Acorns Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and eager to engage with the staff and the welcoming environment.

The strong bonds with staff ensure that children are emotionally secure, which underpins their learning and development. Leaders and staff plan an ambitious curriculum, which, overall, they implement well. They focus successfully on embedding children's prime areas of development, preparing them well for school.

Staff provide strong role models so children behave well and develop positive relationships with their peers. Staff support children effectively in becoming active learners, making choices and leading their learning. For exa...mple, through access to books, children concentrate, listen and answer questions as staff read to them about fire officers.

This leads to children using the dressing up to take on these roles, using the vocabulary they have heard. Later they recall this again, remembering more as they take on the roles outside.Staff understand the learning intentions of the activities and the value of the teaching they are providing, ensuring a positive impact on all children's development.

For example, they plan a craft activity to support children in using scissors. Staff demonstrate how to use them and give children plenty of time and encouragement to practise. Children concentrate, persevere and gain a strong sense of achievement as they start to master this skill.

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

Staff get to know the children well. They use their constant observation to monitor children's progress and identify the most appropriate next stages of development. This enables them to provide good support during children's play and activities.

They quickly identify where children need additional support, working effectively with parents and outside agencies to ensure all children make the same good progress.Children become confident communicators. Staff encourage conversations, adding vocabulary, recasting mispronounced words and using repetition for children to remember more.

All children are eager to talk to staff, knowing they will receive a positive reaction. For example, children describe how they made a bird from dough, using the wide range of resources to create its features. Staff support children well in counting, although they do not always encourage them to use mathematical language or challenge the most able children further.

Staff consistently help children to understand and manage their emotions to think of others and to learn to share. They provide good support for children to think about the consequences of their actions. For example, children learn not to run around the furniture indoors, for their own and others' safety.

Staff remind them to use quiet voices, so as not to upset their friends. Staff make tidy-up time fun and encourage all children to help take care of their environment.Children become increasingly independent.

For example, they learn an effective way to put on their coat. Staff provide the right amount of support for children to want to keep trying, helping them to gain confidence in their abilities. There is good support for health and hygiene.

Children have plenty to drink, learn to blow their nose and dispose of tissues. They talk about healthy eating and looking after their teeth, and staff remind them not to take toys and resources into the toilets because of germs.Leaders and staff mostly evaluate their practice well.

For example, they have made changes to the environment and activities to engage boys better in their learning. They have made information more accessible for parents, although they do not regularly seek parents' feedback. Leaders understand the importance of working with parents to support children's development and welfare.

Parents are positive about the setting. They confirm how well their children are progressing, especially in language skills and friendships.The committee and leaders provide good support for staff to develop their knowledge and skills to benefit the children.

For example, all leaders have undergone training on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The committee has not completed all required paperwork, for Ofsted, on all its members. They have undertaken their own checks on their suitability, so there is no impact on children, and Ofsted does not intend to take any action, on this occasion.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove staff's questioning techniques to challenge most-able children with using mathematical language and solving problems nextend self-evaluation systems to actively seek parents' views to target improvements even more successfully.