North Common Pre-School

Inspection of North Common Pre- School Mill Lane, Warmley, BRISTOL BS30 8BN

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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The provision is good

Children show high levels of happiness and enjoyment at the pre-school. The atmosphere is nurturing, busy and filled with chatter from children. Staff ensure that children's emotional well-being is highly prioritised. A strong key-person approach is embedded into practice. This helps staff to fully support all children and meet their care and welfare needs at a consistently high level. Children demonstrate exemplary behaviour and excellent social skills. All staff give children consistent messages about their expectations for behaviour. This helps children to understand rules and boundaries and how to keep themselves and others safe.

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The provision is good

Children show exceptionally high levels of motivation and approach their play with enthusiasm. Staff take care to find out about the children's interests and home routines. They use this information to ensure children settle comfortably in the setting and plan excellent activities based around each individual child. Children demonstrate consistently high levels of engagement and links to past experiences. For instance, they recall going on holiday to the beach as they play in the sand. The children enjoy talking about what they are doing, saying, 'I'm making a dinosaur.' Staff are excellent role models who help children to understand positive behaviours. Children independently share and take turns. They develop excellent attitudes, such as independence, confidence and self-assurance, to help them make a smooth transition to school.

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need to do better?

n The manager and staff have developed a clear curriculum intent for the pre- school. Staff plan purposeful experiences structured around the seven areas of learning. This reflects children's interests and builds on what they already know and can do. For example, staff support children to build their upper body strength in readiness for early writing skills. This can be seen with children developing their fine motor skills as they roll and squish play dough. n All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from when they start at the setting. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They play with each other extremely well, listening to their peers' ideas and taking turns. They form strong friendships and clearly enjoy their time at this setting. Staff advocate for children, talking to them about different feelings and emotions. This shows high levels of support for children's emotional

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need to do better?

well-being and self-regulation. n Staff work together well as a caring and compassionate team. Staff benefit from supervision sessions, regular discussions and training to help increase their knowledge and skills. However, the initial support for new staff is not fully effective. The manager does not fully focus on identifying gaps in their knowledge about how children learn and the intent of the curriculum. Therefore,

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need to do better?

4 May 2023 the quality and consistency of education are not yet at the highest possible level. n All children have regular access to a delightful outside area. Staff carefully plan and provide an outside environment that is safe and stimulating. They actively engage children to solve problems and successfully direct their play so that it is always purposeful. Children are highly confident and imaginative learners. For example, children work together creating marks with chalks, and they share the colours and express they are making a 'dance floor'. n Staff are enthusiastic as they support children's communication and language development. They engage in regular dialogue with children. For example, they create stories from picture books made by the children. Staff model sentence structure, and children become confident communicators. Staff also use questioning techniques to find out what children know and can do. However,

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need to do better?

sometimes, staff miss opportunities to encourage quieter children to process their thoughts and answer the questions asked of them. This has an impact on children's ability to think and concentrate. n Partnership with parents is excellent. Parents feel that their children are safe and well cared for. Parents are well informed of their children's progress through daily feedback and parents' evenings. They are given ideas to support their child's learning at home. This provides the children with consistency as the staff and parents work collaboratively to support children's development. Parents praise the 'amazing staff' and comment that the setting is an 'extended family' and is 'brilliant and very personal'.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager carries out risk assessments of the setting. Staff supervise children fully at all times. This helps to keep children safe in the setting. There are clear procedures in place for how staff and the manager would respond to safeguarding concerns. Staff understand how they would make a safeguarding referral themselves if necessary. Staff have a good knowledge of different types of abuse and the signs they need to be alert to. Staff receive regular training to ensure their knowledge remains up to date. Robust safer recruitment procedures are in place to ensure staff are suitable.

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should:

n focus on identifying gaps in the knowledge of new staff to help improve their understanding of the curriculum intent and further develop their teaching skills n support staff to provide all children with enough time to think about and respond to questions.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY286695 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 10285379 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 26 Name of registered person North Common Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07908 008188 Date of previous inspection 4 October 2017

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Information about this early years setting

North Common Pre-School registered in 2001. It operates from the Independent Methodist Church Hall in Warmley, South Gloucestershire. It receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are four members of staff who work directly with children, including the manager, who holds a qualification at level 6. Of the remaining staff, two are qualified at level 3.

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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 A learning walk was carried out with the manager to understand how they deliver the curriculum. n The inspector talked to the setting's special educational needs coordinator about how they support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. n The opinions and views of parents were considered during the inspection. n A sample of documentation was reviewed during the inspection, including suitability checks and first-aid certificates. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching through observations while evaluating the impact it has on children's learning. n A joint observation was carried out with the inspector and manager. n The inspector talked to the staff and children and took their views into account.

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Inspection activities

n A leadership and management discussion was held with the inspector, director and manager.

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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 May 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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