South Molton Pre School The PIP Centre, Central Park, South Molton, Devon, EX36 4AS Inspection date Previous inspection date The quality and standards of the early years provision 26 November 2015 7 July 2015 This inspection: Good 2 Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2 Outcomes for children Good 2 Summary of key findings for parents This provision is good The new management team has worked very hard to successfully address weaknesses raised at the last inspection. Staff are well motivated because managers have successfully introduced effective systems of supervision and performance management. Children's progress is good. It is monitored well to identify any gaps in learning. A detailed review of observation, assessment and planning resulted in a complete change in how staff check children's progress. Staff now identify children's stages of development and plan challenging learning activities. Children are happy and confident, and their self-esteem is high. Staff are good role models who encourage children to have fun, but to take care and play safely. Children show through their relationships with staff and each other that they feel emotionally safe and secure in the setting. Disabled children and those who have special educational needs benefit from the good partnerships staff develop with other professionals involved in supporting them. Information about children's progress is shared well between agencies, resulting in clear and consistent plans to promote their individual development. It is not yet outstanding because: Systems of sharing information with other early years settings attended by children are not always effective. Children do not always have enough opportunities to learn about each other's cultures, customs and languages.
Inspection report: South Molton Pre School, 26 November 2015 2 of 5 What the setting needs to do to improve further To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should: improve systems of sharing information with other early years settings attended by children improve activities that develop children's awareness of their own and other cultures and communities. Inspection activities The inspector observed children and staff engaged in activities indoors and outdoors. The inspector spoke to managers, committee members, staff, children and parents. The inspector assessed improvements and progress made since the last inspection. The inspector sampled documentation, including safeguarding procedures and children's learning records. Inspector Julie Neal
Inspection report: South Molton Pre School, 26 November 2015 3 of 5 Inspection findings Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good Self-evaluation is good. Management uses staff guidance and weekly team meetings very well to involve staff in monitoring the effectiveness of the provision and identifying where improvements can be made. Recently introduced peer evaluations encourage staff to reflect on their practice and their strengths and weaknesses. Good progress has been made in encouraging parents to provide feedback about learning at home. For example, following training to develop children's understanding of sounds and letters, parents quickly noticed the improvement in their speech and wanted to know more. Staff have reviewed how they establish children's starting points to involve parents from the beginning. Safeguarding is effective. All staff complete safeguarding training, and they have a good understanding of the setting's procedures to help protect children from harm. Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good Children are imaginative and creative, and work well together. For example, children decided they were going to make a `big white whale'. They talked to staff about the materials they needed. They looked at a picture of a whale in a story book and carefully drew its outline. Staff extended children's knowledge well. For instance, when children talked about the whale spouting water, staff explained that the whale has to breathe air like us because it is not a fish. Children make very good use of outdoor space, which is well organised to support learning in all areas. Children use their problem-solving skills well. For example, children parked their tractors but were concerned they might roll away. They talked about it and put rocks behind the wheels to stop them moving. Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good Children are well behaved. Staff have high expectations and regularly revisit ground rules with children to ensure they understand. Children remind each other of these rules, for example, to put their plates in the bowl after snack and to put food waste in the recycling bin. Staff encourage children to be actively involved in decision-making. For example, children voted to decide whether to build a fire engine, ambulance or police car from recycled materials. They understood the principles of this and that the majority vote ruled, and they agreed this was fair. Outcomes for children are good Children make good progress, relative to their starting points. They are confident and independent and communicate well. They learn to express their feelings appropriately and understand boundaries and expectations. As a result, they are well prepared for the next stage in learning, including going to school.
Inspection report: South Molton Pre School, 26 November 2015 4 of 5 Setting details Unique reference number 106373 Local authority Devon Inspection number 1021860 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2-4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 32 Name of provider South Molton Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 7 July 2015 Telephone number 01769 574003 South Molton Pre-School is run by a voluntary committee of parents. The pre-school was established in 1967 and moved to its present premises, the PIP Centre in South Molton, in 2000. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday during school term times from 9.30am to 3.30pm. The pre-school employs eight staff who work directly with the children and also an administrator. One member of staff has an early years foundation degree; one has a qualification at level 4, three members of staff hold qualifications at level 3, and three hold qualifications at level 2. The pre-school provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years. This inspection was carried out by Ofsted 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. Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.
Inspection report: South Molton Pre School, 26 November 2015 5 of 5 The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) 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 Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/120354. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user. Piccadilly Gate Store St Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted Crown copyright 2015