Alban Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children thrive at this setting and learn what they need to be successful in their future. Staff have an excellent understanding of what each child knows and needs to learn next.

They use this information to plan activities carefully to help children achieve the next steps in their learning. This means that children make exceptional progress.Children are skilled at helping each other and working as a team.

For example, children help each other to climb onto the tyre swing or to carry logs. This helps children to develop empathy and team working skills.Children become confident at expressing their ideas and opini...ons.

Staff listen carefully to their views and use these when planning the nursery environment. For example, children came up with the idea of using some rope gifted to the setting as a swing, which staff then implemented. This gives children a sense of pride and ownership in the nursery.

Children form strong attachments to staff and are keen to show them their achievements and approach them for comfort. Children respond well to the high expectations that staff have of what they can achieve. They persevere when they find something challenging.

For example, when cutting fruit, children do not give up even if this is hard for them. Children feel pride when staff explain how proud they are of the children for persevering.

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

Leaders carefully consider the curriculum for communication and language.

Staff strategically introduce a range of new vocabulary to the children through word of the week, stories, rhymes and modelling new language. For example, they talk about 'bell peppers' when talking about fruit or vegetables or feeling 'vibrations' when swinging on the rope. This helps children to make excellent progress in their language development.

Where children have gaps in their learning of the communication and language curriculum, staff ensure that these children get extra support in their language skills through well-thought-out small group language sessions. This helps these children to catch up with their peers as quickly as possible.Staff teach children new stories in a systematic and engaging manner.

They carefully consider how to make story time as interactive as possible, so that all children are fully engaged in the story and learn new language as they enjoy the story. Staff ensure that children participate in a variety of experiences during story retelling, so that they fully understand the stories. For example, children go on a physical bear hunt using apparatus and materials and then use materials and figures to re-enact the story later in the week.

All children learn new language from songs and stories very well.Staff carefully consider how to teach children about the lives of others, who are different to themselves. For example, children learn about mobility through joint sessions with residents from a local care home.

They then discuss these differences in more detail through their play.Staff support children very well to understand their emotions. For example, they name emotions and talk to children about the reasons they might feel like this.

Staff teach children many important social skills, such as turn taking. This helps children to interact with their peers and form friendships.Staff carefully consider the curriculum for physical development.

They teach children to use a knife carefully. Children pull themselves up on rope swings or swing on a trye, building up their arm muscles. They carry logs and planks to make obstacle courses at different levels and develop their balance by walking along the ramps that they have created.

Children make very good progress in their physical development.Leaders work hard to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work with the local authority and local schools to implement strategies for children, which will support them to communicate their needs.

For example, staff support relevant children to learn how to communicate with a Picture Exchange Communication System. Leaders carefully consider staffing to ensure that these children get all the support they need to reach the next steps on their individual learning journeys.Leaders provide exceptional professional development opportunities to staff to ensure best practice consistently.

They model best practice to staff on an ongoing basis and identify targeted training for staff to attend. This supports staff to implement excellent practice.Leaders place great emphasis on the well-being of staff.

They build very strong working relationships with all members of staff. Leaders work collaboratively with all staff and are very accessible if staff have any concerns at all. This means that staff enjoy coming to work and are enthusiastic about helping children to thrive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a strong knowledge of what to do if they have concerns regarding a child's well-being. Important safeguarding information is clearly displayed in the setting for staff to access if necessary.

The manager has an excellent understanding of safeguarding procedures and knows where to go for further support. The manager keeps themselves updated with current safeguarding concerns within the local community. Leaders use effective systems to recruit staff and to ensure their ongoing suitability.

Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe. For example, children learn how to stay safe in the sun and how to use a knife safely. This helps children to understand how to manage risk safely themselves.