Ashby Preschool Academy

Inspection of Ashby Preschool Academy 30, North Street, Ashby- de - La- Zouch, Leicestershire LE65 1HS

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is good

Staff create a calm and nurturing environment to help children to feel very comfortable and secure. They provide highly effective and sensitive support to help children to manage their emotions. Children demonstrate a strong sense of confidence and independence during their play and the routines, for example how they freely access the environment and activities. Children recognise when they are hot and thirsty and help themselves to drinks. At mealtimes, they serve themselves and clear away their leftover food.

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The provision is good

Staff skilfully support children to manage their personal skills. They model positive behaviour and give children the time and space to try and reach their own resolutions. Staff also praise children for making the right choices when they recognise and follow the expectations and rules.

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The provision is good

Children are keen and eager to learn. Older children quickly come and sit on the carpet to participate in an activity about butterflies. Staff provide a useful introduction to the life cycle of the butterfly, using a range of resources to reinforce what they are teaching. Children are fascinated by the caterpillars and say that they look like worms.

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The provision is good

Leaders ensure that staff understand the well-developed curriculum and what they want the children to achieve at each age group. They have the same ambition for all children regardless of their starting points and if they have additional support needs.

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need to do better?

n Leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to ongoing improvements. They undertake regular and useful monitoring and evaluation of the pre-school. The sequencing of the curriculum has been recently reviewed and amended to ensure that from an early age children are building the skills they need to handle small tools, such as cutlery. Staff receive ongoing supervision, support and training to develop their knowledge and skills. n Leaders ensure the curriculum provides children with a broad range of opportunities, for example to learn about the environment and their community. Having particularly enjoyed learning about recycling, children were keen to share this learning with parents and carers and continue this at home. Staff take children on a regular outing to a local care home where they are beginning to make friendships and share activities and games. n Staff are successful at facilitating quality conversations with children to support

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need to do better?

their communication and language development. They listen carefully and give children the time to contribute, including providing effective support for children

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need to do better?

9 May 2024 who are quieter. Staff pace the conversations well so that there are back-and- forth interactions, and they share new information to extend children's learning. Mealtimes are very sociable as the children chat with each other and staff. n Staff are clear on what they are teaching children within each activity. For example, children start to learn about the elements of a story and are prompted to generate ideas for the storyline. Children play in the sand with dinosaurs, and staff support their mathematics development as they count the number of bones they have found. However, sometimes staff do not use the activities well enough to help children to build on what they already know and can do. n There is well-considered identification and spending of additional funding to support children's individual needs. Staff ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported to be included in

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need to do better?

all activities. Staff use the early years pupil premium funding to purchase resources that focus on particular aspects of learning to help children to catch up, and also to support the transition to school. n Staff work well with other agencies and professionals, including health professionals and the speech and language team, to support the development of children with SEND. There is careful liaison with the schools that children move on to to ensure that the transition is smooth and supportive for all children. n Parents speak highly of the pre-school and in particular how well staff care for and know the children, the support for settling in and the development of children's social skills. Leaders provide varied opportunities to gather and share information with parents. This includes newsletters regarding forthcoming activities, a daily exchange of information about what children have been doing

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need to do better?

and the opportunity to attend a regular meeting about their child's development. However, on occasions, parents are not clear about what their child is learning next in order to be able to support this 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 develop further the support for children's learning to help them make faster rates of progress n strengthen the partnership with parents to share information consistently about what children are learning next and how they can support this at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2665072 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 10319759 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 85 Name of registered person Storal Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01530442951 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Ashby Preschool Academy registered in 2021 and is in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. The pre-school employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school opens from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. 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 regional manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the pre-school and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the regional manager. n The inspector held a meeting with the regional manager. She looked at relevant documentation, such as evidence of the Disclosure and Barring Service checks. The regional manager discussed the procedures for evaluation and the priorities for improvement. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and

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Inspection activities

outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

9 May 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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