The Centre Pre-School

Inspection of The Centre Pre-School Lifelong Learning Centre, Ely Way, BASILDON, Essex SS14 2EQ

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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

Staff provide children with warm and nurturing interactions. Staff have a good understanding of children's interests and how to support their learning and development. The activities and resources on offer are adapted to follow children's interests. For example, children have recently been interested in insects. Therefore, staff provided an activity where the children could hunt for bugs under the leaves and learn the names of the insects. Staff have good communication with parents, informing them about what their children have been learning. Parents speak highly of the setting and comment on how they have a good relationship with their child's key person.

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The provision is good

Staff value and respect children. Children are provided with lots of opportunities to make their own choices and to be independent. Children use knives to butter their crackers for snack, and pour their own water and milk. Children are encouraged to make up their own stories, developing their imagination. Staff write down these stories and read these back to the children. Staff and children are often seen singing songs and using phrases from stories during their play. Staff have high expectations of the children. They introduce new vocabulary, such as 'spectacle'.

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The provision is good

Children are happy at nursery. They access a range of resources both inside and outside. They play well with each other and share resources. Children's behaviour is good and they follow rules and routines well.

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need to do better?

n The manager and staff have a good understanding of what they want children to learn and how to get them ready for the next stage of learning. For example, a ramp was introduced in the garden to support children's core strength and shoulder muscles. Children are encouraged to use tweezers to develop their pincer grip ready for writing. The staff prepare children for school. They encourage children to dress themselves independently and support parents with toilet training. n The children are encouraged to be independent and make their own choices. Opportunities for learning are available both inside and outside, following children's interests. Staff know their key children well and provide warm interactions that support and develop children's learning. They have high expectations of the children and introduce a range of vocabulary, extending children's communication and language skills. n The manager is reflective of the learning environment. She reviews how children

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need to do better?

access areas of the environment and how to make resources more accessible. She ensures children have room and space to play and explore. Staff are also reflective and adapt activities to follow children's interests. They introduce a

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need to do better?

12 July 2022 range of songs and rhymes to children's play. n Children make good progress. Staff are provided with a range of training opportunities to support children's learning. For example, staff have completed communication and language training to support interactions with children and how to support children with speech delay. Most children are very confident in the setting. There are a few children in the setting that are quieter. The manager has a plan in place for how to support these children. However, this is not yet implemented consistently. n Partnerships with parents are good. Parents are kept updated with what their child has been doing and learning throughout the day. The key persons are on hand to provide feedback to parents and parents value this interaction. Additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, is used effectively to support children's development and experiences. n Children are taught how to care for their environment. They grow their own

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need to do better?

vegetables and are able to take these home. They taste and smell the herbs they are growing. Children learn about the life cycles of the plants and care for them by watering them regularly. They learn about recycling and are encouraged to recycle after snack time. n Children learn about different cultures. They have a word of the week from another language that the children learn to say. This supports children with English as and additional language that attend the setting.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and how to keep children safe. They are aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse and the local risks in their community. The manager has a good recruitment procedure and ensures all staff have an induction. The manager regularly checks staff's suitability to work with children. Staff are aware of how to report an allegation against a member of staff. Staff attend regular meetings, which help to support their knowledge on safeguarding and ensure it is up to date.

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should:

n support staff to engage more effectively with less confident and quieter children to maximise their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 650006 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10233607 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 26 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person The Centre Pre-school Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01268 281591 Date of previous inspection 15 September 2016

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Information about this early years setting

The Centre Pre-School has been open since 1976. The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 8.45am to 11.45am, 12.30pm to 3.30pm and 8.45am to 1.45pm. 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 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 to discuss the areas of learning, their curriculum with what they want children to learn both inside and outside. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the manager. n The inspector spoke to children about what they enjoy doing at the setting. n The inspector spoke to parents to take account of their views of the setting. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including first aid certificates and disclosure barring service (DBS) numbers of staff and committee members.

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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

12 July 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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