Bradwell Pre-School Group

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy, settled and secure.

They form strong friendships with their peers and good attachments to staff. Children are kind and caring towards one another. Staff genuinely enjoy playing alongside children.

They provide a stimulating environment that promotes the different areas of learning. For example, children enjoy imaginative play with dinosaurs, painting and building towers outside with large blocks.Children develop good mathematical skills.

Staff notice when children count independently. They play alongside children and demonstrate thinking as they ask themselves, 'I wonder how many I will hav...e if I have four pom-poms and I add one more?'. Children quickly add up the pom-poms and work out that the answer is five.

Staff have high expectations for all children and their learning is supported well. This is because staff understand the different ways in which children learn. For example, a group of boys discover they can sit on the small toy fire engines and ride down the slope in the garden.

They do this over and over again, giggling and talking about going faster, each time perfecting their new skills. The boys are in absolute awe of their new game. Staff understand that the boys are developing excellent physical skills as they use their core stability to balance.

They ask the boys about how they can play safely and they talk about being careful and steering their engines around objects and other children.

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

The manager is well qualified and extremely driven to provide high-quality care and education. She works closely with staff, parents, the committee and outside agencies to evaluate practice and help to move the setting forward.

Parents comment that they feel listened to and valued. Action plans and audits are in place to help maintain the good-quality provision.Children's physical health is promoted well.

They have daily opportunities to play outside and exercise in the fresh air. Staff are good role models who teach children the importance of good personal hygiene routines, such as handwashing.The manager closely monitors how individual and different groups of children achieve in their learning.

This helps identify areas of development that may require extra support. The manager discusses these with staff and effective planning is implemented to help close any gaps. For example, small, separate group times are in place to enhance opportunities for children to extend their communication and language development.

These group times are planned specifically to help children develop their spoken communication skills and are delivered by an experienced and well-qualified practitioner.Children develop a range of skills in readiness for their eventual move on to school. They are confident communicators and express their ideas with clarity.

Older pre-school children demonstrate their understanding of letters and sounds during a group activity. They confidently match up an object starting with the letter 'S'. Furthermore, staff work closely with the attached school to ensure that information about children's achievements is shared effectively.

This promotes continuity of care and learning.Children develop confidence and a real thirst for learning. They are motivated learners who are challenged to build on their skills.

This is because staff complete accurate assessments of children's learning. Staff ensure children's interests and identified next steps in learning are taken into account when planning activities and the environment. Children become deeply absorbed in their self-chosen activities.

However, at times staff disrupt this high-quality learning for routine tasks, such as singing time. This has a negative impact on the flow of play and limits the rich learning opportunities children were enjoying.Staff comment that they enjoy working as part of the pre-school team and feel valued.

They have weekly staff meetings where they can discuss their key children, planning and any concerns they might have. Regular supervisions are in place to help the manager further support staff and identify any training that might be needed to help improve individual teaching and knowledge.Staff provide a range of experiences for children based on their knowledge of them and their families.

For example, they take children to visit a local woodland area each week, where they explore the natural environment and learn how to manage risks.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager has a robust understanding of her role and responsibilities in helping to keep children safe.

She has worked closely with the committee since the last inspection to ensure that all committee members are known to Ofsted and have been appropriately vetted. Furthermore, the manager and a committee member have completed safer recruitment training. This helps to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children.

All staff know the signs to look out for that may suggest a child is at risk of abuse. They understand the procedures to follow should they need to make a referral.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nensure that the routines of the setting do not disrupt children's high levels of engagement in activities.

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