Sandford Hill Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff provide a good range of activities that are planned to support children's interests and next steps in learning.

They observe what children can do and continually extend and add to the activities to support children's progress. Language development features highly in the educational programmes and is promoted well. Children are encouraged to make their own decisions.

This allows children to grow in their independence. Snack times are a social occasion where staff and children use real china resources safely and talk about their interests and families. Staff teach children about the importance of a healthy lifestyl...e.

For instance, they talk to children about the fruit they have eaten at snack time. Children feel safe and secure as staff are consistent with their expectations for behaviour. They are supervised well at all times by watchful staff.

Staff use positive ways to encourage children's good behaviour. Children develop their small-muscle skills for handwriting through daily exercises. They thoroughly enjoy rolling balls of clay, pinching, poking and patting it as they strengthen their pincer grip.

Children are confident and eager to learn and explore. They show strong bonds with staff and enjoy involving them in their play. Parents say that their children enjoy the time they spend at the setting.

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

Children are making good progress. The curriculum is carefully designed to help children to develop important skills. Staff make good use of the information that parents provide when their children start at the setting.

Staff set goals for their key children each term, based on observations and assessments.Staff offer a home visit to help them get to know the child and family and to understand what each child can do and is interested in, right from the start. Parents report that they are happy with the care, daily communication and information they receive about their children's learning and development.

However, staff do not always share home-learning ideas to fully support parents to build on their children's learning.Staff encourage children and families to share the festivals they celebrate at home with the other children at the setting. Children create artwork based on celebrations and festivals, to help them to find out about a range of traditions from cultures that may be different from their own.

Children learn to count, identify numerals and talk about shapes through hands-on activities. They demonstrate a love of reading from a young age. They enjoy familiar stories and are encouraged to examine pictures and turn the pages in books.

Well-qualified staff ensure that children are well prepared for starting school.Staff support children well to develop their communication and language skills. They ask appropriate questions and give children time to respond.

Children enjoy having conversations with staff. They listen well to staff and follow instructions, such as when it is time to help tidy the books away.Staff help children to learn to share and take turns well.

For example, they play group games, indoors and outdoors, to promote those skills. Staff join in with children's play and comment on what they do. They help children to develop positive attitudes, become confident in their own abilities and learn how to do things for themselves.

However, staff have not yet developed the outdoor area to provide a range of resources that fully promote children's skills in all areas of learning.The management committee holds regular meetings and has a good overview of the setting. Staff reflect effectively on the service they provide, to identify areas for development and welcome new ideas and initiatives.

The manager ensures that staff are well supported with their well-being and has strategies in place to help reduce their workload.Staff receive regular feedback and reviews of their performance. Supervision sessions and team meetings help staff to review their practice.

All mandatory training is undertaken, and appropriate training courses are offered to promote staff's ongoing professional development. Children benefit from the good teaching skills that each staff member brings to the team.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager has robust recruitment and supervision systems in place to ensure that staff are suitable to care for children. Staff fully understand their roles to keep children safe. They regularly update their knowledge of safeguarding to ensure their understanding of their responsibilities to report any concerns about a child's welfare.

Staff know the process for making referrals to outside agencies and the policy and procedure to follow, should there be an allegation against a member of staff. Staff make sure that they identify any hazards in the environment quickly and minimise any risks to children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the process for sharing home-learning ideas to support parents to build on their child's learning at home nenhance the outdoor area to incorporate further learning experiences that are rich, varied and highly stimulate all children, particularly those who prefer to learn outdoors.