Happy Hall Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children are generally happy during their time at the pre-school.

Parents drop off and collect their children at the door, where they have time to speak to staff and share information. Parents report that they are happy with the care and education their children receive at the pre-school. The environment is warm and welcoming.

Children form close relationships with staff, who talk kindly to them and offer comfort and reassurance. This supports their emotional well-being. Older children are confident and able to ask for help when they need it, and they learn to manage their own personal care needs.

They follow sim...ple rules as they hold hands to make a line at the door, walking safely to the bathroom. Staff make sure that younger children are comfortable and support their personal care. The provider sets her curriculum across the areas of learning.

However, this does not fully transfer into practice, and planning for the children's individual needs is not effective. As a result, activities do not always focus on children's next steps precisely so that they can make rapid progress. At times, children become bored and frustrated, and their behaviour becomes unacceptable.

This impacts on other children's learning.

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

The provider, who is also the manager, is ambitious and strives to provide children with the skills they will need to be successful learners in the future. However, weaknesses in the implementation of the curriculum and planning mean that children do not build on what they already know.

They do not regularly practise the range of skills they will need to make the best possible progress. The current organisation of childcare means that all children are cared for in one area. Older children do not access to the wide range of resources that support their learning.

Although there is a large outdoor area, children do not always access daily outdoor play to support their health, well-being and learning in the fresh air.The quality of teaching is variable. It does not consistently respond to the emerging needs of all children across the breadth of the curriculum.

At times, activities do not precisely focus on children's next steps or take account of individual children's learning styles. As a result, children become disengaged, and their behaviour becomes challenging. Strategies for managing this behaviour are not always effective, and the children do not learn to manage their own feelings or understand why their behaviour is unacceptable.

This impacts on all children's learning.Despite weaknesses in the quality of teaching, children make progress in their development. Children are gaining good handling skills as they hold a pencil correctly and skilfully draw around an object.

They cut out their shapes using scissors. Children's imaginations flourish as they create their own pictures and recall events in their lives. Staff skilfully direct questions to check children's knowledge.

Children talk about making a birthday cake and recall the ingredients they used. At these times, children play well together. They listen, take turns and share.

Staff support children's language and introduce new words to expand their vocabulary. Children delight as they 'splatter' paint from a straw. Staff help children to understand how to 'blow' and not to 'suck' the paint.

Children show good levels of self-esteem as they talk about their creations. They tell staff that their picture is 'the wheel of a monster truck'. Staff follow children's interests as they change the activity from painting on paper to making dinosaur footprints and then to washing the dinosaurs, turning the water 'green'.

Children learn about early mathematics as they explore different shapes, build towers and count the number of bricks. Some children independently count to seven. Staff congratulate children for their achievements.

Older children enjoy stories and listen to the words. They ask staff to 'read again' as they listen to the repetition of stories they enjoy. In smaller groups, younger children watch intently as the pages turn, and they point to the pictures.

Staff repeat words to encourage children's emerging language.Children learn about wider communities as they take part in a range of various activities throughout the year. They sample different foods and explore different traditions, religions and family life through play.

Children begin to understand the importance and value of people who are the same, and who are different.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have completed training on child protection to support their knowledge and understanding.

The manager is proactive. They make regular checks to ensure that staff are familiar with their roles and responsibilities. The manager ensures that staff know what to do if they have a concern about a child in their care, or a concern about another professional.

Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of the wide range of indicators that a child may be at risk of abuse. Staff ensure that the premises are secure, and monitor any visitors to the pre-school, including the arrival and collection times of children, to keep children safe.

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 the implementation of the curriculum consistently delivers across all the areas of learning and that planning takes account of the varying needs of the children who attend 27/10/2023 improve teaching to help children to begin to manage their own feelings and emotions in order to guide them to become competent, successful learners 27/10/2023 provide children with daily access to outside space where they can play and learn in the fresh air.

15/09/2023