Alec Hunter Pre School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children gain confidence as they settle into the pre-school.

The staff are kind and nurturing and this helps children to feel safe and secure. Children are happy and enjoy their play and learning. They explore all the activities and resources provided and make independent choices.

Children form close bonds with the staff. They make friends and enjoy playing together.Children become familiar with the bright and cheerful environment.

They learn about routines and rules. Children generally behave well in the pre-school. They begin to understand turn taking and sharing.

Children enjoy taking responsibilit...y and feel proud to help staff tidy away their playthings. They know where the resources are stored and they independently put on their coats and hats for outdoor play.Children spend a lot of time outdoors.

They use their imagination as they engage in role play with their friends. For example, they pretend they are shopping and gather up play food into baskets. They learn to identify the fruits and vegetables they pretend to buy.

Children ride around the garden on tricycles while others draw straight lines on the path to make a road. They support each other's learning as they develop their physical skills and think creatively.

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

Partnerships with parents are strong.

Parents are very positive in their praise of the staff and the progress their children are making. Staff work closely with other settings that children attend. They use a diary that passes between settings to exchange information about children's care and development.

This helps to ensure continuity in children's care and learning.Children progress well in their communication and language development, including those who speak English as an additional language. Staff quickly identify any delays in children's learning.

They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure they continue to make good progress.Staff are vigilant during outdoor play sessions and teach children how to keep themselves safe. For example, they hold children's hands as they balance on high apparatus until they feel confident enough to manage alone.

Staff encourage children to eat a healthy diet. Children learn about foods that are good and not so good for their health. They enjoy trying different fruits and vegetables for their snacks.

Staff are good role models and encourage children to follow their example. They sit with children at snack times and mealtimes and encourage them to wash their own plates.Children invite their friends to join them in make-believe play as they learn about the world.

For example, they brush and curl each other's hair in an imaginary hairdressing salon. They sit on a bench saying, 'This is our waiting room.' Staff support their learning by offering books for them to look at while they are waiting.

Other children make a tea party for teddies, pouring pretend tea from a teapot and serving toy cookies on plates.Children relax in the quiet sensory room with its fascinating lights and textures. They learn how to identify their emotions as staff show them happy and sad faces on cushions and ask how they are feeling.

The environment inside the pre-school is bright and cheerful. However, the arrangement of tables and chairs limits the space available for children to move between activities and explore the resources freely.Staff assess children's abilities from information gathered from parents and their own observations.

They plan the curriculum to support individual children's needs. The learning needs of younger children are supported well. However, staff do not consistently challenge older children in their learning to enable them to be well prepared for the next stage in their education.

The manager supervises the staff and ensures their well-being. Staff are confident in their individual roles. The manager ensures that staff have frequent access to training to develop their skills further.

She encourages staff to reflect on their practice and contribute ideas to support the continuous development of the pre-school. The manager provides questionnaires for parents to complete. She asks them for their opinion on the effectiveness of the provision.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff fully understand their duty to protect the children in their care. A dedicated member of staff takes responsibility for monitoring training and checking policies and procedures.

She ensures that all staff are well informed about various aspects of safeguarding and that their knowledge is up to date. Staff are able to talk about some of the signs and symptoms of abuse. They know how to recognise if a child is at risk.

They understand the procedures for recording information and know how to report any concerns. The manager regularly checks that all staff remain suitable to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide more regular opportunities to challenge and extend older children's learning review the organisation of the environment to provide more space for children to move around and access resources easily.