Waterloo Road Community Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and emotionally secure in the nurturing environment at the pre-school. They are seen to fling themselves at their key person for hugs on arrival and are received with the same enthusiasm. Children arrive ready to take part in their morning 'wake and shake' and then are eager to explore and start learning.

Children listen well in whole-group activities, such as story time, and learn to respect others' choices. For example, they vote on a choice of two books to read and staff sensitively support those who are disappointed with the outcome. Staff use every opportunity to encourage children to think of solutions ...to problems for themselves, which promotes their critical thinking successfully.

Staff give children options and help them to discover what they want to know. For example, children find out if they can go down the slide quicker with or without sitting on a towel.Parents no longer enter the premises as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, they confirm that their children settle quicker, and they share good information with staff to work together successfully, supporting children's care and development. Parents take books home to share with their children and comment that they have grown in confidence and independence since joining the pre-school.

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

Staff seek good information to know what children can do when they first start and make ongoing observations to know what they need to learn next.

The pre-school does not have its own premises, and staff need to set up and pack away daily. They plan an inviting environment, indoors and outdoors, where children access a wide range of open-ended resources. This enables children to make choices, lead and extend their own ideas, and learn according to their individual preferences.

The manager has a strong ambition for each child's learning and development. She coaches staff to implement her ambitious curriculum, focusing on children becoming independent learners. Children are confident communicators.

Staff use good questioning techniques to challenge children's thinking and extend their language skills. However, on occasions, some staff do not use the opportunities available to extend and challenge children's understanding of volume, numbers and shape.Staff plan good activities to help children remember their learning.

For example, everyday children have good opportunities to do cooking. Staff patiently enable children to manage tasks for themselves until they can make cakes independently. Even the youngest children learn to crack an egg and learn the order in which they need to add the ingredients.

Staff extend older children's learning well, for example by discussing the parts of an egg and what they look like when cooked in different ways. Children are later seen to practise their learning in their role play.Children develop excellent skills as they become highly independent.

For example, when they want a snack, they immediately go and wash their hands. They then select the equipment they need to prepare their chosen snack. Children pour their drinks, and safely use knives to cut up fruit and vegetables, and to butter crackers.

When they are finished, they clear their place and wash up. Children behave extremely well and demonstrate high respect for their environment, their own uniqueness, and each other's differences.Children are highly motivated to learn.

Staff skilfully use children's emerging interests to focus their concentration fully and engage them successfully in their learning. For example, children use play dough and cutters to make bears. Staff use this to help them recall the story of Goldilocks and Three Bears.

Children become engrossed in making the items from the story and even the youngest children persevere and are delighted with their achievements.The manager leads a strong team, who share her ambition to provide a high-quality provision and help children to do the best they can. They work together seamlessly to meet children's individual care and learning needs.

Staff implement their training effectively to benefit the children. For example, they use emotional coaching to very successfully enable children to manage their feelings and consider others. The pre-school has positive partnerships with parents and outside agencies, ensuring all children receive the support they need to prepare them well for school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff all receive regular training in all aspects of safeguarding children. They have a good understanding of their responsibilities and know what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare and the procedures to follow to protect children from risk of harm.

Staff carry out daily risk assessments and take effective action to keep children safe. The high ratios ensure good supervision for children, and staff support children well in managing risks for themselves, for example by ensuring the constructions they create for balancing are secure.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus staff supervision on helping them to gain a better understanding of how to fully support children's mathematical development.