Findon Valley Free Church Pre School

Inspection of Findon Valley Free Church Pre School 1-11 Lime Tree Avenue, Worthing, West Sussex BN14 0DJ

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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 are happy and settled. They have good relationships with the staff and each other. Children excitedly build towers together out of soft play blocks and giggle in delight when they fall down. Children have kind and caring attitudes. They politely ask each other to help them as they balance on balancing equipment. Children independently tidy up their toys when they finish playing, explaining that they need to be 'neat and tidy'.

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The provision is good

Older children are keen to share their experiences with staff and their peers. They chatter happily about things that interest them. For example, as they play with toy cars, they talk about how 'Daddy's van needs diesel'.

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The provision is good

Children love to read stories. They curl up in the book corner and happily listen as staff read to them. Staff pause at the end of sentences, and children eagerly fill in the missing words. Children listen and follow instructions well as they join in with small group activities. They excitedly shout out the answer when they work out which item has gone 'missing' from the tray as they play a memory game. Children enjoy being creative as they learn about fireworks. They create their own 'fireworks', using junk modelling, and proudly show staff their creations.

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need to do better?

n Staff have developed a curriculum that particularly focuses on children's personal, social and emotional development. The curriculum prepares children for their next stage of learning, such as going to 'big school', well. This includes developing children's ability to have a go, take risks and to be curious about the world around them. n Staff show a good understanding of child development. For example, they recognise that they need to build up the muscles in children's shoulders before moving on to strengthening the muscles in their wrists, ready for early writing. n Children make good progress, and staff know children well. This helps them create next steps in children's learning that are individual, challenging and relevant to each child. n Staff often use children's interests to expand their knowledge. For example, as children play 'cars' on a play mat, staff help them to recognise the letter 'p' and

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need to do better?

explain that it shows there is 'parking'. They explain about pedestrian crossings to children and model how to use them in the game. Staff and children then talk about pedestrian crossings that they use themselves. This builds on children's knowledge of the world around them. n The manager has started to make improvements to the supervision arrangements as well as the training opportunities available to staff. However, these need strengthening, to ensure that staff get the support and training they

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need to do better?

4 November 2022 need to raise the quality of teaching further. n Parents comment that their children are happy at the setting. They explain that their children leave smiling, saying, 'that's important to them'. However, parents are not consistently kept informed about children's progress. Staff also do not fully share information on how to support children's learning and development at home. This impacts on the continuation of children's learning from pre-school to home. However, the manager has already identified this as an area for development and has plans to introduce parents' evenings. n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They work well with other agencies and use additional funding appropriately to ensure children are making the best possible progress. n Confident and vocal children are supported well with their language development, which staff encourage through frequent conversations. Staff also

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need to do better?

introduce them to new concepts, such as 'the seasons'. However, these strategies are not consistently developed or used among all children. This means that some children are not supported as well when they try to communicate with their peers and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings. n The manager supports staff's well-being effectively. Staff comment that the manager checks in regularly with them. They explain that the workload is manageable and that they have developed as a team, so it 'now feels like family'.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding. The manager understands her roles and responsibilities as designated safeguarding lead (DSL). All staff know the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. They know how to report concerns to their DSL and to raise concerns with local safeguarding partners if needed. This includes staff knowing how to whistle-blow to the relevant agencies. The manager has a good knowledge of safer recruitment practice and understands the importance of checking staff's ongoing suitability. Staff risk assess the environment at the start of each day to ensure children's safety.

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should:

n strengthen the use of supervision, training and coaching to raise the quality of teaching further n build on the arrangements for providing parents with information on children's progress and how their learning and development can be supported at home n develop strategies to consistently support all children to communicate their thoughts and feelings and to engage with their peers.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 113482 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 10260828 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 18

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Name of registered person

Findon Valley Free Church Pre School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07972386160 Date of previous inspection 29 June 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Findon Valley Free Church Pre School registered in 2001. It operates from a large church hall in Findon Valley, near Worthing, West Sussex. The pre-school is open each weekday, between 9am and 3pm, during term time. There are three members of staff, two of whom 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 explained the curriculum intentions to the inspector during a learning walk and through discussions. n The inspector took part in discussions with the manager and staff during the inspection. n The manager and the inspector observed and evaluated an activity together. n The inspector observed staff and children throughout the day. n Parents shared their views with the inspector through discussions. n The inspector sampled relevant documents.

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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

4 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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