Spring Pre School

Inspection of Spring Pre School St. Barnabus Church, Brinns Lane, Blackwater, CAMBERLEY, Surrey GU17 0BT

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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The provision requires improvement

Children are happy and settled. The relationships between children and staff are built on strong and secure attachments. On arrival at the pre-school, children are greeted with warm and welcoming smiles. Staff are in tune with children's emotional needs and quickly recognise when they need additional support. For example, staff notice when some children are unsettled and offer them reassuring cuddles. This helps children to feel emotionally safe and secure.

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The provision requires improvement

Overall, most staff demonstrate a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities when caring for children. They supervise children effectively during activities and ensure that toys and the environment are safe and well-maintained. However, staffing arrangements during mealtimes are inconsistent and do not always meet children's needs. Not all staff have a clear understanding of their roles at this time, and as a result, some children do not receive the support they require. This does not consistently promote children's personal development and well-being.

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The provision requires improvement

Children make good progress from their starting points. Leaders have designed an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that ensures that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop the skills they need for the future. Staff responsible for supporting children with SEND understand their roles and responsibilities clearly. They work highly effectively with parents and external professionals involved in the children's care. This joint approach ensures that children receive the additional support they need to help close any gaps in their learning. Children are well prepared for the transition to the next stage of their education. They complete self-care routines independently, ask for help when needed, use numbers in everyday play and predict what might happen next in familiar stories.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and staff place a strong emphasis on supporting children's communication and language development. Throughout daily activities, they engage children in meaningful conversations and encourage verbal interaction. In addition, staff have introduced non-verbal communication methods, such as visual cues, to support children with limited language skills. Children demonstrate good listening, attention and speaking skills. They listen with interest to stories, actively join in with songs and rhymes and engage in two-way conversations with adults and peers. n Overall, leaders support staff's ongoing professional development well. Staff complete regular training to help keep their knowledge and skills up to date. However, leaders do not consistently ensure that staff responsible for supporting children during lunchtime fully understand their roles and responsibilities in

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need to do better?

28 April 2025 supporting children and meeting their individual needs. As a result, staff often move around the room rather than engaging with children, and some children sit alone with little interaction. n Overall, children behave well. Staff have accessed training to support children in developing emotional literacy, particularly those who have experienced trauma. For example, staff acknowledge and support children's feelings when they are upset or angry. However, when managing unwanted behaviour, staff sometimes divert children's attention without consistently helping them understand how their actions affect others. This does not fully support children to learn to manage their own behaviour. n Leaders and staff show a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They provide a good range of activities to promote learning across all areas of the curriculum. Children of all ages approach their learning with enthusiasm.

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need to do better?

They are eager to explore, investigate and discover new things. For example, children have fun creating 'potions' in the mud kitchen by mixing natural materials, food colouring and water. During these experiences, staff ask them thoughtful questions to extend their thinking. For instance, they encourage children to predict what colour will be created by mixing red and blue. Children experiment and discover that these colours make purple. These positive interactions encourage children to be curious and develop critical thinking skills. n Overall, staff are attentive to children's needs, and they provide support to help them engage meaningfully in the activities that are provided. However, children's play is occasionally interrupted, as staff do not consistently adapt routines in response to their spontaneous interests. For example, children who are deeply engaged in self-chosen activities are asked to stop what they are doing to attend

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need to do better?

a group time. This disrupts their concentration and reduces the opportunities for meaningful learning. n Leaders and staff place a strong focus on promoting children's overall health and mental well-being. They provide an abundance of opportunities for children to benefit from regular access to fresh air and physical exercise. Children thoroughly enjoy their time outdoors, where they develop good physical skills. For example, they balance along raised beams, ride bikes with control, climb with confidence and manoeuvre around obstacles with ease. n Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents report that regular face-to-face meetings help them stay informed about what their children are learning. Parents of children with SEND speak positively about the pre-school. They appreciate the staff's commitment to providing high-quality, inclusive care and education for all children.

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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 that all staff, including those covering the lunch period, are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in supervising children effectively and promoting their safety. 02/05/2025

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should:

n strengthen staff's practice in supporting children to understand the impact their actions have on others n support staff in developing greater flexibility within daily routines to respond to children's spontaneous interests.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY350431 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10394483 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 38 Number of children on roll 52 Name of registered person McCormack, Jeanette

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reference number

Telephone number 07595947871 Date of previous inspection 9 September 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Spring Pre School registered in 2001 and operates from St Barnabus Church Centre in Frogmore village, near Blackwater in Surrey. The pre-school opens Monday to Thursday, from 8am until 4pm, and on Fridays, from 8am to 2pm, during term-time only. The pre-school employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of whom, eight hold recognised early years qualifications at level 3 or above, one of whom holds qualified teacher status. The pre-school receives funding for free early years education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together and discussed how the curriculum is organised. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager and discussed the quality of teaching. n The inspector asked staff questions to establish their understanding of how to safeguard children and how they assess and plan for children's learning. n The inspector took account of the views of parents through face-to-face feedback provided.

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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

28 April 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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