Bo-Peeps Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children are energetic and confidently explore the busy environment. They chatter away to staff and friends and feel safe and secure in the friendly pre-school.

Children enjoy interacting with a wide range of sensory experiences. For instance, younger children enjoy feeling the texture of the cereal as they drop it onto the tray. Staff encourage them to listen to the sound it makes as they crunch it in their hands.

Staff introduce descriptive words to increase children's vocabulary. Older children are keen to make their own play dough. They add the different ingredients into the bowls to make their dough.

Staff t...alk to them about the textures they feel and how the flour changes and becomes sticky. Staff ask the children about what is happening as they mix the materials together and develop an interest in science.Children enjoy investigating the garden.

They lift the decaying tree stumps in search of insects. The children excitedly show their friends the insect they find crawling along the bark. They use a magnifying glass to get a better look before consulting the insect book to identify what they have found.

The children are developing an interest in nature and learning about the world around them.

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

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on staffing at the pre-school. The managers have recruited several new staff recently.

They have implemented a secure induction procedure. This helps to support new staff in familiarising themselves with their roles. The managers understand the importance of having skilled staff.

Yet, they do not provide effective coaching and mentoring support. As a result, staff do not identify and address improvements to their practice to ensure they provide quality learning experiences for all children.The managers have high expectations for children.

The staff know the children well. They have a clear intent for children's learning based on their next steps and interests. However, staff working with older children do not structure and sequence the curriculum to challenge knowledge and understanding.

Consequently, older children do not always make the progress they are capable of in their learning and development.Children's behaviour is good and appropriate for their age. Staff provide children with an appropriate balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities.

The younger children learn to socialise as they sit together for snack time. Older children join in dance activities and engage in action songs with friends. However, staff are not always organised and prepared.

As a result, children are waiting around for activities to start, become distracted and are not always fully engaged.The dedicated special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with parents to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They liaise with staff and a range of other professionals to make sure plans are in place to enable children to reach their full potential.

The managers have made good use of extra funding to focus on supporting children's emotional well-being. For instance, they have purchased resources that help develop children's social engagement and confidence.Staff support children to develop good communication and language skills.

For example, they make good use of repetition to ensure that children hear the correct pronunciation of words. Staff sing action songs with children to help them identify parts of the body as they point to their head and eyes. Yet, staff do not make the best use of opportunities to develop children's mathematical language, such as comparing size and shape.

The managers and staff have a strong focus on physical development. They ensure that children have daily opportunities to exercise inside and outdoors to support them to develop their muscle strength. Staff talk to the children about the importance of having a varied diet.

For instance, they explain which foods contain calcium and the importance of having calcium in their diet to develop healthy teeth and bones. Staff support children's well-being and help them to understand how to make healthy choices.Parents speak highly of the pre-school and have formed good relationships with the managers and staff.

Parents value the meetings they have with staff about their child's progress. Staff speak with parents and carers at drop-off and collection times to keep them updated on the children's care and learning. They provide information about daily activities to help parents support children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The managers have a good understanding of how to safeguard children. They have implemented effective monitoring procedures to ensure that staff keep their safeguarding knowledge current.

For instance, staff complete online training so that they are aware of the signs that might indicate extreme views and beliefs. They know the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child's welfare. The managers implement robust recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure suitability of all adults working with children.

The managers make certain staff receive relevant information as part of their induction procedure, such as copies of policies and procedures, so that they fully understand their role within the pre-school.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure that staff supervision identifies and targets weaknesses in practice in order to improve staff knowledge and skills to more successfully meet older children's learning needs 16/06/2023 ensure staff working with older children understand how to implement a focused curriculum that increases older children's knowledge and skills.16/06/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of some daily routines and activities to make sure children are not kept waiting nensure staff introduce mathematical language and concepts into children's play.