Beehive Pre-School Playgroup

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are greeted warmly by caring staff. Children happily embrace their friends. Children understand the routine which helps them settle quickly.

Children that need a little reassurance are confident to seek a member of staff for a cuddle before joining their friends. This helps children to feel safe. Children practise their speaking and listening skills.

Staff provide commentary as they play alongside the children, repeating words clearly to help children with correct pronunciation. Children who speak English as an additional language use picture representation to help them communicate their needs, for example, us...ing pictures of a toilet or snack. Older children learn phonics.

For example, the letter of the week is 'P'. Children call out words beginning with 'P', as a staff member writes them down. They revisit the words throughout the week to secure their learning, with children recalling the previous week's words beginning with 'S'.

Children learn good communication and language skills.Children demonstrate lovely manners. They put their hand up to speak at circle time and take turns in their play.

For example, they wait for the leaf printer at the dough table, kindly passing it around when they have used it. Older children help younger children to pour their drinks at snack time. As a result, children learn wonderful British values.

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

Staff implement a curriculum that ensures children are ready for school. For example, children learn independence skills as they put on their coats and shoes or chop fruit up for snack. Older children bring in a change of clothes to practise changing for physical education.

Children are encouraged to be confident and keep trying when connecting carriages to a train. Children learn to be independent and to keep having a go.Children are offered a range of learning opportunities, both indoors and outdoors.

For example, children enjoy role play in the home corner. They happily prepare a meal for a staff member who encourages their conversations, building on what they already know. Children put on their aprons before painting at the easel.

However, children with more learning experience and knowledge are not always challenged enough to reach their full learning potential.Mathematics is introduced into all the children's learning activities. For example, children count how many carriages they add to the train.

They comment if it is the front, middle or end of the train. They count the days in the week, adding and taking away days to the number. Children confidently recall the shapes they make in the dough and what colours they can mix to make purple.

Children use mathematical language in their play.Additional funding has been used well to promote children's understanding of life at the pre-school and moving on to school. For example, children listen to the story 'Maisie's Day at Nursery' and compare their day at Beehive Pre-School to Maisie's day.

Children comment that they hang up their coats like Maisie, but they do not have a sleep. This helps children to understand any recent changes, including moving on to school.Staff monitor and assess children's learning and development.

Any gaps in learning are identified quickly. Strategies to close any gaps in learning are implemented in the provision. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with external agencies and families.

This ensures that children receive the targeted support that they require at the earliest opportunity. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.Partnership with parents is good.

Staff understand the challenges of major changes for children whose parents serve in the armed forces. Parents are updated each term regarding their child's progress via their special book. However, parents commented that more regular updates would be welcome, to see what their children are doing and their chosen activities.

There have been changes to the leadership and management of the pre-school since the last inspection. They are receiving support from the local authority and have completed a thorough evaluation of what needs to be updated. Action plans are being used well.

However, improvements are not yet firmly in place.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff, including the trustees, have completed safeguarding children training.

They understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. Staff are aware of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. They know who to contact if they have a child protection concern regarding a child or adult.

Regular safety checks are carried out to ensure children are safe and secure, both indoors and outdoors. Children are learning how to keep themselves safe, as they discuss the safe way to use a knife when chopping up fruit for snack.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nensure children of all abilities are suitably challenged in their learning and development consider ways to keep parents updated regarding their child's experiences and events, particularly for those parents working away.