Beenham Pre-School

Inspection of Beenham Pre-School Community Room, Beenham Primary School, Beenham, Reading, Berkshire RG7 5NN

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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

Children arrive happily at this welcoming pre-school, eager to start their busy day. They are warmly greeted by caring staff, who know them very well. Children readily engage in the exciting, carefully planned indoor and outdoor activities on offer. They form affectionate bonds with staff, strong friendships with other children and play together harmoniously. Committed staff ensure they meet the care needs of all children. Children follow the same good qualities that staff show. They learn to be helpful and considerate towards others. Children beam with pride when praised for their kind gestures.

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The provision is good

Staff give high priority to children's personal, social and emotional development. All staff benefit from the manager's extensive knowledge of supporting children's emotional well-being. This is evident when staff consistently acknowledge children's moods and discuss ways to help them self-regulate their emotions, when needed. Children have opportunities to share their feelings and how their actions can affect others. This creates a respectful and empathetic culture.

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The provision is good

All staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. For example, children learn to share and take turns well. They impressively use a sand timer to enable all children to have equal access to popular activities. Staff successfully support children to manage their self-care skills, such as how to put on their coats with ease and do them up. Even the youngest children persevere to master these skills and then proudly cheer, 'I did it'.

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need to do better?

n The manager and staff work collaboratively to plan a meaningful and engaging curriculum that supports children's interests, abilities and needs. For instance, children keenly learn about different road signs in the local environment. They connect their learning when they avidly talk about their experiences of being stuck at nearby roadworks in their parents' cars. n Children develop important skills for their future learning, such as practising purposeful mark-making in different situations. They understand that their marks have meaning. For example, they play a 'robin hunt' indoors and use a 'tally' method to record every time they find a picture of a robin hidden around the classroom. Staff support them to count the marks they make accurately. Younger children learn from the older ones and try to count with them. This helps to support children's early literacy and mathematical skills successfully.

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need to do better?

n The manager is highly skilled and committed to continual improvement. For instance, she works in partnership with the chair of the committee, parents and outside professionals to constantly improve the already good standards of care and education. The committee chair specialises in training staff to tackle minor

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need to do better?

30 January 2024 incidents of poor behaviour, using a positive approach. Children learn to make 'good choices' throughout the day and rectify any 'poor choices' they display. This has a highly positive impact on children's decision-making skills. n Children love to be physically active outdoors. They run, jump and balance with increasing control and learn to build up their stamina. Staff talk to children about the impact of exercise on their bodies. For instance, they encourage children to recognise their increasing heart beat as they hop while pretending to be flamingos. This helps children to understand the importance of staying fit. n The manager and staff have received an accreditation for the use of sign language. This helps to increase children's communication skills effectively. Non- verbal individuals and those in need of extra support to fully understand instructions apply these signs to express their needs and wants. The pre-school

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need to do better?

strives to meet the needs of all children. However, during group sessions of mixed ages, staff do not always plan precisely enough for younger children to benefit the most from the activity. This means that some younger children lose interest and show a lack of engagement. n Staff feel valued and thoroughly enjoy working at the pre-school. They report that staff morale is high and they belong to a cohesive team. Staff are reflective in their practice. They receive constructive feedback from the manager on the quality of their interactions with children. Staff's professional development provides a consistent approach to improvement. Despite this, the existing arrangements for the ongoing development for newer staff is less robust. It does not fully equip them to gain the knowledge and skills they need to help sustain the already good practice across the pre-school. n Parents are very complimentary of the education and care their children receive.

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need to do better?

They report that their children make good progress, particularly in their confidence, independence, speech and social skills. Parents praise the variety of ways the manager and staff keep them informed of their children's progress. They appreciate the weekly newsletters and regular updates on an online application, which helps them to promote children's learning at home.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n support staff to reflect the needs of younger children in group activities in full n strengthen the ongoing coaching and support for newer staff to help them consistently deliver high-quality teaching and learning experiences for children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 508015 Local authority West Berkshire Inspection number 10307847 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 31 Name of registered person Beenham Preschool Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07704 663393 Date of previous inspection 26 March 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Beenham Pre-School registered in 1992. It operates from the community room situated at Beenham Primary School, in a village close to Reading, in Berkshire. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday, from 8.45am to 2.45pm, during term time only. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two. It is eligible for this funding for children aged three and four years. The pre-school employs five members of staff, four of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and level 3.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the pre-school 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 their evaluation of the pre-school. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n Children spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the manager. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the 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 January 2024 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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