St Joseph’s Preschool & Playgroup (Harrogate)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy, safe and secure in this fun and engaging pre-school. They arrive with confidence and happily separate from their parents. Children readily join in with the daily routine.

They form strong bonds with their key person and other staff, who are kind, considerate and attentive to children's needs. Staff recognise the uniqueness of each child and tailor their care needs accordingly. They use different ways to promote children's speech and language skills.

Older children use complex vocabulary to express themselves. When sharing stories, staff use props to enhance children's experience of the books. Staff ...repeat words and ask younger children to recall words and their meaning.

This helps staff to understand what children have learned. Children are independent and choose their own play. Children's imaginations develop as they play together in the role-play area.

For example, they pretend to cook and make cups of tea. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They provide age-appropriate reminders to children and give them explanations of why certain behaviours are not acceptable.

Children learn how to wait patiently for their favourite toys. They develop an understanding and respect for the differing needs of their friends. Children learn to behave well, take turns and play cooperatively with their friends.

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

Staff implement an effective curriculum, and provide activities and experiences that support children's interests. They use information from their observations and assessments to target any gaps in children's learning. Children, including those in receipt of early funded education, have a very good attitude to their learning.

They successfully develop many key skills which they need for their future learning, including school.Staff teach children early mathematical concepts well. They capture opportunities for children to count and recognise numbers throughout the daily routine.

Children are eager to do things for themselves and try out new skills. For example, two-year-old children persist until they successfully fit shapes into a puzzle. Older children have opportunities to recognise numbers and letters.

However, staff do not consistently think about how they can help the most-able children to develop their early writing skills.Staff are good role models and interact positively with children. They give children plenty of praise and encouragement as they play.

This helps children to develop a can-do attitude towards their learning. Children with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND) are extremely well supported. The special educational needs coordinator is swift to work in partnership with other professionals, in order to help children with SEND reach their full potential.

Staff promote children's good health well. Children have plenty of opportunities for fresh air and enjoy a range of activities in the outdoor area. They enjoy being physically active.

Children learn to take managed risks, such as they climb the steps on the slide. Older children practise pedalling and manoeuvring wheeled vehicles along the path. Staff provide children with a good range of healthy and nutritious snacks.

Staff are skilled practitioners, who know children well. They help children to celebrate what makes them unique. Staff help children to learn about their own heritage and culture.

They use focused learning times to explore children's similarities and differences. This helps to build children's positive self-esteem and confidence.Children benefit from good quality teaching, which supports their learning and the good progress they make.

The manager has started to monitor staff's practice. However, the arrangements for the supervision of staff, including the manager, are not yet fully embedded. This means that staff do not yet benefit from consistently targeted and specific support, to enhance children's learning experiences further.

Partnership with parents is strong. Staff communicate very well with parents. They find out what children already know and can do prior to attending the pre-school.

This helps staff to plan activities and experiences from the start, to help extend children's knowledge and skills further. Parents are very complimentary about the staff team. They comment on how well their children are progressing in their development, especially in their confidence and language development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. They have secure knowledge of the 'Prevent' duty and other safeguarding guidance.

Staff know the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child's welfare. They complete daily risk assessments to make sure that the areas where children play are safe and secure. Unauthorised visitors are unable to gain access to the premises.

Staff supervise children closely. Staff and committee members are suitable to work with the children and to help to run the pre-school.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide a more motivating range of experiences for the most-able children to develop their early writing skills, to extend their literacy skills even more strengthen the support given to staff, and evaluate and target professional development to enhance children's learning further.