St Peter’s Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are visibly settled and happy at this welcoming pre-school. Staff are caring, approachable and warm. They are sensitive and responsive to children's individual needs, supporting their emotional well-being effectively.

Staff are quick to reassure and comfort children if they become upset, and they provide good emotional support. Children form secure attachments with staff and are safe.The manager knows what she wants children to learn and why.

The setting's curriculum is ambitious for all children and has a clear focus on helping them to acquire the key skills they need for their future learning, such as secure... communication, as well as social, mathematical and literacy skills. Staff know their key children well and know how to build on what they already can do. Children make good rates of progress.

Staff are consistent in their expectations of children's behaviour. They give clear guidance and instructions for children to follow to help them behave well. Children know what to expect and how they should behave.

Staff plan age-appropriate and interesting activities for children to engage in. They join in with children's play and support them well, extending their learning while they play. For instance, while children match pieces of a puzzle, staff skilfully model positional vocabulary to help extend their language skills further.

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

Staff interact with children well, supporting their communication and language skills effectively. They regularly read stories and sing rhymes with children, providing good opportunities for them to hear and practise using words. Children enjoy joining in with stories and confidently talk about the pictures and what is happening in the book.

Leaders and staff successfully monitor children's progress. They identify when children may have delays in their development and take action to help get children extra support if they need it. Staff know how to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of different children, such as using visual prompts to aid children's ability to express what they need.

Staff support children well to develop their independence. They give children time to try to do things for themselves, such as while supporting them to dress for outdoor play. Children learn how to put their coat on and to put their boots on themselves.

Children develop their physical skills well. Staff plan a wide range of activities to help children use the small muscles in their hands. For instance, children enjoy manipulating play dough and successfully create things with a purpose.

They use tools and objects with good control to achieve an intended outcome.Children also develop their large movements and balance well, such as while jumping and splashing in muddy puddles outside.Staff form good partnerships with parents.

They ensure there is a two-way flow of information between them and parents to help provide consistency in children's ongoing care and learning. However, at times, leaders do not communicate all relevant information to the staff team, such as information received from other professionals who are supporting children, to help keep staff fully up to date about any changes to the support children may need.Leaders are reflective of the setting's practice.

They regularly seek feedback from staff to find out what is working well and any areas where improvements could be made. Overall, they successfully provide staff with guidance and support to help make improvements to their practice as needed.Staff receive mandatory training, such as for safeguarding and first aid, to help them understand their role in keeping children safe.

However, there is scope to provide more regular professional development opportunities to staff, to help to address any emerging weaknesses that occur in their teaching quickly.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff understand their duty to keep children safe, and they implement the setting's safeguarding procedures well to help maintain children's well-being.

They know the possible signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm, and they know to whom to report their concerns. They also know what to do should an allegation be made about another staff member. The premises are safe and secure.

Leaders and staff complete robust risk assessments to identify and remove any hazards to help keep children safe. Leaders check staff's suitability effectively to ensure that only those who are suitable have contact with 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 communication from leaders to staff so that all key information is shared, such as from other professionals working with children, to further enhance partnership working develop a more focused programme of professional development to help swiftly identify and address any areas where staff may need further support in their teaching practice.