Bury St Edmunds' Southgate Pre-School 'requires improvement' says Ofsted, but safeguarding concerns addressed

A pre-school has addressed safeguarding concerns after a child left the premises unsupervised, the education watchdog has said, but the setting has been told it needs to improve overall.

Southgate Pre-School, based at Hardwick Children's Centre in Steward Road, Bury St Edmunds, notified Ofsted on November 1, 2022, that a child had left the pre-school premises unsupervised.

The regulator carried out a visit on November 9 and served a 'welfare requirements notice', a legal notice that required the provider to take a number of actions by November 23. They included ensuring children do not leave the premises unsupervised, ensuring children are adequately supervised to assure their safety and that their needs are met and improving risk assessments.

During an inspection on November 29, Ofsted said they were satisfied the pre-school had met the safeguarding and welfare actions raised.

The report said the leadership team was new and had worked effectively, seeking support from the local authority, to address weaknesses identified during the recent Ofsted visit.

But the setting was graded 'requires improvement' overall as well as in the four sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management. Previously, Southgate Pre-School had been rated 'good' by the watchdog, back in 2019.

Michelle Alcock, chairperson of the Southgate Pre-School Committee, said: "Following on from our latest Ofsted report, we are taking the following actions to ensure we get back to the good rating we had.

"We have a new leader and deputy at the pre-school who will be a great help to improving the running of the setting.

"Staff are also undertaking EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) training courses, and communication and language training courses. Staff have completed SEN training to help with children's education needs.

"The team are always looking to further their knowledge to ensure the children get the best teaching experience at Southgate Pre-school.

"We have recently expanded so have more room and resources to improve the quality of learning.

"I have so much faith in the ladies, and am very grateful for everything they do; I am blessed to have such a hardworking and determined team.

"We are embracing the comments and moving forward with positivity."

The latest Ofsted report said: "Not all children receive the quality of education that they deserve.

"Aspects of the curriculum are not ambitious enough to ensure all children, particularly some disadvantaged children, build the skills and knowledge they need to be ready for the next stage in education and life.

"Although children receive lots of praise and encouragement from staff, some children struggle to regulate their emotions and demonstrate age-appropriate levels of self-control. This is because staff do not always help children understand the impact of their actions on others."

But the inspector said children were happy and enjoy attending pre-school.

"They show that they feel safe and secure. For example, children greet friendly staff and confidently seek their help when needed.

"Children learn to do things for themselves. For instance, they learn to put on their coats. They show good levels of hygiene as they independently wash their hands after using tissues to wipe their nose."

The report said staff talk to children as they play, however, the interactions tend to be 'mundane' and do not help children to build a wide vocabulary.

Overall, children behave well and listen to staff, but children tend to rely on staff to resolve incidents of conflict, such as struggling to take turns and pushing, for them.

"They do not receive the support to equip them with the skills to manage this independently and build resilience to setbacks," the report said.

Staff build good working relationships with parents and other professionals, the report added.

The pre-school has 51 children on the roll.