Pre-school upgraded by Ofsted

AN OFSTED inspector had good news for a pre-school in Widnes.

Following a visit, inspector Lynne Naylor found that Our Lady’s First Steps Pre-School on Clincton View had improved to Good overall.

At a previous inspection the group was said to Require Improvement.

Describing the overall effectiveness of the pre-school as Good, the inspector said the same applied to the quality of education, the behaviour and attitudes of the youngsters, their personal development and the leadership and management of the group.

“The provision is good,” said the inspector.

“All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress from their starting points. Additional funding is used appropriately to meet children’s individual learning needs.”

Overall, children behave well and staff encourage them to talk about how they feel and to consider others.

Throughout the day, children enjoy ‘many opportunities’ that help them to develop good speaking and early reading and writing skills.

Since the last inspection, the manager and staff have made the required improvements, according to the inspector.

There is a clear curriculum and overall staff organise activities well.

Due to concerns about children’s speech development following the COVID-19 pandemic, many staff have received training on how to assess children’s early language skills. This enables them to identify children whose speech and language may be delayed and seek support to help them catch up.

The youngsters develop ‘a keen interest’ in literacy and some activities introduce children to the traditions and celebrations of different countries, cultures and faiths.

Staff exchange information with parents in a variety of ways and talk to parents daily. Parents of pre-school children feel ‘well informed’ about their child’s progress through daily talks and regular written assessments.

The inspector made three suggestions for further improvement including more careful planning of what two-year-old children are to learn and the best group size to support their learning even more effectively.

Registered in 2004 the pre-school has 188 children on roll with 31 staff.

During the visit, among other aspects, the manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together and the inspector held discussions with staff, children, parents and grandparents at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views.