ABC Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children behave well. Staff have high expectations and are good role models who teach children about sharing and being kind to their friends. Children learn about different cultures.

Staff ensure that children from different backgrounds are equally included, and the pre-school celebrates a variety of festivals and beliefs. Children learn about healthy lifestyles. They eat a range of nutritious snacks, develop good self-care skills and have daily opportunities for outside play.

Children are motivated. They climb the indoor frame with confidence and proudly call to staff to 'look at me' when they get to the top. Staff pr...aise children's efforts.

This promotes children's self-esteem and confidence.Children are happy, settled and make good friendships. They arrive and separate from their carers with ease and quickly choose from activities that interest them.

For example, children explore books independently, with friends or as part of a group. They listen carefully and engage fully when staff read to them. Staff make story time interesting.

They confidently read to children and use props which bring the stories to life and capture children's interests. Children take part in a range of activities and experiences that link to themes and incorporate their next steps in learning. For example, children make Christmas cards and join in with Christmas activities.

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

The manager and staff team review and evaluate the setting on a regular basis. They acknowledge that risk assessments must be reviewed, and recent changes to the arrival and registration procedures reflect this appropriately. For example, additional safeguards have been implemented to ensure that children are safe and cannot leave the setting unsupervised.

Partnerships with other providers and outside agencies are very strong. For example, staff communicate effectively to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are consistently supported. Communication books are in place and staff share key information, such as the progress check for children aged between two and three years, to ensure children's learning and development are consistently promoted.

The established team of staff work well together. Staff are supported effectively by the pre-school manager. Arrangements for supervision are effective and aid staff in continuing to develop their teaching practice and ongoing professional development.

Children, including those with SEND, are acquiring the skills they need for future learning. Staff speak clearly and use sign language to help children learn new words and communicate effectively. They work very closely with parents and share information.

They provide good-quality support to ensure parents are included in their children's learning. Parents are very complimentary about the pre-school staff. They are happy with the care and education their children receive.

Staff support children's personal, social and emotional development through regular praise and reassurance. They encourage children to include their friends in play and praise them effectively for their kindness. Children are imaginative.

They make 'cakes' and 'biscuits' with play dough and adopt different roles as they play in the home corner.The key-person system is effective. Children and their families build close bonds with key staff.

Small-group times are organised daily. Staff plan interesting games and activities to support their key children's skills across the seven areas of learning. However, on occasions, during group activities, staff do not challenge the most able children effectively.

Children use a range of tools during creative activities, which enhances their physical skills. However, some of these activities are too adult led. Children are not given enough opportunities to express themselves or have the chance to develop their own ideas.

Children engage fully in opportunities to explore and identify bugs in the outside area. They look carefully under wooden logs and talk with staff about the creatures they find. This increases children's growing vocabulary.

However, children do not always have access to a full range of outdoor opportunities to meet the needs of those who learn best outside.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of safeguarding procedures to be followed in the event of a concern being raised.

Staff attend regular child protection training. This means staff are aware of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to help ensure the suitability of adults working with the children.

Recent changes to the pre-school arrival and registration procedures mean that children's safety is more robustly monitored. Staff are deployed effectively to help keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: norganise small-group activities more effectively to ensure that the most able children are suitably challenged nenhance outdoor facilities for children and broaden the range of learning opportunities, particularly for those who learn best outside provide children with more opportunities to express their creativity and to develop their own ideas.