Birchtree Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning and are confident.

They dress up and sing familiar songs to their friends on a stage. Children engage in purposeful play that provides challenge and promotes their thinking skills. They show curiosity.

Children are excited to hear an aeroplane in the sky and imagine where it may be travelling to. They use magnifying glasses to look more closely at a spider in the garden. Children have regular opportunities to practise their counting skills and hear mathematical language as they play.

Staff know the children well. They talk confidently about children's intere...sts and use their observations well to decide what children need to learn next. Children's progress is monitored to ensure that all children make good progress from their individual starting points.

Parents are involved in their children's learning. They often take books home from the pre-school to read with their children and other activities to complete. Children build close friendships.

They help each other in activities and are praised by staff for their team work. Children learn how to use equipment and tools safely. For example, they are shown how to correctly and safely use a knife to cut up carrots during role play.

Children are encouraged to be independent. They help to prepare their own snack and wash their hands before eating.

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

Children and their families are warmly welcomed into the pre-school.

Young children quickly settle with good support from their key person. Close relationships have formed. Children initiate cuddles with staff and happily participate in activities together.

For example, children enjoy stories being read to them on an individual basis.Staff provide a calm and relaxing atmosphere for children to play and learn in. Children are busy and engaged and their behaviour is good.

They welcome praise and recognition for their achievements, which helps to raise their self-esteem and confidence.Staff plan effectively for children's learning needs and interests. Activities motivate them to have a go.

For example, children enjoy the challenge of sucking up water with a pipette and squeezing the water out to fill up small holes.The manager and staff provide good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, working very closely with other professionals and children's families to support children's welfare and all-round development.Children have good opportunities to be physically active.

They manage risk well as they carefully negotiate challenging climbing and balancing equipment in the outdoor area.Parents speak highly of the pre-school. They feel staff are friendly and approachable.

Children's progress is shared with parents. They have daily opportunities to view observations and photographs of their children through an online system.The qualified staff team are led and managed well.

They work closely as a team to ensure children receive a consistently good level of care and education. Staff reflect on their practice. Knowledge gained from training is used effectively to help enhance all staff's teaching skills.

For example, recent training in mathematics has helped staff to improve how they plan and deliver this area of learning in the pre-school. As a result, children's learning in mathematics is strong.The pre-school has forged strong links with the local community.

During the inspection, children visited a nearby shop to choose and purchase fruit for their snack. Children are frequently taken out to places of interest, such as the cathedral and train station, to enhance their learning experiences.Very effective partnerships are in place with the local primary school and other settings that children are due to attend.

This helps to ensure that children are fully supported as they prepare for the next stage in their learning, such as moving into the Reception class.There is a clear focus on developing children's language skills in English. Staff speak to children during activities.

Older children talk confidently to staff about their home life and experiences. However, children who speak English as an additional language have fewer opportunities to develop and use their home language as they play.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are clear about their responsibilities to report any signs that may suggest a child is at risk of harm. They understand the procedures to follow. Safeguarding training is regularly attended to ensure staff's skills and knowledge are kept up to date.

Robust recruitment procedures are in place to help ensure the suitability of adults working with the children. Staff are vigilant about the security of the setting and are deployed effectively to help keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nincrease opportunities for children to develop and use their home language as they play.