YMCA Newtown Pre-School

Inspection of YMCA Newtown Pre- School Newtown Adventure Playground Building, Northumberland Road, Southampton SO14 0EL

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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 love to come to this warm and nurturing pre-school. They arrive happily and are ready to learn. Children settle well and quickly become used to routines. Staff form strong bonds with children and are sensitive to children's needs. This helps to promote children's emotional well-being as they feel safe and secure at the setting. Children develop in confidence and make good progress in relation to their individual starting points. Children who arrive at pre-school with little or no spoken English receive effective support to develop their language skills. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who receive additional funding, learn equally well.

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The provision is good

Children have many opportunities to interact in small-group activities. They learn to use single words and phrases in their play. This helps children to confidently use everyday words, such as 'toilet' and 'coat'. Older children practise their use of language and soon learn to speak in full sentences. Children play well together and share ideas as they build and create, for example with wooden parts of different shapes and sizes. Children behave well and show respect for adults and each other.

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The provision is good

Children are physically active and have ample opportunity to enjoy fresh air outdoors. They ride trikes competently and learn how to keep healthy. For instance, at snack time children talk about food and say, 'yogurt is good for bones'.

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need to do better?

n The manager and staff have identified a need to develop children's communication and language skills. They highlight gaps in children's learning and use language programmes for extra support. For example, staff use high- interest toys to model language with a focus on key words. They use a toy with flashing lights and say words such as 'on', 'off' and 'flashing lights'. This helps children to hear, understand and remember the new words to use later in their play. n Staff provide good support for children with SEND. They work closely with other professionals so that children make progress. Staff use sign language to support children with speech and language needs. Children show the sign for 'more' to express what they want. n Staff provide interesting activities across different areas of learning and relate them to real life. For instance, children learn how to plant seeds and know that they need soil, sun and water for them to grow.

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need to do better?

n Staff develop children's love for books. They provide a sequence of pictures from a story and encourage children to retell the events. This helps children understand the key features that make up a storyline.

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need to do better?

18 March 2022 n Children are good listeners and enjoy opportunities to share their learning. However, some staff do not always challenge and extend children's thinking to a higher level. On occasions, staff ask simple questions and accept basic answers from those children who have the ability to share more elaborate responses if given the opportunity. n Children are supported to develop their independence skills. For example, they cut fruit into halves and quarters and count them unaided. Staff prepare children for their next stage in learning, including starting school. Children become increasingly independent as they learn to recognise their names above their pegs when they need their coats. n Staff work well as a team and support each other. They learn to use new methods to support children's learning effectively. For example, children's curiosity is enhanced further by the use of a variety of natural resources.

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need to do better?

n Staff maintain good relationships with parents. Some staff can use children's home languages to support parents to understand key messages. Staff update parents daily through informal exchanges of information. However, on occasion, this information may not be clear enough for parents whose first language is not English. Staff also provide online information, which some parents find difficult to access. This means the partnership with some parents to support children's learning at home is not as strong. n Children's home cultures are celebrated well. For example, children learn about Holi, the Indian festival of colours. They have fun and dance to Indian music with streamers of different colours. This prepares children for life in modern Britain as they begin to make connections with their own experiences and those of others.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager has a good understanding of their role to protect children from risk of harm. Staff know how to recognise potential signs and symptoms of abuse. They understand the local procedures to follow if they identify any concerns about a child's welfare. The manager follows robust recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. The manager and staff fully understand the possible risks to children's welfare from wider safeguarding matters, including exposure to extreme views, domestic abuse and county lines. They complete daily risk assessments of the areas that children have access to so that hazards are minimised.

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should:

n support staff to focus more sharply on extending children's individual learning

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should:

18 March 2022 and providing sufficient challenge to help them achieve to the best of their abilities n strengthen existing partnerships to involve all parents more fully in their children's learning and development so that all children benefit from a consistent approach.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY474792 Local authority Southampton Inspection number 10228879 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 Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 60 Name of registered person YMCA Fairthorne Group

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reference number

Telephone number 01489785228 Date of previous inspection 9 September 2016

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Information about this early years setting

YMCA Newtown Pre-School registered in 2014. The pre-school operates from Newtown adventure playground building. The pre-school opens five days a week, from 8am to 4pm, during term time. It is part of the Fairthorne group of the YMCA, which runs several other pre-school settings in the area. The pre-school receives early years funding for children aged two, three and four years old. There are six staff in total who work with children. The pre-school manager has early years professional status and four of the staff members have early years qualifications at level 3.

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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 pre-school manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The inspector carried out joint observations of communication and language activities with the pre-school manager. n The inspector observed the quality of the education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on the children's learning. n Parents shared their views on the pre-school with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in 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

18 March 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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