St Paul’s 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 cannot be fully assured. This is because staff's suitability has not been robustly checked. For example, some staff do not have an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service check in place, to confirm they are suitable to work with children.

However, staff warmly welcome children into the setting. Children happily come in, settle quickly and confidently select activities to play with. Children are polite and kind to one another.

They have a good understanding of staff's high expectations for their behaviour. Staff skilfully build on children's interests as they introduce new ideas an...d concepts to their play. For example, children excitedly blow big bubbles with straws and soapy water.

Staff encourage them to explore what happens when they add in paint and mix different colours. Children are excited when they work out mixing yellow and blue paint makes green paint. Children learn to solve problems and think through solutions for themselves with support from staff.

For example, staff help children think through different ways to get over the climbing frame. Children beam with delight when they work out how to get over the top and down the other side successfully.

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

The provider has a weak understanding of recruitment procedures, including how to complete effective suitability checks on staff.

For example, they have not robustly checked the employment history or Disclosure and Barring Service checks of staff. This compromises children's safety and well-being.The provider has put in place a curriculum that is challenging and builds on what children know and can do.

The provider highly values children being creative as part of the curriculum and they provide children with ample opportunities to be artistic.Children make good progress from their starting points. Staff are knowledgeable about each of the children.

They use observations and assessments effectively to identify where children need further support, such as developing their listening and attention skills. However, staff do not always use this knowledge when deciding what children will learn next. Therefore, children's next steps do not always consistently build on what they know and can do.

Parents comment that their children 'thrive at the pre-school'. They talk positively about the high staff-to-child ratio as they feel it provides their child with one-to-one experiences. Parents praise the staff for their high levels of communication.

They feel really included in the pre-school and know how to continue supporting their child's development at home.Children are welcomed and included from the start at the pre-school. For example, the provider is passionate about sharing each other's home languages.

She encourages children to learn words from different languages to ensure everyone is included at the pre-school and has a sense of belonging.Staff recognise that children need to develop their knowledge of numbers beyond reciting numbers. They are keen to provide opportunities to strengthen their mathematical skills.

For example, they play games where they match quantities to numerals, such as putting five fish next to the correct number sign.Children enjoy exploring and playing in the garden. Staff ensure they provide children with the opportunities to explore all aspects of the curriculum while out in the garden.

For example, children enjoy making different marks with the chalks. This offers children who are reluctant to mark make indoors a chance to do this on a bigger scale. They are keen to show off their creations as they proudly show staff their pictures.

Children's communication and language skills develop well. Staff ensure children hear a wide range of vocabulary. They provide children with time to respond when asking questions.

They model the pronunciation of words back to children, so that they hear the correct pronunciation. Staff engage children in conversation on topics that are important to them, such as a new baby in the family or a visit to 'big school'. This encourages children to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings with others as they excitedly chatter away.

The provider has developed good partnerships in the local community. For example, she shares information with the local schools to support children's transitions. This helps ensure children are ready for their next stage of learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.The provider is not able to demonstrate that they understand how to robustly check staff suitability. They do not have a secure understanding of the different ways to check suitability effectively, such as checking staff's employment history and completing Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

Despite these weaknesses, staff know the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk from harm. They know how to report concerns to their designated safeguarding lead and then on to the relevant local safeguarding partners as necessary. Staff update their safeguarding knowledge through regular training.

They demonstrate an understanding of a wide range of safeguarding topics, such as the 'Prevent' duty.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve understanding of suitability checks and implement a robust process to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children.02/11/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance staff's understanding of how to use their knowledge of what children know and can do to plan more precisely for their next steps in learning.