Avoncroft Pre-School Nursery

Inspection of Avoncroft Pre-School Nursery Stoke Heath Community Art Centre, Redditch Road, Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 4JN

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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

Although staff have some understanding of the overall intent of their curriculum, day-to-day practice does not enable this to be achieved. Leaders do not make sure that the children are provided with opportunities that allow them to build on previous learning to help them make good progress. This is because they do not take into account when planning activities what children already know and can do. In addition to this, sometimes, children spend long periods of time with little to occupy them, especially when they move between activities. Despite this, the children are generally happy and join in with the activities on offer to them. Children take part in a range of enjoyable experiences, such as tennis-based activities linked to Wimbledon, a yoga session and rhythm time.

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The provision requires improvement

Staff show genuine care for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff support children to develop their independence. Children take care of their own toileting needs and understand the importance of washing their hands at appropriate times during the day.

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need to do better?

n Staff do not plan a well-sequenced curriculum. As a result, children's developmental needs are not consistently met. This leads to children becoming disengaged and staff having to spend time refocusing them. This impacts on children's progress, as they do not consistently receive high-quality learning opportunities that build on what they already know and can do. n Staff swiftly identify children with SEND. However, due to weaknesses in the overall curriculum, their needs are not always met. For example, during free play, staff do not always interact positively enough to support children with their speech and language skills. n Teaching is not consistently good and does not support children's individual developmental needs. Some activities lack challenge, and other activities are too difficult for children to understand. For example, a planned capacity and measuring activity uses containers with millilitres, and staff encourage children

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need to do better?

to read numbers into the thousands. This is well above the developmental stage of the children engaging with the activity. n At times during the day, especially between activities, children can be waiting for long periods with nothing to do. This leads to children becoming disengaged. During this time, they display disruptive behaviours, such as spinning the letter abacus, bouncing into the comfortable chair and rolling around the floor, when they should be listening to staff. Children are engaged at the start of some activities. However, because the quality of teaching and the curriculum are not ambitious enough, as the activity develops, children become less interested, and they distract other children in the group.

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need to do better?

11 July 2023 n Staff support children to be ready for their move on to school. For example, they teach the children how to get ready for physical education and find their own name to self-register. They also recognise that children may be anxious to move to their new schools. Staff help them to manage these feelings. For example, they tell stories using their 'worry monster'. This helps the children to explore their feelings around this new stage of their lives. n Parents speak highly of the pre-school, and they comment that staff build positive relationships with the children. Staff share information with parents about their child. Regular newsletters for parents signpost them to any additional support they can access and also provide information about forthcoming pre-school events. Parents are positive that their children feel safe and secure. n Staff engage with other professionals to deliver a range of experiences for the

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need to do better?

children. For example, the children are able to recall when the dentist visited to show them how to look after their teeth. In addition, they talk about how the activities they take part in with the visiting sports coach help them to have healthy bodies. n Supervision meetings with staff help to identify areas that staff would like to develop further, such as implementing more mathematical activities into the curriculum. They also benefit from some professional development opportunities. However, these are not regular enough to improve staff's knowledge of how to provide good-quality teaching and learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Children are safe in the pre-school. Staff supervise children well. Risk assessments are effective to ensure all areas are safe for children to explore. Leaders make sure that all staff are clear about the procedures they need to follow if they have concerns about children or other adults. All staff know the signs of abuse and how to record their concerns. Leaders and staff know about local safeguarding trends, and they highlight support parents can access relating to these areas. Safer recruitment processes are followed to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. References are sought, and Disclosure and Barring Service checks are carried out for all staff.

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Due date

11 July 2023 implement an ambitious curriculum that meets the developmental needs of all children 31/10/2023

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Due date

plan a range of challenging activities that build on what children already know, in order to help them make good progress. 31/10/2023

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should:

n provide staff with further development opportunities to enable them to provide good-quality teaching n review the organisation of the day so that children are consistently engaged in purposeful learning, especially during transition times.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY341319 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 10283787 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 42 Name of registered person Avoncroft Pre-School Nursery Partnership

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reference number

Telephone number 07749 477 553 Date of previous inspection 3 October 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Avoncroft Pre-School Nursery registered in 2006 and is in Bromsgrove. The pre- school employs seven members of childcare staff. All staff hold early years qualifications ranging from level 2 to level 6. This includes three members of staff who holds early years practitioner status. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday, during school term time. Sessions are from 8.30am until 3.30pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old 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 inspector carried out a joint observation and discussed the impact of the curriculum and teaching on children's learning. n The inspector spoke with the staff and children during the inspection. n The manager and inspector observed the quality of the curriculum during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to parents and listened to their views about the setting. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of adults working in the setting.

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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

11 July 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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