Abacus @ Mangotsfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and enthusiastic about coming to the Pre-school.

They are eager to access the range of activities on offer and spend time with their friends. Staff have high expectations of all children, follow their interests and help them to make independent choices in their learning. For example, children are involved in choosing the resources that are on offer throughout the day.

Staff form strong bonds with children from the outset. They provide children with a safe and caring environment for them to learn and grow. Staff continuously give children praise for their individual achievements, which supports them t...o become confident learners.

Children learn about their wider community and benefit from taking part in regular activities. For instance, they attend a coffee morning at the church each month alongside the church members and local vicar. Children show delight as they sing songs and share resources together with those of a different generation.

This enhances their sense of belonging and builds their self-esteem.Staff work closely with a range of services and professionals to meet children's individual needs. This enables staff to ensure all children receive the support they need to make good progress.

This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. Staff know the children very well. The manager uses additional funding effectively to extend opportunities and experiences available to children.

For example, recently the setting has purchased a speaking and listening programme which incorporates technology to support children to work collaboratively on an area that interests them.

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

Staff provide children with a variety of resources and activities that promote a good level of challenge appropriate to their age and stage of development. For instance, children explore a range of fruits and vegetables.

They try out different ways of opening each fruit, for example using small hammers to break open the watermelon. Staff encourage children to segment the oranges independently. As a result, children develop the small muscles in their hands and fingers to promote their early writing skills.

Children show curiosity and motivation to delve into the different textures. For instance, they use their hands to squash and mix the flesh from the fruits together.Staff have formed strong partnerships with parents.

Parents comment on how well their child has settled into the provision and the range of activities on offer when they arrive. Parents describe the staff as 'very friendly and welcoming'. Staff develop children's knowledge and understanding of the world we live in.

For example, some parents work in the military and come in and talk to the children about their roles and why they are important. Staff involve parents in their child's learning as they regularly share assessments and observations which link to the early years curriculum.Children show delight as they play cooperatively in the hospital role-play area.

For example, children take it in turns to carefully wrap bandages around the pretend babies to make them feel better. Some children use the hospital equipment to check each other's heartbeats, and they make marks to record their results. Children have access to the light box which they curiously explore and make links with the x-ray images.

Therefore, children's imaginations and creativity are positively enhanced.Staff teach children about the importance of sharing and being kind to one another. They promote their golden rules through verbal and visual reminders throughout the provision.

Most children behave very well in the setting. However, at times, some staff do not consistently use effective strategies with children to deal with any unwanted behaviour. As a result, some children become disengaged and make it harder for other children to remain deeply focused on their learning.

Children show high levels of independence in their play as they choose from the variety of resources indoors and outdoors. However, large-group activities such as circle time are not as effective as other group activities. This is because children of mixed age ranges and abilities are together.

Consequently, children become restless and struggle to concentrate.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff have a secure knowledge of the procedures to follow to protect children's welfare.

Staff have a good understanding of child protection policies and procedures, including wider safeguarding concerns. Staff receive regular training to ensure their safeguarding knowledge is up to date. Managers use risk assessment effectively to ensure children's safety remains a high priority.

Managers have robust recruitment procedures and ongoing checks to help ensure the suitability of staff. New staff receive a clear induction before they start to enable them to fully understand their roles and responsibilities.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nensure staff manage behaviour consistently and effectively to help children understand the boundaries and support them to make positive choices review the organisation and structure of group times to take into consideration the age ranges and individual needs of the children present, to enhance learning opportunities to the highest level.