Kingston Pre-School

Inspection of Kingston Pre-School Kingston Village Hall, The Street, Kingston, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 3NT

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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The provision is inadequate

Children's welfare is compromised due to breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Individuals in position of responsibility do not have sufficient knowledge of the local procedures to safeguard children. Furthermore, staff demonstrate lack of knowledge of reporting processes and issues that may indicate a child is at risk of harm.

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The provision is inadequate

There are significant weaknesses in meeting the learning and development requirements. As a result, children do not receive a rich and purposeful curriculum that precisely identifies their individual learning needs. Consequently, they do not make progress to the highest level.

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The provision is inadequate

Despite this, children are happy and settled. They have positive relationships with the staff and enjoy the interactions they receive during group activities. For example, children delight in going on a nature walk in the local area and use magnifying glasses to look closely at flowers. This helps children to learn about their local community and the natural world beyond the pre-school. Adults provide new words connected to their experiences such as 'bud' and 'dragonfly'.

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The provision is inadequate

Most children behave well. However, there are times they are required to wait for long periods of time to start an activity. Consequently, children tire and become despondent which impacts their behaviour. When children report to adults that a friend has snatched from or pushed them, this is not addressed. This does not support children to understand expected behaviours and the impact their actions have on others.

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need to do better?

n The nominated individual and committee have ineffective oversight and governance to monitor the quality of provision offered to children and families. As a result, they fail to identify weaknesses in the provision in order to take steps to address this. Failures in the overarching safeguarding and learning and development requirements impact on children's safety and well-being and the quality of education. n Leaders fail to have effective, safe recruitment processes in place. For example, during interviews, leaders do not check sufficiently if staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the requirements of their role. Furthermore, clearance and vetting checks lack rigour and are not always recorded. At times, leaders do not have enough information to make suitability decisions about individuals who have access to children. n Occasionally, deployment of staff is ineffective. For example, at times, new and

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need to do better?

inexperienced staff whose suitability has yet to be assured are given

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need to do better?

8 June 2023 responsibility for tasks that may not be appropriate to their role. n The arrangements for supervision of staff are not robust. Leaders do not monitor staff closely enough to identify gaps in their knowledge. Consequently, staff do not receive tailored coaching, training and support to improve their personal effectiveness to meet the needs of children. n Staff lack knowledge of how to plan and implement an effective curriculum. Experiences and activities on offer to children are often generic. Staff do not accurately identify what individual children need to learn and why. As a result, children tend to make up their own games and imaginative play. Therefore, learning is often incidental rather than purposeful. n The progress check at age two does not provide sufficient information to parents that outlines the progress children make in the prime areas. As a result, it is not clear how this assessment is used to help staff plan for their key children. This

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need to do better?

does not ensure that planned experiences and activities contribute towards children reaching their full potential in their learning. n Children receive support from staff to practise independence skills when using small tools. For example, children cut their own cucumbers for snack time and pour their own drinks. Furthermore, during an activity where children are making binoculars, staff model how to use small tools such as staplers and scissors and encourage children to practise using these. This supports children to develop their physical skills and hand-to-eye coordination. n Children try their best to concentrate during group story time sessions. They enjoy the story of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and show real fascination in learning about the caterpillars they are currently caring for. Children show confidence to express their ideas and use good levels of language and recall to share with others what they know. However, there are incidents where story

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need to do better?

time becomes disrupted by children who continue to talk over the story and younger children rolling around on the carpet. This distracts children and makes it difficult for them to maintain focus. n The feedback parents provide is generally good. They speak positively about the care given and how their children enjoy trips in the local community. However, the feedback parents receive from staff can often be generic, and does not provide specific details about their individual children's progress and development on a regular basis.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

There are significant weaknesses in safeguarding policy and practice. Leaders and staff do not have robust knowledge of how to effectively safeguard children. Staff undertake training, but this is not followed up to check their understanding. As a result, gaps in knowledge are not addressed to ensure that staff are clear about the indicators and issues that may suggest a child is at risk of harm. Risk assessment processes are in place for when children attend local trips in the community. Staff ensure that all children are accounted for. Children wear high- visibility vests so they are easily identifiable. Furthermore, a first-aid kit and contact

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Safeguarding

8 June 2023 details are to hand should staff need these. This is to ensure that children are kept safe while away from the pre-school.

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Due date

ensure the nominated individual, committee and all staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues, the process to follow for allegations and the reporting procedures to agencies with statutory responsibilities 26/06/2023

p.4

Due date

improve recruitment processes to ensure leaders have sufficient information to make suitability decisions about individuals that have access to children and families 26/06/2023

p.4

Due date

take steps to improve the deployment of staff, so that new staff who are yet to have their suitability assured are not given responsibilities that may pose a risk to children 26/06/2023

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Due date

implement effective supervision arrangements that accurately identify gaps in staff's learning, in order to provide tailored coaching, training and support, to help all staff meet their roles and responsibilities 26/06/2023

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Due date

ensure staff have a consistent approach to supporting children's understanding of positive behaviour 26/06/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure information and records are accurate and consistently maintained, including records of disclosure and barring service checks (DBS) and vetting of staff. 26/06/2023

p.4

Due date

plan and implement a curriculum that accurately identifies what individual children need to learn, to prepare them for their next stages of education 26/06/2023

p.5

Due date

provide regular feedback about children's development to parents, including completing two-year progress checks that have a clear summary outlining children's development in the prime areas. 26/06/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number 109451 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 10295848 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 24 Number of children on roll 23 Name of registered person Kingston Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01273 486060 Date of previous inspection 21 November 2022

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Information about this early years setting

Kingston Pre-School registered in 1992. It is run by a committee and is a registered charity. Opening hours are from 7.45am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time only. The setting employs four members of staff. The manager holds a relevant level 3 qualification in early years. All staff are currently trained to level 2 or above. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager completed a learning walk with the inspector to explain the provision's curriculum. n The inspector observed the interactions between children and staff and assessed the impact of teaching on children's learning. n The manager completed a joint observation with the inspector to assess the quality of teaching. n Staff spoke to the inspector about their roles, knowledge of their key children, training opportunities and the procedures they follow to keep children safe. n Parents were invited to share their views about the provision.

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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

8 June 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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