Acorns Pre School Limited

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children really enjoy their time at the pre-school. They quickly develop warm and affectionate attachments with staff, who actively help them to feel safe and gain emotional security.

Children enthusiastically explore the environment. They can easily select the toys they want to use from low-level shelving. This helps to promote independent play.

Staff implement a consistent approach to managing behaviour. This helps children to understand boundaries, behave well and have good attitudes to learning.Children have immense fun as they explore different textures and colours while creating a Chinese dragon.

They sh...ow team spirit as they help each other decorate a large white sheet with paints and brightly coloured tissue paper. Children talk about how this will form the body of their dragon. They show pride in their previous creations when they talk about the large red dragon's head they helped to make.

Children's communication and language skills are promoted well. They enjoy listening to stories about Chinese lanterns and firecrackers and repeat new words that help to extend their vocabulary. Children are confident, independent learners.

They happily leave their parents on arrival at the pre-school to quickly engage in play. Children are beginning to identify their name on the card they use for the registration display.

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

There are effective procedures in place to help settle children into the setting.

Staff obtain information from parents to establish children's starting points to help them plan initial learning opportunities.The manager and staff have high expectations for children's learning and their readiness for school. They work with other professionals to provide consistent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Staff observe children's play and make accurate assessments of children's development. They use this information to plan meaningful next steps for children's learning.Children learn about healthy lifestyles.

Staff provide nutritious snacks and remind children to wash their hands at pertinent times throughout the day.Children have regular opportunities to play outdoors and engage in robust physical movement. They thoroughly enjoy creeping quietly upon 'Mr Wolf', or stretch and dance collaboratively, wearing a red dragon costume.

Quiet spaces are organised to provide areas for children to listen to stories or for specific small-group teaching.Staff provide engaging opportunities for children to practise their mark making and develop early writing skills. Children comfortably learn how to use scissors to practise their cutting skills.

They extend their physical development, helping to increase muscle strength in their fingers and hands.Staff work well as a team and are supportive of each other. The manager uses effective strategies, such as regular supervision meetings, to promote the positive well-being of staff.

Robust recruitment procedures ensure staff and committee members are suitable to work with children. There is a good induction process in place that helps staff to understand their roles and responsibilities.Parent partnerships are strong.

Parents speak highly of the pre-school staff and comment on how caring and nurturing the team is. Staff provide regular updates for parents about their child's ongoing progress. In addition, they share ideas with parents to enable them to build on their child's learning at home.

Staff complete regular risk assessments, such as daily checks of the premises, to identify and minimise hazards to children. Appropriate security systems are in place, which helps to ensure the environment is safe and secure.Staff use assessment to observe what children know and can do.

However, the current system for planning does not consistently ensure that all staff have a combined understanding of the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff complete regular safeguarding training.

This ensures they understand their responsibilities to report concerns about a child's welfare. In addition, they know how to refer any inappropriate actions of adults working with children. The manager and staff implement effective procedures and place a good emphasis on ensuring children are cared for in a safe environment.

This includes robust recruitment and selection procedures. Effective staff deployment means that all children are well supervised and cared for.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop a shared understanding of the curriculum.

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