Ashmore Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Staff offer engaging and exciting activities that cover all areas of the curriculum.

However, they only plan these activities for indoor play. Leaders do not ensure that staff organise meaningfully learning opportunities for children who prefer to learn outside during the autumn and winter months. Additionally, there are weaknesses in the organisation of some routine group activities that do not consistently support children's understanding of good hygiene and independence skills.

Children are cared for in a safe, secure and well-equipped setting. They explore the indoor space with confidence and can access toys and resou...rces independently. Children enjoy attending the setting, and those who are new to it adapt quickly.

Staff's interactions with children are calm and caring. As a result, children form positive relationships that successfully promote their emotional well-being. Staff support children's communication skills effectively.

They engage in discussions during children's play. They repeat words, which helps younger children to pronounce them correctly. Older children speak confidently and accurately recall the sequence of a story.

Children's language and literacy skills develop well.Despite some weaknesses in the setting, staff manage children's behaviour effectively by providing guidance and age-appropriate explanations to children. Children receive regular praise and encouragement from staff, which boosts their self-esteem and helps them to feel secure.

This approach helps children to understand boundaries and expectations. Children behave well, playing happily together while being kind and considerate. This helps all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to develop some essential social skills for their transition on to school.

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

Leaders reflect on staff's practice and the service provided. Staff participate in various professional development activities, including training on child protection and managing children's behaviour. However, leaders have not identified areas for improvement.

For instance, they do not prioritise planning a challenging curriculum when children are outdoors. This oversight results in a weakness in the overall quality of education, which impacts on children's progress.All children, including children with SEND and those in receipt of additional funding, make steady progress from their starting points in learning.

However, their progress is not consistently good. This is because there are inconsistencies in the quality of education. Staff do not plan a curriculum for outdoor learning, which limits children's opportunities to develop their gross motor skills.

While staff aim to support children's physical development by providing wheeled toys and ball games in the main hall, these options are limiting and restrictive.Some routine activities enable children to explore their environment independently and safely. However, during snack time, staff do not teach children appropriate hygiene skills.

For example, children's hands become dirty when they sit on the floor eating their fruit snacks. Additionally, staff do not maximise opportunities, such as snack time, to encourage children to do things for themselves to build consistently on their independence skills.Staff have clear learning intentions for planned activities.

However, certain group activities, such as circle time, snack sessions and singing, are not organised effectively. Staff do not consistently manage these activities well. This results in some children not engaging fully and leads to disruptions among children, with some wandering off to other activities.

Staff are experienced and, overall, understand how young children learn. They organise engaging activities, such as model making, which children enjoy for long periods. Staff use information books to teach older children about the life cycle of a butterfly, encouraging discussions about caterpillars as children create model cocoons.

Children excitedly share their knowledge that caterpillars 'sleep in cocoons' and 'turn into butterflies'.Leaders and staff collaborate closely with other professionals to plan and support additional learning opportunities for children with gaps in their speech development. They also provide support for parents and implement strategies that ensure continuity in children's ongoing development.

Partnerships with parents are strong. Many children and families have been with the setting for several years. Leaders and staff know families well and keep parents informed about their children's day.

They also provide suggestions for learning activities that can be completed at home. Parents consistently express their appreciation for staff's support and how happy their children are to attend the setting.

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 meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve knowledge and skills to implement a suitably challenging curriculum when children are outdoors that covers all areas of learning and is planned precisely to meet the individual needs of all children to help them to make good progress.12/12/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review hygiene practices to help children to gain more awareness of healthy practices, by following good routines provide greater opportunities for children to learn to do things for themselves and promote their independent learning further review the organisation of group activities to ensure that children are focused, engaged and make even further progress.