Clarence House Godmanchester Pre School

Inspection of Clarence House Godmanchester Pre School St Mary's Church Hall, Chadley Lane, Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire PE29 2AL

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children arrive enthusiastically at the pre-school, eager to begin their day. They excitedly tell staff their news and greet their friends. Children have formed strong attachments to the staff, who provide a welcoming and secure environment where children feel safe. Staff are kind and nurturing, helping children to develop good levels of self-confidence and an enjoyment of learning.

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The provision is good

Staff support children's personal and social development very well. They lead by example and help children to understand how to show consideration for each other. Children's behaviour is good. They listen to others, take turns and share resources willingly. Staff praise children's efforts and children readily celebrate each other's achievements. This helps build their confidence and reinforces their positive attitudes to learning.

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The provision is good

Children are learning how to keep themselves healthy. They discuss the importance of washing their hands to stop the spread of germs. Staff promote children's good health, encouraging them to be physically active. Children enjoy playing outdoors. They ride around on the 'bus bike', working together collaboratively to move the vehicle forward. Children take great delight in rolling objects down through big cardboard tubes and wait eagerly for them to pop out at the other end.

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need to do better?

n Staff work well together. They say that they enjoy working at the pre-school and there is a strong team spirit. The manager values the staff team and provides effective systems of support and performance management, ensuring staff have regular opportunities for training. n Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have stayed in contact with all children and their families when they were not able to attend the pre-school. Staff shared ideas and activities with parents to help children continue to make progress in their learning. n Staff have a good knowledge of their key children. They understand what children already know and what they need to learn next. In addition, they liaise with other professionals, where appropriate, and this helps them to decide what to teach children. n Children are developing good communication skills. They have acquired a wide vocabulary, which they use readily. Staff talk to children during activities,

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need to do better?

ensuring they pronounce words correctly, and ask questions that engage children's thinking. Children demonstrate with confidence what they know. For example, they explain that flamingos stand on one leg and that pandas eat bamboo. They also know that tigers run very fast. n Staff find out what children can already do when they first start at the pre-

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need to do better?

27 January 2022 school. This enables them to tailor their support for children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Funding, such as early years pupil premium, is used very well. Additional sessions and resources help to reduce any differences in children's learning. n Staff help children to understand about keeping safe. They gently remind children to be aware of any dangers, while encouraging them to take risks in their play under their watchful supervision. Children enjoy taking turns to carry out the daily outdoor risk assessment. Wearing high-visibility vests and with their clipboards, they walk round the outdoor area to check that it is safe. n Children are generally independent and try to do things for themselves. They readily help themselves to water when they are thirsty. Occasionally, staff do not recognise when children are able to do more by themselves. Some routines are

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need to do better?

not organised well enough to encourage all children to be highly independent. n Parents praise the quality of care their children receive and provide positive comments about their children's experiences. They say that their children have settled very well and enjoy an interesting range of activities. Although partnerships with parents are good, the leadership team has not found successful ways to involve all parents in their children's learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a good understanding of child protection and a wide range of safeguarding issues. They know the importance of acting swiftly to protect children and the procedures to follow. Regular safeguarding training and professional discussions help to keep their knowledge up to date. The provider has robust recruitment and vetting arrangements in place to help ensure that staff working with children are suitable for their role. Effective staff deployment means that children are well supervised and cared for. Staff carry out daily checks to ensure that the premises remain safe and secure.

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should:

n review the organisation of routines to provide children with more opportunities to become independent and do things for themselves n find further ways to encourage all parents to help guide and support their children's learning at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY412686 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 10218436 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 40 Number of children on roll 42 Name of registered person Clarence House Day Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01480 458638 Date of previous inspection 27 June 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Clarence House Godmanchester Pre School registered in 2010. The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds a qualification at level 2. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday all year round except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 5.30pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for 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 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the manager and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector observed activities indoors and outside and assessed the impact these have on children's learning. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together to discuss and understand how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector had discussions with staff at appropriate times during the inspection. She took account of parents' views through verbal and written feedback. n A meeting was held between the inspector, the manager and the area managers. The inspector looked at relevant documents, including the safeguarding procedures and evidence of the suitability of staff.

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Inspection activities

n The children told the inspector about their friends and what they like to do when they are at 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

27 January 2022 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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