The Lenches Pre-School Group

Inspection of The Lenches Pre-School Group Church Lench Village Hall, Main Street, Church Lench, EVESHAM, Worcestershire WR11 4UE

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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The provision is inadequate

Leaders' oversight of the quality of the provision is poor. They do not identify and tackle weak practice in order to ensure that good standards are maintained. The designated lead practitioners for safeguarding have a weak understanding of the setting's key child protection and managing allegations policy. Furthermore, risk assessments are not implemented adequately in practice. This does not help to protect children from harm. That said, on the whole, children are happy and relatively settled. The environment is well resourced. Children are very independent as they make their own play choices throughout the session. Staff know children well and ensure their care needs are met, particularly for those young children attending who require more attention in relation to these. Older children generally behave well and have positive relationships with their peers. They also manage their self-care needs with relative ease.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff interaction with children is not always of a good quality and their deployment is not always well considered to help facilitate children's learning. For example, staff prepare for snack and tidy up around children, rather than sitting with them and offering support. The environment does not provide a language-rich experience for children. Staff conversations with children are limited and they are very quiet at times, particularly during whole-group sessions, such as registration and story time. This means that staff do not engage children's attention, so they lack enthusiasm to join in and participate. Children demonstrate this by either lying on the floor, chatting to their peers, or playing with other things around them. Therefore, they are not suitably prepared and equipped with all the key skills they need ahead of moving on to school.

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The provision is inadequate

Overall, the curriculum is poor. The activities provided and planned lack clear intent and purpose and do not build on children's prior knowledge and experiences. For example, staff provide an activity relating to the topic of holidays that requires children to complete a worksheet to make a passport by drawing, cutting and sticking from the resources provided. However, this is not implemented well, and the teaching strategies used do not fully engage and immerse children in play- based learning. Therefore, the curriculum does not provide every child with enjoyable experiences that support them to make good progress across all areas of their development.

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need to do better?

n Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the provider has been dealing with management and staffing changes and has struggled to fill vacant positions. Due to this, the provider has failed to ensure there is a suitable manager in place and available to routinely take charge of the setting as required. This is a breach of their legal

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need to do better?

30 June 2022 responsibilities outlined in the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'. n The lead practitioner's knowledge of safeguarding is not secure enough. They are lacking confidence and do not have a full understanding of the setting's key child protection policies. This means they are not in a good position to give advice and support to others as needed. This does not ensure children are fully protected from harm. n Staff identify risks in the environment, such as a security issue relating to a broken door lock and the choking risk that whole grapes present. However, they do not act to prevent exposure to these during the session, as children freely have access to the insecure door without supervision and are given whole grapes to eat at snack time. This means that children are potentially exposed to hazards and they learn little about keeping themselves safe. n Staff observe children and assess their abilities using relevant guidance.

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need to do better?

However, they do not make adequate use of what they know. Therefore, the adult-led activities and experiences provided do not foster children's interests and are not always appropriate for their current ages and stages. Consequently, children easily become bored and lose interest as stimulation and suitable challenge is lacking. Overall, those children progressing on to school are not ready for their future learning and the expectations ahead. n Children do not benefit from good-quality interaction and engagement with leaders and staff, particularly their key persons who know them well but spend limited time with them during the session due to care routines being prioritised. Children generally have fun using the accessible resources and by playing with their peers. However, they are learning very little to build on what they already know and can do, and ultimately they do not make good progress. n Staff ensure children are supported to settle in when they first start and focus

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need to do better?

on helping children to accept change ahead of the transition to school. For example, they ensure children become familiar with the new environment and their teachers. Staff have close links with the local village school as they visit weekly for 'nature walks' and lunch on the school premises. They also encourage school teachers to visit them in the pre-school as well. n The pre-school is welcoming and inclusive. The deputy special educational needs coordinator values the importance of this role. There is some provision in place to provide additional support to those who need it, including appropriate spending of early years pupil premium for those in receipt of this funding. n Due to staffing issues there is little time for the provider and members of the senior staff team to actually manage and run the setting. The arrangements for management and staff supervision are not being utilised effectively in practice.

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need to do better?

Staff do not benefit from ongoing support and professional development opportunities that help them upskill. This does not help them to fulfil all of their key roles and responsibilities effectively. n Despite the fact that some parents provide generally positive feedback about the setting, including that the setting is nice, the staff are friendly and their children have fun, partnerships with parents are not good enough. The provider and staff do not share clear enough information about the management and staffing arrangements in the setting to keep parents fully informed. This leaves some

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need to do better?

30 June 2022 parents worried about the possible negative impact of this on the quality of the provision and their children's experiences, with little reassurance from the management team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The premises are not secure. Risk assessments are not always implemented effectively in practice to keep children safe and ensure they are not exposed to any risks. The lead practitioners for safeguarding are not confident and do not fully understand the setting's child protection and managing allegations policy. Therefore, they are not able to provide appropriate support, advice and guidance to any other staff requiring it. This does not help to promote children's welfare effectively. That said, recruitment processes are robust and all staff are suitably vetted. The environment is clean and staff promote sound hygiene routines. A sufficient number of staff hold paediatric first-aid qualifications and one of these persons is always on site when children are present.

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Due date

ensure there is a suitable manager in place and available to routinely take charge of the setting 05/09/2022

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Due date

ensure that the lead practitioners for safeguarding are confident and fully understand the setting's policy to be able to provide support, advice and guidance to any other staff requiring it 05/09/2022

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Due date

implement effective risk assessments in practice to ensure children are not exposed to any risks 05/09/2022

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Due date

improve the curriculum and ensure that planned activities have clear purpose and provide every child with enjoyable experiences that support good progress 28/09/2022

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Due date

30 June 2022 improve the quality of staff interactions with children to help enhance children's learning and development 28/09/2022

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Due date

improve the arrangements for management and staff supervision and support to help them fulfil all of their key roles and responsibilities effectively 28/09/2022

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Due date

enhance partnerships with parents and share more information about management and staffing arrangements in the setting to keep them fully informed. 05/09/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY377612 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 10116386 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 Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 21 Number of children on roll 24 Name of registered person The Lenches Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07933779918 Date of previous inspection 23 May 2013

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Information about this early years setting

The Lenches Pre-school Group registered in 2008. They operate from the Church Lench area of Evesham. The pre-school employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2. The pre-school operates term-time only. Sessions are available Monday to Friday, from 8am until 3pm. The pre-school 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 provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The acting deputy manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector spoke with the nominated individual and acting deputy 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 inspector spoke to staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the

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Inspection activities

suitability of staff working in the setting.

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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

30 June 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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