Vange Community Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children happily separate from their parents when they arrive and settle quickly into their play.

They are engaged and there is a purposeful atmosphere in the pre-school. Children show a positive approach to their learning. Children happily play with their friends, make independent choices about what they want to do and show good levels of concentration.

For example, they try hard and have a go at threading pipe cleaners through small cereal hoops. Staff support children's physical development well. For example, they ensure children are active outdoors in the fresh air.

Children develop their independence and ...self-care skills well. Staff support them to complete tasks, including dressing, going to the toilet, and washing and drying their hands. Children develop a positive attitude towards the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

They confidently help themselves to drinks when they are thirsty. Children take part in relaxed sociable mealtimes, where they enjoy healthy snacks and chat about the foods they like to eat. Children's behaviour is good.

Staff are positive role models and have high expectations for their behaviour. In turn, children learn about age-appropriate behaviour as they play with their friends.

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

Staff observe and assess children's progress regularly.

They support children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make good progress in their learning. Children's communication and language skills are supported well. Staff sit alongside children in areas, such as the home corner, and join in their play.

They make the most of opportunities to extend and repeat single words to build on children's early vocabulary and communication skills.Children are provided with meaningful learning experiences based on their interests and individual needs. For example, small-group activities effectively support children's communication and language development as they sing familiar songs and follow simple instruction.

These group activities also help to promote children's skills in sharing and taking turns.Children who are in receipt of additional funding are supported well. They are developing the skills they need for their future learning, including starting school.

For example, children's personal, social, and emotional development is supported by a football coach who organises a football fun factory, where children take part in fun games and share equipment.Staff engage children in problem-solving, comparing and counting objects as they play. For example, they have access to sand timers, learn about volume during water play and learn to use mathematical language, such as 'over', 'under' and 'through'.

Staff place a strong focus on developing children's literacy skills. Opportunities to introduce and share books are evident throughout the setting. For example, children look through magazines together in the home corner.

They develop good hand-muscle control, for example, by using paintbrushes to create marks with water on external walls.Staff support children's understanding of the world successfully. For example, children really enjoy talking about the insects they find in the garden and study them through a magnifying glass.

Staff teach children about different festivals, and this helps them to develop a knowledge and understanding of other cultures and an appreciation of diversity.Parents are positive about the pre-school and staff. They comment that their children are happy and enjoy attending.

However, not all parents receive information about their child's progress in learning, what they need to learn next, and how to support this at home.Children who speak English as an additional language are supported to practise English and some words in their home language. However, there are fewer opportunities to help children use their home language in a range of different ways.

Staff say they enjoy working at the pre-school. They state that their well-being is supported. The manager meets regularly with them to provide coaching and promote their professional development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff complete training to keep their child protection knowledge up to date. They know how to recognise the possible signs of abuse and neglect.

Staff understand the procedures for reporting any concerns they may have about children or a colleague. Staff are aware of the duty to prevent children being drawn into situations that put them at risk. They implement effective risk assessments that help to ensure children can play in a safe and secure environment.

Recruitment processes are robust to help ensure the suitability of adults working with children. The deployment of staff is well organised so that children are always supervised.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nuse every opportunity to help children hear and use their home language during play and activities, to further support their development of speech develop the good partnerships with parents further so that they consistently receive ideas and suggestions to support their child's learning at home.