Elim Church Pre School

Inspection of Elim Church Pre School South Street, Andover, Hampshire SP10 2BW

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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 Good

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The provision is inadequate

Significant weaknesses in staff's knowledge of safeguarding matters compromise children's well-being. Children's safety cannot be assured as staff fail to act on safeguarding concerns, placing children at risk.

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The provision is inadequate

Despite these serious failings in leadership, children appear happy and enjoy their time at pre-school. They play alongside their friends, and, at times, they cooperate on projects together. For example, they design a complicated bridge made of bricks which they balance over their train track. Children enjoy dressing up as their favourite characters and singing along to music, banging energetically to the rhythm in the song with tambourines. Children who speak English as an additional language make suitable gains in their learning. For example, bilingual staff help children develop their confidence in using their home language, alongside English. However, this positive support is not extended to other children who show a delay in their communication. Some groups of children do not benefit from a well- planned or sequenced curriculum that is sufficiently focused on helping them to catch up. This places them at a disadvantage compared to their peers, as they do

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The provision is inadequate

The quality of staff's support for children's learning is variable. Staff generally join in children's play, but, overall, they do not confidently extend children's learning during their short interactions with children. The impact of their inconsistent interactions is reflected in children's attitudes towards learning. Children become distracted easily and do not sustain their concentration at tasks. Activities do not capture their attention. At times, children are observed wandering around the room looking for something else to do, but they remain unengaged.

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need to do better?

n The organisation that takes responsibility for the pre-school lacks robust oversight of practice in the pre-school. It does not monitor the provision, staff's practice or the implementation of the safeguarding procedures effectively in order to meet the legal requirements. The manager is not effective in fulfilling all aspects of her role, including her responsibility to mentor the staff team. This has an impact on the success with which she mentors her staff team and on children's experiences across the pre-school. Staff do not fulfil their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. They lack effective support and guidance on how to improve their personal effectiveness so as to ensure all children make good progress overall in their learning. n Staff's delivery of the curriculum and the quality of the support they provide to children is variable. They accurately identify what children need to learn next

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need to do better?

and set out a suitable range of activities for children, based on their interests.

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need to do better?

24 November 2021 However, staff's failure to sequence the curriculum and shape their interactions in a way that allows children to build on what they already know has an impact on the quality of the support they provide to children overall. Staff provide limited challenge for older children, which affects their levels of engagement. Additionally, some staff pose very challenging questions to children who have limited success of answering due to their very young age. n Children are slow to develop confidence in their speaking. Staff provide focused support to help some children develop their communication skills, for example through short, targeted language groups. However, the success of these small- group times is undermined by staff's inconsistent support for children for the remainder of the day. Staff are observed attending to routine tasks and they do not focus sufficiently on speaking to children so that children become confident

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need to do better?

communicators. Children make only steady gains in their learning and do not catch up quickly enough. n Children's good behaviour and positive attitudes towards learning are hindered by weaknesses in staff's implementation of the curriculum. Activities on offer do not captivate children's attention for long periods, although children gain some enjoyment from the games they create for themselves. Children do not learn what it feels like to overcome something that they have found difficult to do because they give up too easily. Children follow group rules, such as using a sand timer when they want a turn with a popular resource. However, at times, they wait and watch for their turn for long periods, rather than engaging in anything else. n Staff provide suitable support for children's care needs. They guide children to develop some independence, such as learning to get dressed for outdoor play. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious snacks which reflect their dietary needs.

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need to do better?

Trips out into the community, such as to parks and places of interest, help children to understand and gain an appreciation of the community they live in. However, staff's weak knowledge of safeguarding matters means that children's good health cannot be assured. n Staff develop satisfactory partnerships with parents and carers, for example to support children's care needs. They provide information about children's learning through parents' meetings. Parents express their satisfaction with the service and state that they particularly enjoy the electronic updates and photos they receive that document their children's experiences at the pre-school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff show a very poor understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children. The provider does not monitor staff's access to training or check that they have a secure understanding of safeguarding matters, including female genital mutilation. The manager, who is also the designated safeguarding lead, fails to provide effective guidance to staff in her safeguarding role. Staff do not recognise signs that children are at risk of harm or take appropriate action to share concerns relating to children's safety and welfare with statutory agencies, as required.

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Safeguarding

24 November 2021 Suitable recruitment processes are followed to assure staff's suitability to work with children. Staff adequately identify risks to the children on the premises and take steps to minimise these.

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Due date

ensure that the designated safeguarding lead understands their responsibility and is capable of fulfilling the role, to enable them to give effective support, advice and guidance to other staff so that any concerns about children are swiftly identified and acted upon 24/01/2022

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Due date

train all staff to understand the safeguarding policy and procedures, to ensure that they have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues, including being alert to concerns in a child's life and when and how to escalate concerns they have about children 24/01/2022

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Due date

implement effective supervision opportunities for all staff, including the manager, that address weaknesses in the quality of the education and provide coaching, mentoring and training so that staff better understand the areas of learning they teach and the way children learn best 24/01/2022

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Due date

implement a well-planned curriculum that focuses on supporting all children to develop their social skills and gain high levels of confidence in communication and language. 14/02/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 110102 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10207515 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 24 Number of children on roll 37 Name of registered person Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance

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reference number

Telephone number 01264 354345 Date of previous inspection 6 December 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Elim Church Pre School registered in 1996. It is part of a multiple-provider group managed by Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance. The pre-school operates from Elim Pentecostal Church, in Andover, Hampshire. The pre-school is open from 9am to 3pm on weekdays, during school term times. There are seven staff employed to work with the children. All staff hold relevant early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of 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 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 observed children's play indoors and outdoors. n Meetings were held with the manager and the deputy manager, who is also the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). n The inspector conducted a joint observation with the SENCO of a focused language group and jointly observed and discussed children's play and learning with the manager at times during the inspection. n The manager, the deputy manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the pre-school and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector spoke to parents, carers and children during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

24 November 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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