Lakeside Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children are confident and exceptionally happy in this pre-school. On arrival, children and parents are welcomed warmly by staff. This helps children to experience a secure handover into the pre-school.

Children say goodbye to their parents and independently put their belongings away. They self-register by finding their name card and place it on a number frame. This supports their understanding of early numbers and the concept of 'how many?' Staff carry out home visits for all children before they start nursery.

pre-school. They work closely with parents to get to know them and their children. This helps childre...n to feel safe and secure.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They learn to manage their feelings and emotions and treat one another with kindness. Staff are excellent role models and encourage children to respect others.

For example, they give positive feedback to children when they see them sharing and waiting for their turn. The timetable of the day is explained clearly, meaning that children understand what is happening next and manage transitions well. As a result, children move confidently through activities.

Children enjoy a calm and positive learning environment and know what is expected of them. They are assigned daily tasks and they can explain what is expected of them. For example, one child explained that they were in charge of the water bottles which meant that they had to remind everyone to drink water throughout the day.

Children develop an awareness of their own safety. They carry out risk assessments with staff and remind their friends how to use the slide safely. Children Children work together, politely ask for help and begin to resolve conflict themselves.

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

Leaders are reflective and knowledgeable. They regularly evaluate the pre-school practice and state that they 'never sit still'. They keep up to date with current research and evidence and share this information with their staff team.

staff. They are committed to the ongoing professional development of their team. For instance, the manager is an early years teacher.

This strengthens the quality of education for the children. This helps children to flourish and make excellent progress from their starting points.Staff provide exciting opportunities to encourage and support children's communication and language.

Staff obtain children's attention and engage in rich back-and-forth conversations with them. They introduce new vocabulary and talk about experiences beyond the here and now. For instance, during a conversation about the airport, staff use words, such as, 'tarmac', 'landing strip', 'pilot' and 'pressure'.

Staff ensure that there are multiple opportunities for children to develop their independence. Children have fantastic self-help skills. For example, they take off their coats and shoes, hang up their belongings, put their water bottles away, self-register and serve themselves at snack.

Staff expertly support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff use gestures, objects and visual cues to support children's understanding and use of language. They work in partnership with parents and a range of outside agencies to ensure they have the most effective strategies in place to support these children.

They work with the local authority to secure additional funding for children where it is needed.The curriculum is coherently sequenced across age groups and builds on what children know and can do. For example, younger children explore the ingredients to make unicorn dough with adult support.

Older children are encouraged to follow a recipe to make it independently.Staff develop children's imaginations and happily join their play. For instance, children create robots and flying trains out of construction.

Older children are encouraged to reflect on their learning with younger children. Staff comment, introduce new vocabulary and extend children's thinking.Children love listening to stories.

Staff read stories with enthusiasm. Children maintain attention and listen with interest. Books and songs are carefully selected and sequenced.

For example, younger children are exposed to shorter texts with repeated phrases, while older children listen to longer texts that are more complex. Children build their knowledge over time. Staff support children's communication by commenting on what they see in pictures, repeating, adding on words and asking effective questions about the story.

Parents and carers speak very highly of the pre-school and are extremely happy with the support they receive. They know who their child's key person is and what they are learning in nursery. There is an excellent level of communication between staff and parents via online systems and daily conversations.

Parents and carers value the additional support they receive from the pre-school. For example, they have received support with toilet training. Parents and carers say that their children love the pre-school and many have returned.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The staff know the four categories of abuse and what signs to look out for. They are knowledgeable about safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty legislation and female genital mutilation.

All staff have up to date safeguarding training. They engage in regular discussions, quizzes and 'on the spot' questions o keep their knowledge up to date. Staff know the procedure to follow if they have a concern about a colleague.

They know that if a concern about a child was not acted on appropriately then they can whistle blow and contact appropriate professionals themselves. All staff know the children really well. This helps them to recognise changes in behaviour and alerts them to any safeguarding concerns.