Sunflower Pre School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and demonstrate high levels of independence. They enjoy managing small responsibilities.

Children willingly help staff to prepare for routine tasks, such as mealtimes. They share their views and make staff aware of the resources and activities that they want to use. Children are familiar with the environment and move around freely to explore.

They show excitement when they play with the resources and use them purposefully to develop their skills. For example, children happily explore with play dough and they use their hands to feel, roll, stretch and pull the dough. Staff encourage children to develo...p their sensory skills.

Children strengthen their hand movements and coordination. They enjoy making marks. Staff encourage them to learn to recognise letters and sing along to their favourite nursery rhymes.

Children develop an awareness of people in the community who help them. For example, a local police officer speaks with them about how to keep safe near roads. Children enjoy role-play activities and they learn to use their imaginations well.

For example, children pretend to be a doctor and check the temperature of their 'patients'. As children explore in the role-play supermarket area, they pretend to buy food and medication. Children behave well and they begin to develop a sense of right and wrong.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and they use praise well to encourage positive behaviour.

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

The manager and staff are dedicated to their work with children. They regularly observe children's learning and plan stimulating opportunities to build on their existing skills.

Children make good progress in their development. For example, older children express themselves in different situations well. They comment on their own play and make links to prior experiences.

Staff seek support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work closely with other professionals to plan appropriate targets for each child, and regularly share information with parents. Staff monitor children's progress and review plans to ensure that children receive the right level of challenge.

Staff support children's early literacy skills effectively. For example, they make stories interesting by using props, different rhythms and tones. Staff support children to make their own storybooks, which children enjoy looking through.

Staff support children to communicate and express themselves well. Children learn to use signs and body language. They demonstrate good understanding and respond to simple instructions well.

Staff support children's early mathematical skills well. For instance, during a cooking activity, children learn to measure the ingredients and compare the size of the items. Children know the names of different shapes and learn to count successfully.

Staff provide many opportunities to make children aware of cultures other than their own. Children learn about the similarities and differences of people. They demonstrate respect and tolerance towards each other.

Parents state that they are satisfied with the care that staff provide for their children at the pre-school and that their children are happy to attend. They consistently receive information about their children's development to further support their progress at home.The manager supports staff well.

For example, she ensures that their workloads are managed, through discussion at regular supervision meetings. The manager also discusses their performance and training needs. For instance, staff attended a training session about how to assess and support children with SEND.

They use their new knowledge to identify gaps in children's development and put in place an individual educational plan to help them make progress.The manager considers feedback from staff, children and parents when evaluating the pre-school. An action plan is in place to strengthen children's literacy skills further and to use visual aids to extend children's language development.

Staff support children to develop healthy lifestyles. For example, they ensure that children wash their hands and eat healthy food. Staff make sure that the outdoor area is accessible to children each day.

Staff provide opportunities for children to enjoy physical activities.Overall, most children form close attachments with an adult. However, staff miss some opportunities to support new children to settle easily and develop close relationships with others, in order to strengthen their emotional well-being.

Although staff are effectively deployed to supervise children, they do not consistently reinforce to children how to use tools, such as scissors, appropriately.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff attend safeguarding training.

They are clear about their responsibility to safeguard and protect children. Staff have a secure understanding of child protection procedures. They know the signs that may show a child is at risk of abuse.

Staff have knowledge of wider safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty. They are aware of the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of being exposed to extreme views. Staff are familiar with the procedures to report any concerns, including allegations against an adult, to the relevant authorities.

The provider has robust recruitment procedures in place to check staff's suitability for their roles. Staff keep accurate records of attendance for children in their care.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: make better use of opportunities to support new children to settle and form close relationships with others support children's growing understanding of how to use a range of tools appropriately and safely more consistently.

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