Dunmore Pre-School

Inspection of Dunmore Pre-School Farm Road, Off Austin Place, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1NA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision requires improvement

Children arrive happy and excited to start their day at the pre-school. Staff welcome and greet them affectionately. Children demonstrate that they feel safe, seeking comfort and reassurance from staff. Overall, children develop a positive attitude to learning. They play well with each other and share, with staff helping children to resolve minor conflicts quickly.

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The provision requires improvement

Children explore the activities set out for them confidently and move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas. The outdoor environment has a wide range of equipment, which children use to build on their physical skills. However, staff do not always make use of these resources to meaningfully build on children existing skills or to develop their critical thinking skills. This is because not all staff routinely consider how they can use children's play to provide support and encourage them to build on and extend their ideas during play.

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The provision requires improvement

Children play with a range of activities and equipment, which builds on their imagination. However, some staff were more skilled at engaging children to build on their focus and attention skills during these activities. Children are building strong friendships with each other and will play alongside and together with each other. Children enjoy exploring the outdoor area. They have enjoyed making a hedgehog house and learning about how hedgehogs live. Children plant seeds and learn how plants and flowers grow.

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need to do better?

n Managers have recently updated the process for completing staff supervisions and evaluating their practice. They have initiated this to to help them improve the running of the setting and to identify staff's training, support their needs and develop their teaching skills further. Staff state how they find the supervision sessions are helpful and completing the pre-supervision forms helps them share where they need support, amendments to the pre-school and their own development needs. However, implementation of this process is still in its early stages so it has not yet fully embedded in practice. n Staff plan around children's interests. For example, when children showed an interest in tents, staff brought them sheets and blankets to help them create a den. Although this helps children to develop their imaginative skills, the lack of staff engagement once the activity was occurring led to children losing interest

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need to do better?

and staff missing the opportunity to keep them focused, engaged and building on the learning taking place. n Children's communication and language is supported well. Staff recognise children's individual needs and use different communication methods to support them, such as Makaton and picture cards. This ensures all children can

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need to do better?

20 February 2023 communicate effectively. n Overall, children are encouraged to be independent. For example, children help to prepare their morning snack by cutting and peeling the fruit. Although, at times, staff do not make the most of opportunities throughout the session, such as lunchtime, when staff take children's packed lunches out and unwrap them, to continually build on children's independence skills further. n Management and staff plan the curriculum but they are not all clear on how to incorporate what they know children can do, and how to extend on these skills, when implementing it. Staff are not all yet able to adapt activities to precisely build on each child's individual needs, so children can get the most from these experiences. For example, children develop some mathematical skills during activities with staff, such as singing and counting building blocks. However, staff were inconsistent at supporting and challenging children during other play

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need to do better?

opportunities to develop these mathematical skills further. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff identify needs early and make referrals, meaning children get the support needed as soon as possible to help them make the best progress possible. n Staff use children's backgrounds and world festivals to help them to learn about the world around them. For example, to celebrate Chinese New Year, staff provided children with different foods to try, such as vegetable spring rolls. This helps children to gain an understanding of the wider world and take part in new experiences. n Parents praise staff for their warm and friendly nature. Communication they receive keeps them updated on activities at the pre-school and their children's development. Parents reported that children receive early interventions to identify individual needs and felt supported during the referral process.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Managers and staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to protect children from harm. They can identify signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm or abuse. They know the procedures for referring any concerns about a child's welfare. All staff have regular safeguarding training to ensure their knowledge is current. Recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. All staff have current first-aid training to enable them to appropriately deal with accidents and illnesses as they arise.

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should:

n make better use of all opportunities to encourage children's independence throughout their everyday activities and routines

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should:

20 February 2023 n create more opportunities to challenge children's thinking and encourage them to solve problems n develop teaching skills further to ensure staff make the most of all opportunities to extend children's learning to the highest possible level n review and adapt the organisation of activities to help all children to remain fully focused and highly engaged with the learning taking place n plan the curriculum even more effectively and consider more closely the intent and the impact of the activities to focus precisely on the challenges set for all children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 133399 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 10263305 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

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

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reference number

Telephone number 01235 202103 Date of previous inspection 27 April 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Dunmore Pre-School registered in 1993 and is managed by a committee of parents. The pre-school operates from a detached self-contained building in a residential estate in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 3.30pm, during school term times. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. There are seven members of staff, of whom one staff member has a level 5 qualification, five childcare staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one member of staff has a level 2 qualification.

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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 joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n Children spoke with the inspector during the inspection. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. 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 several parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

20 February 2023 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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