The Woodlands Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled in this warm and welcoming pre-school. Robust settling-in procedures, which incorporate home visits, help children and their families to become familiar and build secure attachments with their key person.

Staff gather essential information about children, which helps them to establish children's starting points and plan next steps to build on children's development. Children show positive attitudes to learning and are deeply engaged in their environment. They respond positively to staff, who provide animated interactions.

Children concentrate as they roll dough into sausages, and they gig...gle as they splat their sausages to make 'sausage mash'. Staff provide further opportunities for children to build on their fine motor skills. Children use scissors confidently to cut around shapes of their favourite 'Gruffalo' characters, demonstrating excellent coordination skills.

Staff support children to gain high levels of self-esteem. They provide continuous praise and encouragement to children as they play, helping to build their confidence. Children's birthdays are celebrated.

Staff and children eagerly sing 'Happy Birthday' and blow out candles on a cake. Children receive a gift, which they open and proudly show their friends. This provides children with a strong sense of belonging at the pre-school.

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

The committed staff team delivers a sequenced curriculum with clear intentions that help children to make progress in their learning and development in preparation for school. Activities are adapted for children of different ages and stages of development to meet their individual needs. Children show high levels of curiosity as they play with the abundance of authentic, real-life objects that spark their imaginations.

Staff prioritise the development of children's communication and language skills. They regularly use songs and share books with children throughout the day. Children enjoy 'Lift off to language' sessions, which help them to learn new words.

Staff use questions as children play to promote further conversation. For example, as children talk about pumpkins they carved for Halloween, staff ask them what they found inside. Visual cues are used effectively to help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities communicate their needs and understand routines.

Children learn good hygiene routines as they wash their hands before lunch and after using the toilet. However, some routines and transitions are not always managed well. Occasionally, noise levels rise when children are moving from one activity to the next.

At these times, children are not able to make the most of the learning opportunities on offer.Staff have established strong links with the school. Children visit the school to meet teachers and attend events, helping them to become familiar with the environment.

Progress reports are shared with teachers to help them meet the needs of children. This helps children to adjust smoothly as they start the next stage of their education.Staff interact with children well as they play in the garden area, providing meaningful learning experiences.

Children learn to take turns to swing in a hammock and share resources with their peers in the sandpit. Occasionally, staff's interactions are not as purposeful. As staff focus on completing lunchtime tasks, children receive less meaningful interactions.

Parents speak highly of the provision. They establish positive relationships with their child's key person. Parents stay well informed about their children's learning and development through daily handover discussions and parents' evenings.

They can access the pre-school's website, which provides information on various topics, such as oral health and internet safety. A lending library and 'borrow bags' support home learning.The new management team shows passion and dedication to providing high-quality education for children.

The teams provides effective support to staff to ensure they feel valued and understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff's practice is closely monitored, and training opportunities contribute to their continuous professional development. Staff work together cohesively, with highly effective communication skills, to ensure the pre-school runs smoothly.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to manage routines and transitions more effectively to promote a calm and organised environment so that children benefit from the learning opportunities on offer help staff to provide children with meaningful interactions, particularly during lunchtime.