Stonesfield Pre-School

Inspection of Stonesfield Pre-School Unit 4, Glovers Yard, WITNEY, Oxfordshire OX29 8QU

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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

The pre-school is full of happy children who clearly enjoy being there. Children are quick to enter, and settle to play supported by warm and nurturing staff. Children show a very positive attitude towards their play and learning. They are keen and inquisitive, finding the environment and resources exciting and stimulating. For example, children eagerly join in creating firework pictures using a range of sensory materials. Children are well mannered, polite and welcoming to visitors. Children clearly feel safe and secure. This helps them to become confident learners.

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The provision is good

Children benefit from a range of exciting play opportunities that help them to make good progress in their learning and development. They have a positive attitude to learning and are eager to explore. All children are inquisitive as they develop a sense of the world around them. For instance, when children are preparing to attend a local forest school site, they are keen to share what they know about keeping themselves safe and exploring the environment on offer.

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The provision is good

Children benefit from a curriculum that is broad and interesting. There is a strong focus on developing personal, social and communication skills. Children take part in a range of well-planned experiences that promote these aspects of their development effectively. For example, while exploring real pumpkins in the outdoor home corner, the children eagerly recall stories that have previously been read to them. Children make friends, talk confidently and develop good levels of independence.

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The provision is good

Children generally behave well and demonstrate that they understand the rules and routines of the setting. For example, they line up in pairs, ready to go to the forest school site, and remind each other of their values, such as 'kind hands'.

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need to do better?

n Partnership working with parents is effective. The manager and staff work with parents of new children to find out about their needs and to help them settle in. Parents can see staff's observations of their children on the online portal. They have the opportunity for discussions about their child's development in meetings, and through sharing information during child focus weeks. Parents share their positive views of the setting and what staff do with their children. Parents comment that the pre-school has been extremely beneficial for their children's development. n Children generally make good progress because staff have clear expectations of what they can achieve. This includes children who receive additional funding, those who speak English as an additional language and those with special

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need to do better?

7 November 2022 educational needs and/or disabilities. n Children are encouraged to prepare for life in modern Britain through a variety of ways. For example, children are encouraged to vote on stories and puzzles, as well as understand the values of being kind and respecting their friends. Overall, children behave well, and staff support them to resolve their own conflicts. However, on occasions, some staff do not always support children to regulate their behaviour and follow the behaviour expectations in place. n Children have lots of opportunities to be outside in the garden and also access the local school's forest school site. This enables children to develop their physical skills and understanding of nature and produce. For example, children confidently talk about why the leaves have changed colour and fallen to the ground. They enjoy exploring the site and playing hide and seek with the staff.

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need to do better?

Children understand rules and expectations within the forest school site. Staff support children to understand about road safety, talking about stopping and listening to what they can hear. n Overall, staff promote children's communication and language well, introducing new words and concepts during activities and play. For example, they engage children in discussion and model words clearly to help build on their speech and language skills, such as 'pop', 'bang' and 'explode'. However, sometimes, there are inconsistencies in teaching. On occasion, some staff do not allow children time to follow through their own ideas, to help build on their thinking and problem-solving skills even further. n Leaders and managers have effective and robust recruitment processes in place to ensure all adults working with children are suitable. Staff are encouraged to develop professionally through a range of courses and in-house training. The

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need to do better?

manager and leaders have a clear vision for the setting and talk confidently about what they wish children to learn. The pre-school is well resourced. However, staff do not provide a wide range of opportunities for children to explore everyday technology, to help further develop their understanding of the modern world. n Staff support children's mathematical skills well. For example, children count how many children are in the line and join in enthusiastically with number songs and rhymes. They have a good understanding of shape and space.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a broad knowledge of child protection issues. They can identify the signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Staff know who to contact if they have concerns about a child's safety and welfare. The manager ensures that all staff frequently attend safeguarding training to update their knowledge. Staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities around safeguarding, including broader safeguarding issues. Staff maintain a safe environment for children. They complete thorough risk assessments to help ensure that the areas of the premises children access, and outings off site, are safe and suitable, such as trips to forest school.

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should:

n support staff to develop a more consistent approach to helping all children understand expectations and behave well n strengthen staff's understanding of how to make more use of opportunities to challenge and extend children's thinking and reasoning skills n extend opportunities for children to build on their awareness of the uses of everyday technology, to enhance their understanding of the world.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 134494 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 10234170 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 27 Number of children on roll 20 Name of registered person Stonesfield Pre School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01993 898370 Date of previous inspection 14 March 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Stonesfield Pre-School registered in 1968. The pre-school is open on weekdays during term time, from 9am to 3pm, except Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, the setting is open until 12pm and the setting is currently closed on a Friday. The breakfast club operates from Monday through to Thursday, from 7.30am to 9am. The after-school club operates on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 3pm to 5.30pm. Of the nine members of staff, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school receives funding to provide 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 the inspector completed a joint observation and evaluated the quality of education. n Parents and carers shared their views and the inspector took these into account. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed interactions between staff and children and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager to find out about the leadership and management of 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

7 November 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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