Bushmead Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children demonstrate that they feel safe and enjoy their time at the pre-school. They develop friendships with their peers, listen to each other's views and overall behave well and play cooperatively together.

Children develop their problem-solving skills as they construct bridges and balancing beams together using the plastic crates and wooden planks. They demonstrate resilience to setbacks if their initial ideas are not successful, persevering until they achieve their goal. Children then demonstrate their balancing skills as they pretend to be pirates and walk the plank.

They enjoy manoeuvring wheeled toys, kick foot...balls and laugh with their friends as they spin on the roundabout.Younger children develop their physical strength and hand-to-eye coordination as they carefully pour water and sand from one container to another. They are encouraged to estimate and count how many cups of water are needed to fill a larger container, and are introduced to mathematical concepts such as 'full' and 'half full'.

Older children recite numbers beyond 10 with confidence and are beginning to link a written numeral to the correct number of objects. They enjoy weighing objects on the scales, which develops their understanding of heavy and light. Children use tools such as scissors and staples to make paper books.

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

Since the last inspection, the pre-school committee, manager and staff team have proactively worked with the local authority to improve their practice and procedures. This is already having a positive impact on the provision. Ongoing professional development is encouraged.

For example, the deputy manager has attended training to broaden her knowledge of how to support children with special educational needs. However, training opportunities require additional evaluation to further enhance the quality of teaching and the implementation of the curriculum.Children are warmly greeted by the staff on their arrival.

They confidently seek reassurance if they are upset and ask for help if needed. This positive interaction helps children develop secure attachments and supports their emotional well-being. Children are taught the importance of being kind and respectful to each other, to share and take their turn.

Staff provide a good range of interesting experiences for the children. They structure the curriculum to build on what children know and can already do, while taking account of their interests. However, on occasions, staff do not use spontaneous opportunities to further extend, engage and challenge children's learning as they play.

Staff place high priority on supporting children's communication and language development, including children who speak English as an additional language.Children have opportunities to choose the songs and rhymes they would like to join in with. They particularly enjoy rhymes with actions, such as 'The wheels on the bus' and 'Row, row, row your boat'.

Staff share storybooks with the children, which supports them to listen and answer questions about the story effectively. Young children enjoy using large paintbrushes and water to make marks on the brick wall. Older children draw recognisable pictures, such as flowers, and some children understand that print carries meaning.

They read individual letters by saying their sounds and blend sounds into words, forming recognisable letters as they write words such as 'cat' and 'dog'.Staff support children to develop their independence, sense of responsibility and self-care skills. For example, children are encouraged to help tidy away the resources and clear away their own utensils after snack time.

Older children independently use the toilet and wash their hands. Additionally, children participate in activities which support them to understand the importance of good dental hygiene, and how to keep themselves safe.Parents speak highly of the children's experiences at the pre-school.

They praise the care and the range of activities provided for their children. Parents say that children make progress and develop confidence. Parents also say that they feel well informed about their children's achievements through regular discussions and the online system.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The management committee, the manager and staff understand their responsibility to keep children safe. They know how to recognise the signs of abuse and neglect, including what action to take if they become concerned about a child's welfare.

Additionally, staff understand the risks that children may face from radicalisation and female genital mutilation. Risk assessment procedures are secure. Staff complete thorough checks of the indoor and outdoor areas before children arrive at the start of the session.

This minimises the potential risk of harm effectively. Recruitment, induction and staff supervision procedures are secure.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nidentify professional development opportunities to strengthen existing knowledge, to further enhance the quality of teaching and the implementation of the curriculum make more effective use of spontaneous opportunities to extend and challenge children's learning.