Tadpoles Pre-School

Inspection of Tadpoles Pre-School Marks Tey Parish Hall, Old London Road, Marks Tey, COLCHESTER CO6 1EJ

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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

Children arrive happy at the nursery. They readily leave their parents and are eager to explore the activities on offer. Staff are consistently nurturing and warm towards them. They offer support and comfort when children need it which helps them develop trusting attachments with them. Consequently, children often invite staff to join in their play. Children laugh and giggle when staff keep missing the basketball net that they are aiming and throwing bean bags into. As children practise, staff encourage children's perseverance by sensitively explaining that practice is the key to success.

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The provision requires improvement

While children have many positive learning experiences, they do not benefit from a consistently well-planned and effectively implemented curriculum. The management team does not ensure that supervisions with staff are effective enough to help them regularly reflect on their teaching or consider improvements. Because of this, teaching is variable and essential assessments of children's progress at key stages of their development are not completed. Staff praise children when they listen and take turns, which helps to build aspects of their confidence. On occasion, staff do not always follow-up on children's disputes over popular toys, which does not help them realise the impact their behaviour has on others.

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need to do better?

n The management team does not have adequate systems in place to ensure staff understand all their roles and responsibilities. For example, staff are not aware of their duty to carry out mandatory progress checks for children aged between two and three years and share these with parents. Despite this, staff show they are identifying children with potential delays in their learning and providing the right levels of support to make good progress. n Staff work closely with parents and outside professionals working with children, such as health visitors, to ensure children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve their best outcomes. n Children have many opportunities to play outside and enjoy the freedom to run, jump and climb. They benefit from regular nature walks where they learn about life cycles of flowers and the wider world. While children make choices in their

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need to do better?

play, staff do not always offer enough purposeful learning opportunities outdoors, to consistently meet the interests and learning preferences of all children. n Parents appreciate daily opportunities to speak to their child's key person and exchange information about their child's needs. They express how their children look forward to attending. They report that their children settled seamlessly because of supportive and bespoke settling-in processes.

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need to do better?

13 March 2025 n During most adult-led activities staff are knowledgeable about what they want the children to learn and plan effectively. For example, staff integrate flowers children have picked into a craft activity to help children develop their attention and concentration. Staff point out the stem and petals making it easier for children to absorb new information and concepts. However, at times staff do not consistently adjust their teaching to focus on supporting children to make progress towards their individual learning goals. n From an early age, staff support children to learn about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and how this helps to promote and maintain their good health. This includes the importance of good personal hygiene. Children often wipe their own nose and dispose of tissues hygienically in the bin and are praised for their efforts. Staff read fun, interactive stories that promote the importance of oral

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need to do better?

health to children. These reaffirm the expected behaviours of children and encourages them to become increasingly independent in attending to their personal needs. n Staff provide a variety of group activities to encourage good social skills and back-and-forth interactions with others. Children excitedly look for objects together to match shapes staff ask them to find. Because staff encourage children to listen to others, all children have their voices heard as they individually count how many sides are on the shapes they find. n Children benefit from songs, rhymes and stories which help them develop language. Children develop their mark-making skills and learn important skills to help them as they progress to school.

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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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Due date

ensure staff complete progress checks for children aged between two and three years and ensure parents are provided with a review of their progress 15/04/2025

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Due date

13 March 2025 improve the effectiveness of supervisions for staff to ensure they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and receive support and coaching to improve their personal effectiveness. 15/04/2025

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should:

n continue to improve the monitoring of staff teaching and practice to help them develop their knowledge and understanding of how children learn so that all children benefit from consistently good-quality learning experiences.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 402107 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10376055 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 26 Number of children on roll 26

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Name of registered person

Tadpoles Pre-School Learning Alliance Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07712335363 Date of previous inspection 15 May 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Tadpoles Pre-School registered in 1993. The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9am until 2pm. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and the inspector completed a tour of the pre-school, both indoors and outdoors, to understand how the early years provision and curriculum are organised. Additionally, the manager showed the inspector the premises and discussed how they ensure it is safe and suitable. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact that this had on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of group activities with the manager and also discussed self-evaluation. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. n Children communicated with the inspector during the inspection. The inspector spoke with parents and carers during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager and also discussed self-

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Inspection activities

evaluation. The inspector looked at relevant documentation such as evidence of the suitability of the staff working in the pre-school and a selection of other records.

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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

13 March 2025 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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