Carey Hall Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff provide a range of activities to support children's learning and development in all areas of the curriculum. They place the learning materials at the children's level to support independence.

Children are eager to get into the classroom. They happily engage with the adults and the activities on offer. Children display a can-do attitude and focus on their chosen tasks.

The adults praise children for their efforts, promoting self-esteem and confidence. Children play well with their peers, sharing and taking turns. Staff warmly welcome the children and their families.

This creates a happy and positive atmos...phere. This is an inclusive setting. The manager works in close partnership with various agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Partnership with parents and carers is strong. This promotes continuity of care. Staff understand their personal responsibilities to protect children, which contributes to their safety and personal development.

Children learn about the world around them. For example, they visit the local supermarket to buy food for a local charity, and they have carried out a project on their community. Books and pictures are readily available to support children's understanding of equality and diversity.

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

Children build strong bonds with all the adults in the setting. This helps them settle quickly. Staff join children in their play, supporting their choices.

They praise positive behaviour, which delights the children. Parents have high regard for the management and staff at the pre-school. They feel fully informed of their child's progress and a partner in their child's education.

Staff promote children's communication and language skills at every opportunity. They repeat, model and introduce new vocabulary. Parents of children who speak English as an additional language praise the team for developing their child's communication in English.

Adults talk to children about their activities and ask relevant questions. However, on occasion, children are not given enough time to answer the questions or put their own ideas forward. When listening to stories, children demonstrate very good listening and attention skills.

Children are supported to count items and use simple mathematical language, for example, when threading or playing with the play dough.Children develop their physical skills by using a range of equipment both indoors and outdoors. They learn to manage risks when using this equipment.

Due to staff deployment, the indoor area is not as closely supervised as the outdoor area, thus diminishing opportunities for staff to promote understanding of the importance of exercise.Staff provide a range of healthy and nutritious snacks. They talk to the children about what they are eating, but they miss opportunities to promote children's understanding of healthy eating.

Lunchtime is a sociable occasion. Staff listen to children with interest and engage them in conversation. This makes them feel valued and listened to.

They remind children to wash their hands before eating. They praise their efforts when they attempt to do so independently.The planning system ensures that activities provided are meaningful to the children.

Staff consider their interests and views. Children feel involved and, as a result, they readily engage with the activities on offer. Staff use observations to provide activities that build on what children can do.

All children make good progress from their starting points. Strategies are in place to support children's transition into school. Staff aim to promote independence, mark-making skills, and mathematical and literacy development.

For example, when staff noted that mark-making activities were not popular with the boys, staff used their interests to entice them to the mark-making area.The owner and her team reflect on the services provided to the children and their families. This ensures that the services remain relevant to the children in their care.

The owner has good links with the local authority and seeks support and advice when needed. Staff attended various training events. This has had a positive impact in many areas of their practice.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are clear on how to spot possible signs of harm. They know the correct procedures to follow to report concerns.

They attend safeguarding training regularly to keep their skills up to date. There are rigorous recruitment procedures in place. This ensures staff are suitable to care for children.

Regular risk assessments ensure that the premises are as safe as possible. There is a secure entry system in place and staff monitor people who access the nursery.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nallow children enough time to respond to questions and formulate their own ideas strengthen opportunities for children to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle review deployment of staff to ensure that all areas of the classroom are equally supervised.