Church Coppenhall Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children's safety is assured at this pre-school. Leaders and managers have acted swiftly in making improvements since the last inspection.

They have addressed the weaknesses identified at the last inspection with the support of the local authority advisor. There are effective arrangements in place to best support all staff to continually improve their practice. Furthermore, the much-strengthened key-person system enables staff to get to know the children and their families well.

Staff have formed strong bonds with the children. Children who speak English as an additional language (EAL) are supported well. As a result, ...all children leave their parents confidently and go off to find their friends.

Staff use songs and rhymes in every aspect of their daily routines. Children joyfully sing along and join in with the actions. Parents take home a 'song of the week' to learn at home.

Staff support children to recall what they experienced on Bonfire Night. They introduce new words, such as 'crackle' and 'whoosh', to describe the fireworks they have seen. Later, children repeat these words when they make their rockets.

Children are developing a wide range of vocabulary from their play and learning experiences.Staff encourage children's independence skills from the moment they arrive. Children are supported to safely walk up the long staircase to reach their classroom, where they independently take off their coat and find their photograph to self-register.

Children show they are kind and caring by offering to help their friends with these routines if needed.

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

Leaders plan a varied curriculum, and staff provide activities that follow children's interests. However, at times, staff do not deliver the curriculum in a way that meets the different learning needs of older children.

For example, staff provide all children with pre-cut rocket templates to decorate. Staff use descriptive language while children enjoy using the glitter to decorate their firework. However, children's imaginations and creativity are not fostered by this activity, and there is insufficient challenge for older children.

This means that some children do not have opportunities to further extend their learning.Staff support children to develop their physical skills. For example, as children use play dough to make a hedgehog, staff provide tools, showing them how to pinch the dough together to make spikes for the hedgehog.

Children have daily opportunities to go outside, where they enjoy running and kicking small and large balls. Furthermore, staff take children on walks in the community. This helps to develop their small- and large-muscle strength to support them in their future learning.

Staff support children to learn about keeping healthy. Children receive an oral healthcare pack to take home with them. Leaders provide healthy snacks, which include fresh fruit and vegetables.

Children taste new foods such as pumpkin soup. Leaders work with parents to promote healthy lunch boxes. At lunchtime, staff and children sit together and chat about the food in their lunch boxes and how it helps them to be healthy.

Staff enable children to wipe their noses and teach them why they need to wash their hands. Children are developing an understanding of leading healthy lifestyles.Staff incorporate mathematics into the daily activities and routines of the pre-school.

For example, children use their counting skills when climbing the stairs to their classroom. Children are supported to name colours when decorating their fireworks and confidently count down from five to zero to blast off their rockets. This means that children are developing their mathematical skills, which supports their next steps in learning.

Leaders support staff to improve their skills and knowledge through targeted professional development. For example, staff have recently received training to support children's communication and language. They reflect on the positive impact this has had on building children's language structures, particularly for children who speak EAL.

Parents say that they are well informed about their child's learning and development. They look forward to the weekly home learning bag their children bring home. Parents say that this helps them to follow their children's learning by, for example, learning the song of the week.

Parents are complimentary about the love and care their children receive. Partnerships with parents are good.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Children are safe and secure at this setting. Risk assessments are conducted to ensure that any risks to children are minimised. Staff are qualified to administer first aid and demonstrate secure knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children.

All staff clearly demonstrate their understanding of potential harm and abuse that would make them concerned. They know how to report any concerns they may have.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: further strengthen the teaching of the curriculum to differentiate individual children's learning and development.