Blackdown Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Children's safety and welfare is not assured. The pre-school is committee run and, since registration, changes to those who lead and make up the committee have not been well managed. Not everyone who has responsibility for the setting has been vetted to assure their suitability.

There is a lack of oversight for the pre-school and lines of accountability are unclear. This has led to several breaches of statutory requirements. Recent changes in staff have not been managed well.

This means that some children do not have a key person, to enable their care and learning needs to be met effectively. That said, staff are... caring and children are able to chose from toys and resources that interest them. For instance, staff help children to use chalks to draw around their friends, as they share chalks and take turns.

This helps them to learn routines that support their social skills.The manager recognises that children's language and social development have been impacted as a result of the pandemic. She has a secure understanding about the curriculum intent.

However, this is not shared or understood effectively by staff. Although most staff are qualified, teaching is variable and at times poor. Too often, staff provide activities which are not tailored for children's individual needs.

Although staff supervise children as they play, too often interaction is limited and staff fail to direct children to any meaningful learning. For instance, children slide down chairs as they sit for long periods and say they are bored. Other children engage for long periods in their own play.

They do not benefit from adult attention and are left to occupy themselves. Too often learning is incidental and children do not make the progress they are capable of.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

A lack of committee oversight and ineffective leadership has led to a decline in standards since registration.

Ofsted has not been notified of changes to the committee as required, so that it can carry out suitability checks. The committee does not monitor the pre-school provision. There is a lack of communication between the committee and the staff who work at the pre-school and some staff are unclear who the committee members are.

Too little support is offered to the manager and her staff to help them fulfil their roles. For instance, the safeguarding policy, which has been recently reviewed, provides contact details for committee members who are no longer associated with the pre-school. This means, should staff need to refer allegations, they do not have the correct information to report these.

The manager is qualified and experienced. However, she has had too little support in her role. At times, she works in the rooms with children and also takes ownership of administrative tasks for the pre-school.

The manager's supervision is ineffective. She does not benefit from regular support from the committee in her role, to improve her personal effectiveness. Staff meet with the manager but supervisions are not used effectively to support staff or to target weaker areas of knowledge and teaching practice.

This impacts negatively on staff knowledge and skills and the quality of teaching children receive.Children do not benefit from an effective key-person approach. Recent changes in staff have not been managed well and some children do not have a named key person, who takes responsibility for their care and learning needs.

Staff say that they are not sure who their key children are and recognise that they do not know enough about them. This hinders how they can plan and provide the learning experiences children need, particularly to support their speaking skills.Staff provide children with a range of activities, indoors and outside.

Where staff lack knowledge of some children's learning needs, they are unable to plan and tailor teaching to help them make sufficient progress. The manager acknowledges this, but too little has been done to address this. For instance, when children chose to paint they learn how to put on aprons, but staff do not interact with children to support and extend their learning.

Consequently, children lose interest and move to play with other toys as staff fail to engage them. At times, children are not motivated to learn. This does not help children to gain skills they need in readiness for their move to school.

Children benefit from active play, which supports their physical health. They enjoy being outdoors, where they run and climb, gaining control of their bodies. Staff supervise children and help them learn to keep themselves safe.

Staff recognise the importance of nutritious meals and snacks and offer guidance to parents about foods and drinks that support children in learning about healthy choices. Children learn how to unwrap sandwiches and open packets as they feed themselves. Children take pride in being competent in their independence.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that put children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure that those with responsibility have effective oversight of practice and provision, and an understanding of their roles and responsibilities 12/07/2024 implement a safeguarding policy and procedure, that is in line with local safeguarding partnership procedures and includes an accurate explanation of what to do if staff have safeguarding concerns about a child, or other staff, including who to report these to 12/07/2024 provide the necessary information in order for Ofsted to check the suitability of committee members 12/07/2024 ensure the manager has effective support to develop their skills and confidence to fulfil all requirements of their role 12/07/2024 put arrangements in place for effective staff supervision that promotes teamwork, sensitive discussions, professional development and the continuous improvement of the setting 12/07/2024 ensure a key person is assigned to every child and that the key person is fully aware of the responsibilities of their role, and has the information they need to tailor care and support to reflect each child's individual needs 12/07/2024 devise and implement a curriculum that supports every child's learning and development in all areas, including their communication skills.

12/07/2024