Barton Pre-School Nursery, Early Bird & Stay And Play Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The manager and her staff team create a warm and welcoming environment where children demonstrate that they feel happy, safe and secure. Children look for their photographs to self-register on arrival and are immediately engaged in their chosen activities.

They seek out their friends to share experiences with and are beginning to share and take turns as they play. Staff get to know children well. A successful key-person system, flexible settling-in sessions and home visits help staff to find out valuable information that assists children to settle quickly into pre-school life.

Staff talk confidently about children and ...the different ways in which they learn. They skilfully support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, sharing information with other professionals to ensure that interventions are timely and precisely address children's individual needs. Children show tolerance, awareness and concern for others as they work in groups to complete tasks.

Sometimes, however, the organisation of group activities hinders potential learning opportunities.

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

Staff systematically plan a rich and varied curriculum that reflects children's individual interests. Children benefit from the highly stimulating learning environments both indoors and outdoors.

They enjoy the time they spend at pre-school and show a keen interest in their chosen activities.Children are able to explore and investigate freely. They are fascinated as they notice how the colour of water changes when they add brightly coloured paper.

They test out their ideas and theories as they look for other ways to transfer water, for example by using different-sized sponges.Children enjoy being creative. They make prints with vegetables and talk about the different colours they are using.

Staff model how to use tools as children make 'cakes' and 'ice cream' with dough. Staff encourage children to describe what they are doing and skilfully ask them questions that promote their communication and language skills.Children have frequent opportunities to develop their independence.

In readiness for snack time, children chop up fruits for their friends and butter crackers. However, occasionally, these larger group activities mean that children wait for prolonged times and subsequently they lose concentration and their usually good behaviour wanes. For instance, some of the children miss valuable learning opportunities as staff talk about the importance of eating healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Children are physically active both indoors and outside. Staff sensitively support children to develop their skills in using climbing apparatus. They guide children step by step, being careful not to over-direct.

This successfully supports children's confidence to have a go and persevere when faced with new challenges. Children try very hard to succeed at tasks and are delighted with their achievements, which are celebrated by staff.Very strong relationships are fostered with parents, who praise the pre-school highly.

A wealth of information is shared by the staff team about children's care and early learning. For example, next steps in children's learning are shared regularly and the online learning journal supports parents to contribute what their children are learning at home.The dedicated and committed manager works well with her staff team to evaluate the effectiveness of the pre-school.

They have regular meetings and together they reflect on practice and identify areas for further improvement. Purposeful supervision meetings and observations of practice support staff to develop their teaching skills. Training has a positive impact on experiences for children as staff apply their new-found knowledge and skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a thorough knowledge of child protection procedures. They have undertaken regular training to help them to recognise possible signs and symptoms of abuse and identify when a child may need additional support.

Robust recruitment procedures are implemented and staff's ongoing suitability to carry out their roles and responsibilities is frequently checked. Staff ensure that children are able to play in a safe and secure environment, utilising detailed risk assessments and following stringent policies and procedures.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of larger group activities in order to maximise children's learning opportunities and their engagement and participation levels.

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