's Pre-School Whitchurch registered in 2016. The pre-school is based in the Whitchurch area of Bristol. It is open each weekday from 7.30am until 6pm, all year round. It receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The manager is supported by four members of staff who work directly with the children. Of these, four have qualifications at level 3 and one has a qualification at level 2.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting 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 setting. n The manager took the inspector on a learning walk and discussed how she and her staff deliver their curriculum. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n A meeting was held with the manager, and the inspector sampled documentation.

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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

13 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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