A South Derbyshire pre-school told it 'requires improvement' by education inspectors says he has made huge inroads to deal with issues raised in their report.
Newhall Pre-School, which is based at the Scout hut in Higgins Road, Newhall, was visited by Ofsted inspectors on April 10 and the report from the visit has now been released.
A spokesman for the pre-school said it continually reviewed practices and points identified by inspectors had also been picked up as part of is internal process and earmarked for improvement, which was an ongoing process.
Inspectors rated the pre-school, which has 58 children aged from two to four in four key areas:
1. These were effectiveness of the leadership and management
2. Quality of teaching, learning and assessment
3. Personal development, behaviour and welfare
4. Outcomes for children.
All four received rankings of 'requires improvement', which is the third lowest on the scale.
The report said the quality of teaching varied, with staff not using the information from assessments on children to improve their learning, resulting in not all children making the most possible progress.
It said the quality of teaching was not monitored well enough to "ensure that staff provide children with consistently good-quality learning experiences".
The report said : "At times, the organisation of some daily routines interrupts children's learning. Children cannot complete the tasks they are doing to their own satisfaction.
The report did says highlight positive points, such as that children there were happy, settled and well behaved, and that they could develop relationships with staff and leaders.
It also praised the efforts made by the nursery with parents to keep them informed about learning and how this could be helped and furthered at home.
Finally, the report said the manager, committee and staff worked hard to keep the children in their care safe.
Tim Moore, a member of Newhall Pre-School executive committee, said: "We welcome the findings of the recent report.
"We continually review our practices at the pre-school and the areas that have been identified had also been picked up in our recent internal process for improvement.
"While we had started the work to make the necessary adjustments this work hadn’t been completed at the time of the inspection.
"So our extensive plan to improve is well under way. We have also reviewed the existing plan to make sure that the direction we are moving is in line with the Ofsted report.
"The positives that we have found is the hard work of our staff to make a happy and safe environment for the children has been recognised and would welcome any parent to come and have a look around."
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In the report, it states that in order to improve, Newhall Pre-School must make sure staff use the information obtained from assessments to improve the children's learning.
It also claims that teaching should be monitored to address any weaknesses and decide what to concentrate on.
Organisers should also improve the transition period when routines are changed to help reduce the risk of interruptions, as well as better the self-evaluation process, according to the report.
Summary of key findings in the report:
The report says the pre-school requires improvement and is not yet good because of points including:
- The quality of teaching varies. Staff do not use the information they have gained from children's assessments to help them challenge and extend children's individual learning effectively. Not all children make as much progress as they could.
- At times, the organisation of some daily routines interrupts children's learning. Children cannot complete the tasks they are doing to their own satisfaction.
- Self-evaluation is not strong enough to help identify all areas where improvement is needed to provide good quality care and learning for children.
The venue has the following strengths:
- Children are happy and well settled. They develop secure relationships with the staff and leaders. They learn to be kind and take turns during play. Children behave well.
- Partnerships with parents and others are strong. Staff use various strategies to keep parents well informed about their children's learning and how to extend this at home.
- The manager, the committee and staff take positive steps to keep children safe. The arrival and collection times ensure children are safe and secure.
What the setting needs to do to improve further:
To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:
- Ensure staff use the information gained from assessments to prioritise, challenge and extend children's individual learning.
- Improve the monitoring of teaching to identify and address all weaknesses in staff's practice and focus on raising the quality of teaching so that children make good or better progress.
- Manage changes to routines more effectively to help minimise interruptions to children's learning so that they have more opportunities to complete their tasks to their own satisfaction
- Develop the self-evaluation process further to ensure it is effective in identifying all areas that require improvement to raise the quality of the provision to at least good.
Inspection activities
- The inspector carried out a tour of the pre-school. She looked at the range of resources available for the children to use and security arrangements to keep them safe.
- The inspector spoke to the children and some parents during the inspection. She held discussions with the manager, the deputy manager and the chairperson of the committee at convenient times throughout the inspection.
- The inspector observed activities indoors and the interactions between the staff and children. She completed a joint evaluation of an activity with the manager and discussed the impact of teaching.
- The inspector discussed the children's learning and progress with the manager and the children's key person.
- The inspector discussed with the manager some of the pre-school's policies and procedures, staff's suitability records and qualifications. She also discussed the pre-school's action plan, staff's performance and monitoring procedures.
Inspection findings
Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement
Systems for monitoring staff's performance are not strong enough. Staff receive regular supervisions and complete training to support their development.
However, this is not fully effective in raising the quality of teaching. Self-evaluation is not used rigorously to include all aspects of the provision. Although, the manager has identified weaknesses and some areas for development, this is not yet having an impact on children's learning.
Recruitment and vetting procedures to determine the suitability of staff to work with children are thorough. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a strong understanding of child protection arrangements.
They know what to do if they have concerns about a child or an allegation is made against a member of staff.
Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement
The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Although staff interact with children in a positive manner and provide a range of activities that follows children's interests, they do not use the information gathered effectively from assessments to prioritise children's individual learning.
Sometimes, staff miss opportunities to challenge and extend children's learning. For example, although staff help children to use tools and develop some vocabulary as they enjoy exploring paint and glue, staff do not use the activity well to teach skills in other areas of learning.
Children enjoy looking at books on their own or sharing one with a member of staff. They listen carefully to familiar stories and join in with the phrases, supporting their early literacy skills.
Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement
Inconsistencies in the quality of teaching mean that some children are not challenged or inspired to learn as much as they can. Nevertheless, overall, staff meet children's personal needs appropriately and supervise them effectively to ensure their safety.
However, at times, staff interrupt children's learning, such as for group times, and they cannot complete activities. Staff help children to settle in and feel secure in their care. They work well with other professionals to support the children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff develop good relationships with children.
Children are confident and sociable. For example, they excitedly make food for the staff and other children in the role-play area and talk to each other at snack time.
Outcomes for children require improvement
Although, children enjoy their time at the pre-school, they do not make the best possible progress in their learning. They develop some skills for their future learning and school.
For example, they enjoy sorting and matching toys of various colours and sizes as they play, supporting their mathematical development. They develop their personal skills. They learn to put their coats on and clear away their cups and plates after snack.
