Barham Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

All staff are positive role models. Children behave very well. They are polite and have an excellent understanding of turn taking and sharing.

Children recall the rules and boundaries daily and know exactly what is expected of them. They thoroughly enjoy participating in daily opportunities to recognise and celebrate the achievement of others in the group. Staff particularly focus on praise and compliment children for their acts of kindness, recorded and posted into the 'kindness catcher'.

This gives children an incredibly strong sense of achievement and boost in confidence. The manager and staff have high expectations... of what children can achieve. They carefully plan and provide an interesting curriculum that helps build on what children know and can do.

Children are enthusiastic learners and enjoy exploring the stimulating environment which captures their interest. For example, young children relished the sensory experience of finding treasure in the sand. They scooped and poured it with toy diggers, which helped to develop their coordination.

Older children learned about the Diwali celebrations and staff inspired children to make diva lamps. They explored clay and other materials, learning about the characteristics and where clay comes from, which extended their knowledge and vocabulary. Children develop a good understanding of diversity.

Children compared the shapes and sizes of their creations, which helped to increase their mathematical skills. Overall, the quality of teaching is good across the setting.

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

Staff get to know children and their individual personalities extremely well.

For example, the manager and staff undertake home visits prior to the children starting at the pre-school. Children have a strong sense of belonging, and positive well-being and self-esteem. Overall, staff have a high expectation of children's abilities.

However, they do not consistently encourage children to complete their own tasks and be even more independent.Staff continually evaluate how children use the lovely, exciting and inspiring spaces inside and outdoors to support their ongoing engagement in learning. Children's imaginations are fostered well.

They have lots of opportunities to explore their own ideas and initiate their own play. Staff support children effectively to create their own physical challenges. However, on occasions staff do not effectively challenge the children to help them make even greater progress in their learning.

Staff improve children's mathematical skills effectively throughout their experiences. For instance, they encourage children's counting skills as well as inspiring children to explore and compare sizes, identifying bigger, smaller, shorter and longer. Staff place a strong focus on developing children's communication and language skills.

For instance, they talk constantly to the children, emphasising key words in their interactions to help enhance children's understanding and speaking skills.The partnership with parents is a particular strength of the pre-school. There is very good communication between staff and parents, and effective two-way communication about children's development at home and in the setting.

Parents acknowledge that staff prepare children well for the move to school. Staff work closely with the local school to support children effectively in their move on to school. For instance, children visit the school in order to become familiar with the environment and routine.

The manager continuously and effectively reflects on the quality of the provision. She ensures staff have plenty of opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills through training and coaching. For example, staff who attended training about enhancing children's learning provide high-quality support for children to become involved in the planning of their own learning.

The manager and staff accurately evaluate the quality of the pre-school. They include the views of parents to help identify areas for further improvement. For example, the outdoor area has been successfully enhanced to provide children with a range of experiences and learning in all areas of learning and development.

Children benefit greatly and really enjoy being involved in the local community. For example, they ride the bus to the local garden centre and explore the local environment on nature walks. They gain a good understanding of the wider world.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Children's safety and welfare are fostered well. The manager and staff attend courses and access online training to refresh their knowledge and understanding of different aspects of child protection.

They implement robust policies and procedures to promote children's welfare. They identify signs and symptoms of abuse and are clear about reporting processes, including whistle-blowing. Staff are vigilant, effectively deployed and keep the premises secure.

They carry out regular safety checks of the indoor and outdoor environments. The provider follows thorough recruitment procedures to ensure those employed to work with children are suitable.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nencourage children to be independent and complete their own tasks consistently make the most of opportunities to challenge children even further to make even greater progress in their learning.

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