Charlbury Pre-School

Inspection of Charlbury Pre-School The Old Grammer School, Park Street, Charlbury, CHIPPING NORTON, Oxfordshire OX7 3PS

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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 Good

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The provision is inadequate

Children's well-being, safety and good health are compromised. On the day of the inspection, the staffing team failed to ensure they were adequately deployed to supervise children on the indoor climbing frame. This resulted in many children using this equipment incorrectly and in an unsafe manner. This does not promote children's welfare. Furthermore, staff do not manage children's behaviour consistently. They fail to notice and respond to incidents of children snatching and hitting out at their peers and some children flinching as poor behaviour escalates. These are all breaches of requirements.

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The provision is inadequate

Children leave their parents with minimal upset and go into the room with the staff. Children show that they are generally contented, overall, as they play and explore with the available toys and resources. However, children's education is compromised as some staff lack sufficient skills and knowledge for their roles. Some staff fail to deliver a curriculum that helps all children make the progress that they are capable of. This means that children are at risk of falling behind in their learning. However, when teaching is of better quality, children enjoy group activities, which help to support their communication, language, and literacy skills.

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need to do better?

n The leadership team have failed to meet some of the legal requirements. For example, they have not notified Ofsted of significant events in the correct timeframe, as required. Additionally, staff have gaps in their safeguarding knowledge and a poor regard to their responsibilities. They fail to ensure that all children are supervised effectively to meet their individual needs and to help them learn how to take safe risks. For instance, they do not ensure children use indoor climbing equipment safely. n The quality of teaching is variable depending on the staff working with the children. Some staff provide appropriate support to the children. However, not all staff deliver good-quality teaching, and nor do they engage and support children in activities effectively. At times, staff expect too little from children and activities are too easy. This means children do not receive good enough support for their learning and development.

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need to do better?

n Staff fail to promote children's health and well-being. For example, they do not notice that children do not have access to fresh drinking water or that some children are drinking from their peers' bottles, brought in from home as other water is not available. This compromises children's health. However, children enjoy snacks and mealtimes together with their friends. n Staff do not always correct inappropriate behaviour as a lot of this goes unnoticed until children cry out or go to them to explain what has happened. For example, staff do not respond when children hit out at one another. This does

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need to do better?

18 October 2023 not help children to feel safe. However, when staff do notice incidents of poor behaviour, they remind children to use 'kind hands' and the sand timer to help them to learn to share. n Parents spoken to at the inspection comment that they and their children are happy and that they receive good communication about their child's day. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities for working in partnerships with other professionals involved in children's care. However, they do not successfully share information with other early years professionals working with the children to maintain a two-way flow of information. This does not ensure a consistent approach. n Staff have regular meetings and comment that they are happy at the pre-school. Some supervision processes are in place. However, this is not effective in identifying and addressing weaknesses in the quality of teaching, to ensure

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need to do better?

children receive good-quality learning experiences. n When teaching is of better quality, staff communicate appropriately with children, read stories, and sing with them. They offer a suitable range of creative activities, such as pumpkin carving and exploring with gloop. This in turn helps to support children with the hand-muscle skills that they need to develop early writing.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Children's welfare is compromised as some staff have a poor understanding of their role and responsibility to safeguard children, specifically with regards to radicalisation and extremism. Although staff have recently completed safeguarding training, this has not been fully understood. Staff still do not feel confident to recognise all signs and indicators that would raise concerns. Appropriate risk assessments are in place and cover equipment that pose a risk of harm. However, staff fail to follow these assessments to ensure children are adequately supervised. This jeopardises children's safety. Suitable recruitment processes are in place and all staff working with the children have a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

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Due date

18 October 2023 ensure staff have sufficient understanding of the government's statutory guidance, 'Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015' and the 'Prevent' duty guidance for England and Wales 2018, with particular regard to being able to identify and respond to possible indicators of radicalisation and extremism 10/11/2023

p.3

Due date

ensure staff are effectively deployed, so that any risks and hazards to children's health and well-being are identified and minimised 10/11/2023

p.4

Due date

take action to implement appropriate and consistent behaviour strategies for all children; this specifically refers to ensuring children's behaviour is managed appropriately, and help children understand the consequences of their actions on others 10/11/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure all staff receive effective supervision and coaching to help them fulfil their roles and responsibilities and provide a good-quality curriculum 10/11/2023

p.4

Due date

take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection and ensure children's health is not compromised 10/11/2023

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Due date

ensure children have access to fresh drinking water at all times 10/11/2023

p.4

Due date

strengthen partnerships with other early years settings that children attend to develop more effective ways to share information about their learning and development 10/11/2023

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Due date

implement a curriculum which is ambitious and provides children with challenging learning experiences to help them make consistently good progress. 10/11/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number 133477 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 10312686 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 28 Number of children on roll 26 Name of registered person Charlbury Preschool

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reference number

Telephone number 01608 811200 Date of previous inspection 15 March 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Charlbury Pre-School registered in 1992 and operates in the village of Charlbury, in Oxfordshire. The pre-school is open each weekday during term time, from 8.45am until 5pm. There are six members of staff who work a variety of sessions during the week. Of these, five have appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school receives funding to provide early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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 setting. n The inspector spoke with the manager about the leadership and management of the setting and together they completed a learning walk to discuss the setting's curriculum intent. n The manager and the inspector completed a joint observation of an activity together and discussed the quality of teaching and learning afterwards. n Children spoke to the inspector about the activities they took part in. n Available parents at the inspection shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff. n The inspection was carried out following the risk assessment process, due to information received about the provider.

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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

18 October 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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