Southmead Pre-School

Inspection of Southmead Pre-School Wrafton Road, Braunton, Devon EX33 2BU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision requires improvement

Children happily arrive and enter the pre-school. They know what is expected of them and independently put their book bags, lunch boxes and water bottles away. Children behave well and are kind and respectful towards each other. They listen to and follow instructions from staff. A key-person system is effective and children show that they feel safe in the staff's care by seeking reassurance from them as needed.

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The provision requires improvement

Staff cater for children's individual needs well. Some children benefit from targeted interventions which help to close the gaps in their learning. For example, children work in small groups to play games and develop their social skills.

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The provision requires improvement

Children benefit from daily outdoor play. They are familiar with routines, however, the length of time that children are expected to sit for is not always age- appropriate. Furthermore, daily routines interfere with the time children have to lead their own play and to be deeply engaged in it. For example, children sit waiting too long for their snack and their play is interrupted with breaks to drink water because they do not always have access to their water bottles.

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need to do better?

n Children show positive attitudes towards their learning and enjoy playing with their friends. Staff support children's emotional well-being and help them grow in confidence. They support children to manage their own feelings and behaviour. For example, staff give children the opportunity to talk about how they are feeling using an 'emotions monster'. Staff encourage children to praise each other when they have done something well. n Leaders have a clear idea about their intentions for the curriculum. They know what they want children to learn during their time at pre-school. However, the planning and delivery of the curriculum is variable. Some adult-led activities are not suitably adapted to the age and stage of development of the children. For example, children struggle to label the body parts of an ant. n Overall, children make good progress from their starting points, including those who are in receipt of additional funding. Children with special educational needs

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need to do better?

and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. For example, staff wear lanyards with visual prompts that they use to support children's understanding. n Staff support children's communication and language development well. Staff share stories with children and encourage them to be the storytellers. Staff help children develop skills for early reading, such as practising actions as they say letter sounds. n Although staff attend regular training, leaders do not have arrangements in place for the ongoing supervision of staff. This means that professional

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need to do better?

16 February 2022 development needs are not identified appropriately and staff do not know their strengths and weaknesses. Leaders do not evaluate frequently enough to ensure that the quality of the pre-school is consistently good. n Staff attend weekly meetings. However, these lack clarity of the ongoing needs of the pre-school. Meetings focus heavily on planning activities and not enough on helping staff to strengthen their skills or key issues such as safeguarding. n The management committee do not support the leaders well enough. The committee do not meet regularly to hold the manager to account and has not fully understood what to notify Ofsted of, or when. For example, it has failed to notify Ofsted of changes to the committee. However, these committee members do not work directly with the children and, therefore, the risk to children is minimal. n Partnerships with parents are good. Parents comment on the regular

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need to do better?

communication they have from pre-school, including weekly emails. Parents are happy with the care their children receive and they praise staff for meeting children's individual needs well. n The pre-school has established positive partnerships with external agencies and other childcare settings children attend. For example, staff work closely with speech and language therapists for individual children. They work in partnership with the local school to support children with their transition to school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand their role in protecting children. They know what signs may indicate that a child is at risk of harm or abuse. They know the process to follow if they have concerns about a child's safety or well-being. Staff know the procedures to follow if they have concerns about another member of staff. Leaders follow robust recruitment and induction procedures to ensure the suitability of staff. Staff attend regular safeguarding training, however leaders do not monitor the staff's understanding of wider safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty guidance.

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Due date

ensure water is available and accessible to children at all times 16/03/2022

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Due date

16 February 2022 ensure that the management committee understand their obligations regarding notifications to Ofsted and their responsibility to support the manager and practice within the setting 16/03/2022

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Due date

ensure that all staff have a secure understanding of wider safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty guidance 16/04/2022

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Due date

ensure that the supervision and training of staff, including the manager, is effective in raising the quality of teaching so that practice is of a consistently good quality. 16/04/2022

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should:

n review and improve how routines are organised to minimise children's waiting times, and provide them with more extended opportunities to choose and lead their own play.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 106374 Local authority Devon Inspection number 10126068 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 21 Number of children on roll 35 Name of registered person Southmead Preschool Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01271 813511 Date of previous inspection 25 January 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Southmead Pre-School registered in 1994. The setting is run by a committee from a mobile classroom in the grounds of Southmead Primary School, in the village of Braunton, Devon. Sessions run Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3pm. There are seven members of staff who work with children; all staff hold a relevant qualification to at least level 3. The setting 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 manager and inspector completed a learning walk together and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n Children spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector spoke with the nominated individual about the leadership and management of the setting. n The manager and inspector carried out a joint observation during an adult-led activity. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff.

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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

16 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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