Balderton Pre-School

Inspection of Balderton Pre-School Chuter Ede Primary School, Wolfit Avenue, Balderton, NEWARK, Nottinghamshire NG24 3PQ

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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

Staff form positive relationships with families and their children. Children are confident and keen to enter pre-school and wave goodbye to their parents or carers. Throughout the session, children are happy and gain support from staff when they need it. Staff prompt children to join in with others. This helps to support children to build friendships with one another. Children laugh together as they show off their drawings to each other. Children run up and down the garden playing chase and giggling together.

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The provision is good

Staff show children how to use pipettes, as they describe how to squeeze the end and release it to suck up water. Children practise this with support and use the new skill independently. Children enjoy the responsibility of carrying out tasks that staff have asked them to complete. For example, staff provide children with a bowl of water and encourage them to clean the toy animals.

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The provision is good

Children are supported by staff to develop a sense of self and take pride in their achievements. Staff praise children as they achieve something they have not done before. Children reflect on their previous experiences. Staff support them to make links between past experiences and the resources they have set out. For example, children look at toy people, and staff talk to them about the different people that help us who have visited the pre-school. Children recall the different services and the names of people who have visited.

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need to do better?

n The staff and the managers have a clear curriculum. They understand child development and have clear sequences for learning to prepare children for their next stages of development. Staff and managers plan their environments to reflect children's interests and individual next steps. They ensure the experiences they offer cover all areas of the early years foundation stage. n Staff support children towards independence. They escort children to use the toilet and encourage them to wash their hands independently when they have finished. Staff are on hand to help children when they need it. At mealtimes, staff provide children with cutlery to serve themselves. Children use spoons to scoop cheese onto their crackers. Staff ask the children to clear their plates away. Children tidy their items away confidently. n Staff develop children's mathematical knowledge. They talk to children about heavier items sinking in the water. Staff frequently count to expose children to

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need to do better?

number language and use items to introduce quantities. For example, staff describe the two wheels on a motorbike and four wheels on a car. Children are shown how to use small tools to measure, and staff encourage them to point to numbers on measuring tubes.

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need to do better?

30 May 2023 n Children are supported to understand how to keep themselves healthy. For example, while children play with the dolls, staff encourage them to brush the doll's teeth. They introduce children to the reasons why they need to clean their teeth. Children talk to staff about where and when they brush their teeth. Before physical exercise, staff put their hands on their heart and encourage children to do the same. They repeat this after exercise to see if children notice the difference in how fast their heart beats. n Parents and carers speak highly of the pre-school. They say the staff are very supportive of their needs as a family. Parents and carers add that staff share what their children are learning and how they can support them at home, such as how they can develop their children's imagination and gain support for welcoming a new baby to the family. They praise the communication they receive and how approachable the whole staff team are.

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need to do better?

n Staff feel well supported by managers and comment on how approachable they are. Staff are happy to discuss both personal and work-related issues they are having. They say they receive regular feedback about their practice, as well as gain access to training. Staff comment that this supports them to develop their practice with children and enhances the experiences they provide. n Overall, children are supported to behave well. However, staff are not always consistent in managing children's unwanted behaviour. For example, some staff clearly explain why some behaviours are not acceptable. Other staff tell the children to stop without offering any explanation. This means children do not always understand staff expectations or how to manage their behaviours. n Staff interact well with children to extend their learning during planned activities. For example, they help children to make marks using different materials to

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need to do better?

support their early writing skills. However, when children engage in free play activities, staff do not engage as consistently to extend children's learning. For example, as children play in the garden and choose their own resources to explore, some staff supervise children rather than engaging with them to further support their learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff and managers have strong knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse. They attend safeguarding training to support their knowledge of local safeguarding concerns, such as domestic violence and radicalisation. Managers have processes to ensure that children are safe and their families are well supported. Staff and managers are confident to make a referral to appropriate agencies if required. They maintain the environment to ensure it is safe for children. They regularly risk assess and make adaptations where necessary. Managers follow a rigorous recruitment process to ensure that new staff are suitable to work with children.

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should:

n strengthen staff knowledge of how to consistently support children's behaviour, so it is clear to children what is expected of them n support staff to develop their interactions with children during free-play activities.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY330616 Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council Inspection number 10265408 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 42 Number of children on roll 235 Name of registered person Balderton Pre-school Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01636 683550 (school) / 07946176694 Date of previous inspection 6 June 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Balderton Pre-School registered in 2006 and is located in Balderton, Newark. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday, all year round, except for public holidays and over Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm, during term time, and from 8am until 6pm, during school holidays. The pre-school employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, one member of staff holds an appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 14 hold qualifications at level 3. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It also provides breakfast and after-school care for school-aged children.

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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 learning walk together of all areas of the pre-school and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation during the morning session. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector looked through a sample of key documentation, including evidence of staff's suitability.

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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

30 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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