St Paul's Beckenham Pre-School

Inspection of St Paul's Beckenham Pre-School St. Paul's Church Hall, Lawn Road, BECKENHAM, Kent BR3 1TP

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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The provision requires improvement

Staff warmly welcome children on arrival. They exchange messages with parents which supports children's care and well-being. Children say goodbye to their parents at the door and confidently follow the morning routine. They take off their coats and wash their hands on arrival. This supports them to follow good hygiene routines and builds on their independence. Children behave well and follow rules.

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The provision requires improvement

Staff have high expectations for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They provide a broad and interesting curriculum which builds on children's knowledge. Children engage in the exciting range of activities on offer. For example, they make rockets with different shapes and talk with staff about the first Black woman to travel into space. Children beat out the syllables in their names on the African drum. Both activities are linked to Black History Month which helps to promote children's understanding of diversity.

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The provision requires improvement

Ofsted has not been notified of changes in relation to trustees and appropriate suitability checks have not been completed. This is a breach of the requirements of registration. However, this breach does not impact on children's safety, well-being or development as the trustees do not have any unsupervised contact with the children.

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need to do better?

n The manager is passionate about providing high-quality care and education. She works with her staff team to plan activities and a range of experiences which build on the curriculum areas. Staff use observations and assessments to ensure that children are making good progress and identify any gaps in learning swiftly. This ensures that children have the skills they need to prepare them for future learning. n Staff engage with children and promote their communication and language skills well. They ask meaningful questions and give children time to think and respond. Staff introduce new vocabulary during play and provide commentary. For example, children pretend to make pizzas with dough. They discuss the size of the base and use the word 'big'. Staff encourage children to think of alternatives to extend their vocabulary further. n Partnership with parents is effective. Parents speak highly of the staff team.

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need to do better?

Their children have made strong attachments with their key persons. Parents say communication is good. They receive regular updates on their children's progress and next steps. Staff provide ideas to continue learning at home, alongside children taking books home to enjoy reading. Parents state their children have increased their vocabulary, independence and social skills since starting pre-school.

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need to do better?

17 October 2023 n Children develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles. They drink water and pour their own drinks. Children help to prepare their snack and know fruit is a healthy option. Children understand the importance of washing their hands to remove germs. They enjoy physical activities inside and outside, which helps to develop their balance and coordination. Children keenly participate in sports activities with the sports coaches. n Staff embed a culture of inclusion. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) supports children to access the curriculum and build on their skills. She runs sensory circuits to help children prepare for the day's learning. The SENCo works with other professionals to ensure that children receive the extra support they need. The manager ensures additional funding is used for appropriate resources and extra curriculum activities. n Children learn to count and test out mathematical concepts as they play. They

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need to do better?

drive cars at different speeds and manually wind the lift up and down. Children count at circle time, and as they sing and share stories, which increases their understanding of numbers. Several children speak English as an additional language. Staff support them well with learning English, however, they do not support their home languages alongside this. n The manager completes effective inductions with all new staff. This helps them to understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff state the manager is supportive and checks on staff well-being regularly. All staff have regular supervision meetings and access training to build on their knowledge. The staff team evaluates activities and discuss any concerns. However, the manager does not identify areas for further improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager follows robust recruitment procedures and ensures that all staff working with children have suitability checks in place. This procedure has not been followed by the leader in regard to the trustees. However, they do not have direct contact with the children. All staff have completed safeguarding training, including the 'Prevent' duty and understand their role to keep children safe. They recognise signs and symptoms which could indicate potential signs of harm or abuse. Staff know the procedures to follow if they have any concerns regarding a child's welfare. Risk assessments and daily checks ensure that the environment is safe for children.

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Due date

17 October 2023 improve understanding of notifying Ofsted of changes, especially in relation to completing suitability checks for new trustees. 18/10/2024

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should:

n support children who speak additional languages to use these during play alongside learning English n evaluate practice effectively to identify and address areas for improvement.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 137360 Local authority Bromley Inspection number 10301152 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 29 Name of registered person St Paul's Beckenham Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07528 352 135 Date of previous inspection 17 January 2018

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Information about this early years setting

St Paul's Beckenham Pre-School has been operating since 1980. It is a committee- run provision. The pre-school is open three days a week, Monday to Wednesday, between 9.15am and 12.15pm, and 12.45pm to 3.45pm, term time only. Lunch- club sessions are available between 12.15pm and 12.45pm. The pre-school provides funded early education to children aged two, three and four years. The pre-school employs seven members of staff, all of whom hold relevant early years qualifications from level 2 to 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 manager and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the provider. n The manager and inspector carried out a learning walk together to discuss the provider's intentions for children's learning. n The manager and inspector carried out a joint observation and discussed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views. n The inspector held discussions with the manager about safeguarding and how she evaluates her practice. n The inspector looked at relevant documents, including paediatric first-aid certificates, qualifications, insurance and suitability checks.

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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

17 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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