Our Ladys Pre-School

Inspection of Our Ladys Pre-School St. Josephs Catholic Primary School, Springhead Road, Northfleet, GRAVESEND, Kent DA11 9QZ

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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 thoroughly enjoy their time at this pre-school. Staff greet children warmly. This helps them to feel valued and creates a very positive start to their day. Children are independent in their own abilities. For example, they confidently select their coats when getting ready to play outdoors. They show great kindness towards their friends by helping each other to put coats and hats on.

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The provision is good

Children behave extremely well. Staff are kind, considerate and consistently model good manners. Children follow their example and learn to take turns and cooperate with each other. For example, children offer each other cups of tea and cake when celebrating pretend afternoon tea. They eagerly show others decorative crowns they have made to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy being outdoors, where they have many opportunities to practise and develop good physical skills. They relish opportunities to explore the mud kitchen, giggle when balancing on play equipment and carefully manoeuvre bikes along a roadway. Children persevere when involved in play, showing high levels of concentration, developing confidence and self-esteem. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure at the pre-school setting.

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need to do better?

n Managers set high expectations for what they want children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve. The manager and staff quickly identify where children may need additional support and seek prompt help from a range of professionals. n The manager understands her responsibilities. She ensures the staff training programmes meet the needs of children. For example, some staff are undertaking more focused training on working with children with SEND. Staff receive regular supervision sessions to discuss their professional development and training opportunities. n Staff build on children's learning step-by-step to support them to make the best possible progress. The curriculum is ambitious and staff adapt activities and resources to meet the individual needs of each child. n Overall, staff understand the importance of developing children's language skills.

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need to do better?

They talk to children during play, repeating and introducing new words to build on their vocabulary. During a planting activity, children learn the need for soil and sunlight to help seeds grow. However, on occasions, some staff ask children questions in quick succession and do not give them time to respond. This does not fully support children's communication and language skills to the highest level. n There is a strong emphasis on promoting inclusive practice. Staff speak a range

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need to do better?

3 May 2023 of languages, which reflect the cultural diversity of the area. They use their skills extremely well to support children who speak English as an additional language. Staff use visual prompts to enhance children's communication and to help them understand the routines of the day. This helps children to feel safe and participate fully. n Staff provide children with opportunities to develop their literacy skills. Children develop a genuine love of books as they listen to familiar stories, such as 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Staff are engaging and encourage children to re-enact parts of the story. Older children show delight as they pretend to wade through thick oozy mud and learn new words, such as 'squish' and 'squelch'. However, at times, the group is large and some younger children are not able to participate fully. n Staff set out the environment with a range of exciting activities that spark

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need to do better?

children's natural curiosity and interest. For example, children explore lots of sensory materials such as wood, bark and pasta. Staff provide children with opportunities to learn about the importance of recycling. They fill the garden with a range of different recyclable items, which children collect and correctly place into labelled bins. n Parents speak highly of the pre-school. They are happy with their children's progress and feel involved in their learning. Parents value being able to access an online programme to look at their child's progress. They appreciate the ideas that are shared to support their child's learning at home.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and committee ensure that robust vetting and recruitment procedures are in place. They regularly monitor staff's ongoing suitability during regular supervision sessions. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children. There are clear procedures in place to report concerns to the relevant agencies. Staff attend regular training and have recently updated their knowledge of the 'Prevent' duty. This helps to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. Risk assessments are effective. Staff check all areas of the pre-school daily to ensure children's safety. Staff are trained in paediatric first aid and are deployed well.

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should:

n strengthen teaching to improve children's learning further by making sure children are given sufficient time to think and respond to questions n review the organisation of some planned adult-led activities to ensure all children can participate fully and gain the intended knowledge and skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127424 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10279737 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 Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 49 Name of registered person Our Lady's Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01474 365 877 Date of previous inspection 6 September 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Our Lady's Pre-School registered in 2000 and is situated in the grounds of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Gravesend, Kent. The pre-school is open from 9am to 3.30pm, term time only. The provider receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The pre-school employs 11 staff, all of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification between level 2 and level 6.

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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 the curriculum and what they want children to learn. n The manager spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND and children who speak English as an additional language. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the manager. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of practitioners working in the pre-school. n The inspector took account of parents' views and their written feedback.

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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

3 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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