Worthing pre-school rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

The work of staff and the progress of children at the Findon Valley Free Church Pre-School, in Lime Tree Avenue, were examined during the inspection on May 12, its first since 2011.

Ofsted inspector Hannah Barter published her findings on June 3. Ms Barter highlighted only two points which were keeping the pre-school from achieving the top ‘outstanding’ mark.

The first was the need for staff to extend children’s knowledge by asking them questions during activities.

The second was to help children develop their independence, especially during routine tasks such as snack time.

Those points aside, the work carried out by staff to help the children learn and develop and prepare them for primary school was praised.

Watching children playing with play dough, Ms Barter noted the efforts made to encourage their language and skills by asking them what the dough felt like and asking them to come up with ideas about what to make.

In her report, Ms Barter wrote: “The quality of teaching is good and staff enhance children’s play. Children have good relationships with staff, talk to them with confidence and include them in their play. This demonstrates that children feel safe and secure.”