Upton Village Pre-School

Inspection of Upton Village Pre-School Upton Heath C Of E Primary School, Upton Lane upton, Chester, Cheshire CH2 1ED

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children happily wait to enter the pre-school. The atmosphere buzzes with excitement as children show their eagerness to explore and play with their friends. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children wave their parents off at the front door. They show they feel safe as they enthusiastically greet staff and settle exceptionally well. Children share their learning about the life cycles of animals with each other. They show friends books about frogs and are keen to check on the development of tadpoles in the garden. Children are confident to greet the inspector. They are keen to show the towers that they are working on. Children behave well. They demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning and to each other.

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The provision is good

Staff promote children's physical development well. They organise races, and children have fun moving in a variety of ways. Children show good coordination and strength as they work together to push each other in a large wooden truck in the garden. They manage this remarkably well. For example, they work out the rules regarding how many children will fit in and establish a rota for pushing. Children are very supportive. They help each other to attempt to write their names and become enthralled when hunting for bugs together. Children's laughter fills the air as they move water from a tray using pipettes. They show determination and keep on trying to master the complex skill. Children are developing skills and attitudes required for when they start school.

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need to do better?

n Leaders have clear aspirations for the setting. They aim for all children to achieve their very best. Self-evaluation is accurate and includes the views of parents and staff through an online questionnaire. Recent feedback suggested children lack knowledge of the local area. Staff acted on this feedback and implemented visits into the local community, where children collect tadpoles and go for walks to look at wildlife. n Staff provide children with an ambitious curriculum that builds on what they know and can do. They use their good knowledge of child development to plan activities that keep children motivated to learn. Children enjoy creating gloop and hiding bugs in the mixture. They learn about measurements as they add and mix ingredients. Children develop knowledge of mathematical concepts through fun activities. n Generally, supervision and appraisal systems are effective. Staff have regular meetings with the manager to address their well-being. However, the manager

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need to do better?

does not always monitor staff practice precisely enough to improve teaching. Some activities do not provide consistently high levels of challenge for children. n The manager gathers extensive information about children's backgrounds when

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need to do better?

25 April 2022 they first start. Children look at photo albums together and talk about their favourite meals and their home life. However, festivals that are important to some children are not learned about in the setting. Children do not gain a broad understanding of what connects them to and distinguishes them from others. n Staff support children's communication and language skills very well. They work closely with speech and language therapists to plan activities to improve communication. Staff skilfully model how to blend letter sounds together. Children are confident communicators. They happily discuss books that they are reading and engage in meaningful conversations with other children and adults. n Partnership working is good. Parents commend staff and leaders for providing 'excellent support' to their children. Staff provide verbal updates daily and share updates on private social media pages. Parents are provided with termly reports

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need to do better?

with clear ideas of how to support learning at home. Consequently, children make good progress and receive good support to learn at home. n Leaders show commitment to remove any barriers to learning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They ensure all children get the early support they need. Staff recognise when children with SEND struggle to regulate their emotions. They implement effective methods, such as sending 'positivity books' home, to help to celebrate children's positive actions. This means every child feels valued and celebrated.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff are strongly committed to safeguarding children's welfare. They accurately identify the potential signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Staff know the procedures to follow if they are concerned about children's safety. Managers provide regular training, so that staff keep their knowledge and skills up to date. Staff ensure that children are able to play in a safe and secure environment. They take steps to minimise any potential risks. Children demonstrate the ability to keep themselves safe in their play. All members of staff have paediatric first-aid training. They are confident to deal with any incidents or accidents that occur.

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should:

n strengthen the arrangements for the coaching and training of staff, to help raise the quality of their practice to a higher level n utilise the information gathered about children's cultures and backgrounds to inform staff's good teaching practice and support children to gain a deeper understanding of what connects them to and distinguishes them from others.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2555104 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 10215797 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 22 Number of children on roll 30 Name of registered person Upton Village Pre-School CIO

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reference number

Telephone number 07474902826 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Upton Village Pre-School registered in 2019 and is situated in Upton, Chester. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm, term time only. The centre employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 6, two hold qualifications at level 5, three hold early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds a qualification at level 2. Two members of staff also have qualified teacher status. The nursery 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 pre-school. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about the curriculum and what she intends for children to learn. n Children spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke with the manager about the leadership and management of the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation of group activities. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability

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Inspection activities

of staff. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector.

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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

25 April 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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