Red Room Pre-School Annex

Inspection of Red Room Pre-School Annex School House, High Street, Chewton Mendip, RADSTOCK BA3 4LL

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children happily arrive at this pre-school. They build good bonds with staff and new children settle easily. Staff are caring and respond to children's needs and interests with enthusiasm, supporting their well-being very effectively. Parents say that the pre-school is a very nurturing environment for the children. Children develop their social skills and start to build friendships. Older boys imaginatively play together, discussing their ideas and cooperating well as they scoop up and transfer sand with a digger and then dump this in the toy truck. Younger girls start to independently share items and interact with each other as they play with dough.

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The provision is good

Staff form their curriculum carefully, focusing this on children's learning needs and interests. Staff promote children's literacy development very effectively. Children learn to recognise and find their labelled name tag when they arrive and their 'pen box'. Children choose a book to take home to share with parents and story time inspires children's interest in books. Staff skilfully use associated activities to build children's skills in other aspects. For example, older children discuss their families proudly, including baby siblings. They make marks and draw suitable shapes to form pictures of them, prompted by staff's reading them a story about families. Children explore making marks in other interesting ways. Staff thoughtfully set out resources to inspire them as they play. Children create treasure maps in the pirate ship outside and use these in their imaginative play. Children are developing into

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The provision is good

confident, independent learners and gaining useful skills in readiness for the next stage of their education.

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need to do better?

n Partnership working supports consistency for children. Staff share their regular assessments of children with parents and gain information on what children are learning at home to inform their planning. They work with schools that children move on to and other settings they already attend, to help all key people working with children clearly know their needs. n Staff have 'rules' in place to support children to explore safely and to be comfortable and happy as they play. Older children remind their friends not to throw sand and keep the trikes on the playground. Staff offer children reminders and timely support, for example, as children climb up the slide or try to slide down the climbing wall. They very effectively help them consider the risk and think of what else they could do, such as finding a towel to dry the slide. n Staff speak clearly to children and encourage their conversation. They model

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need to do better?

language, explain new concepts and appropriately and sensitively clarify misconceptions, developing children's understanding very well. For example, older children say they need a plumber to fix their toy car. Staff explain what a plumber does and that they need a mechanic, discussing what they do and

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need to do better?

9 September 2025 repeating this word to ensure children understand. n The staff team have well-embedded routines and arrangements to support children to do things for themselves and develop their independence skills. Children learn to pour their own drinks, peel their fruit, scrape their waste into the compost bin and put their plates and cups in the bowl. They join staff in doing 'jobs', tidying away toys, making sure they go in the right place. Children gain useful life skills, confidence in their abilities and develop their sense of responsibility very beneficially. Parents are very grateful for these opportunities and say these skills help children in their move on to school. n At times, staff skilfully pick up on children's preferred exploration. For example, one child moves the small slide to a new position and another plays with apples that have fallen from the tree. Staff then inspire children to explore rolling the

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need to do better?

apples down the slide to see how far they can go. However, at other times staff do not adapt their teaching in activities, particularly to help younger children easily follow their interests and continue to be engaged in activities. n Staff build children's maths skills well. Children learn numbers in a practical context. Staff help them find the number size in their shoe, then boots with the same number. Staff model maths language for children, discussing size and quantity. Children have fun in group activities, counting their friends who act out being 'speckled frogs' in a song. n There have been several changes to the staff team more recently. Staff undertake training to renew their key knowledge and complete qualifications to increase their skills. The new team have useful plans and interesting ideas to develop the practice at the pre-school. Management clearly supports all staff's safeguarding knowledge and shares children's key care arrangements carefully

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need to do better?

with new staff. However, they do not clearly outline and implement comprehensive support for the new staff's implementation of the curriculum, to provide consistently high-quality teaching and experiences for 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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should:

n consistently adapt teaching and support, to ensure children's continued engagement and learning and develop their skills as high as possible n more clearly outline and implement support for new staff and those new to their role, following the curriculum more carefully and providing consistently high- quality experiences for children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY313518 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 10407844 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 23 Number of children on roll 20 Name of registered person Red Room Pre-School Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01761240700 Date of previous inspection 20 January 2020

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Information about this early years setting

Red Room Pre-School Annex registered in 2005 and is located in Chewton Mendip. It operates from 7.45am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. There are five members of staff, one holds early years professional status, three hold an appropriate qualification at level 3 and one at level 2. The setting provides government funded places.

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Inspection activities

n The leader and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the pre-school and discussed the early years curriculum. n The leader and the inspector evaluated the effectiveness of an activity together. n The inspector observed the children and staff and spoke with them at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector discussed the leadership and management of the pre-school with the leader. n Relevant documentation was reviewed by the inspector, including suitability checks and paediatric first-aid qualifications. n The inspector met with the treasurer of the committee and discussed with them how they support the running of the pre-school. n Parents shared their views of the provision with the inspector. n The leader discussed their safety and child protection procedures and safeguarding discussions were undertaken with members of the staff team.

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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 September 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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