Digbeth-In-The-Field Pre-School

Inspection of Digbeth-In-The-Field Pre-School Digbeth In The Fields United Reformed Church, Moat Lane, Birmingham B26 1TW

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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 arrive joyfully at this pre-school. They skip and run towards the pre-school with their parents to be greeted warmly by the kind and caring staff. Staff prepare the environment with experiences that capture children's interests. As a result, children arrive eager and motivated to learn. They settle into the environment very quickly and immediately get involved in activities.

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The provision is good

Children benefit from a range of learning experiences during their time at the pre- school. They develop their physical and problem-solving skills as they work together outdoors to build their own obstacle course. Children share their ideas and help each other move a variety of different sized wooden planks, logs and milk crates. They support each other to balance as they take it in turns to complete the course. Staff observe children closely to ensure their safety and question them to extend their thinking skills. Staff challenge children further when playing games with them. They describe picture cards and encourage children to guess what is on the card. For example, staff tell children the card they are holding is an animal that has wings and claws. Children correctly guess it is a 'hawk'. They later initiate playing the game independently and use their language skills to confidently provide accurate descriptions to other adults.

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need to do better?

n The manager has designed a well-sequenced curriculum which supports children to develop their knowledge and skills over time. Staff share her vision and plan an exciting environment with a variety of activities to support children's learning across the seven areas of development. n Staff are attentive to children and get to know them very well. They use information from their observations and assessments to plan suitably challenging experiences to promote children's development during their time at the pre- school. However, at times, the planning of larger group activities is not sharply focused enough to capture every child's individual needs. As a result, some younger children do not benefit from these activities as well as others. n Children's communication and language skills are highly regarded. The pre- school introduces a word of the week to enhance children's vocabulary. For example, staff teach children the word 'persevere', and model this when children

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need to do better?

are trying hard, telling them that 'to keep trying is to persevere'. Children quickly gain the concepts of new vocabulary and use these words in their own sentences. This supports them to become fluent and effective communicators. n Partnerships with parents are highly effective. Parents comment positively about the care and learning their children receive. They commend the support they received from the pre-school during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as regular welfare calls and activity packs for their child to do at home. This helped to

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need to do better?

7 February 2022 provide continuity in children's learning. n Children behave very well. They demonstrate a clear understanding of staff's expectations of them. Children follow instructions and treat resources with care. They develop respectful relationships with each other. Children frequently work together and share resources during their play. As a result, they learn to manage and regulate their own behaviours. n Leaders and managers have systems in place to provide strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff use their assessments to promptly identify gaps in children's learning. They liaise with parents and other settings children attend to obtain support from other professionals at the earliest opportunity. Consequently, children with SEND make good progress in their learning. n Children's health is promoted well. They enjoy choosing from a selection of

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need to do better?

vegetables, such as carrots, cucumber and baby corn, at snack time. Children are provided with continuous access to the outdoor learning environment, where they benefit from fresh air and exercise. This contributes towards them living a healthy lifestyle. n The manager has taken significant action to improve the quality of teaching since the last inspection. She closely monitors teaching and uses regular supervision to identify staff's individual professional development needs. Staff attend regular training opportunities to extend their knowledge and skills. However, the monitoring of this is not yet securely embedded to continually review the impact and raise teaching practice to the highest level.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff and managers undertake regular training to keep their knowledge of safeguarding up to date. They know the signs and symptoms of different types of abuse. Staff understand the procedures to follow to report their concerns to other agencies in a timely way, in order to keep children safe. They know what to do if they are concerned about the conduct of a colleague. Risk assessments are completed daily to ensure that the environment is safe for children. Staff understand the procedures in place to ensure that children only leave the pre- school with authorised persons.

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should:

n review the planning and organisation of group activities so that teaching is successfully adapted to maximise the learning opportunities for every child n explore further ways to monitor the impact of training and professional development for staff to enhance their teaching practice to the highest level.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY483597 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 10131413 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 22 Name of registered person McNicholas, Maria Lavet

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reference number

Telephone number 07743375071 Date of previous inspection 7 November 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Digbeth-In-The-Field Pre-School registered in 2015 and is located in the Yardley area of Birmingham. The pre-school operates Monday to Friday during term time only. Sessions are from 9am until midday. There are four members of childcare staff employed. Of these, one holds a qualification at level 5 and three hold qualifications at level 3. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the setting and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk to understand how the provision and curriculum are organised. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity to evaluate the quality of teaching. n Parents and children spoke to the inspector and gave their views of the pre- school. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching indoors and outdoors to assess the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager and looked at relevant documentation and evidence of staff suitability.

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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

7 February 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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