Chatterboxes Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and eager as they arrive at the setting. They spend the majority of their morning outside in the large shaded garden. This helps to enhance the health and well-being of children.

Well-motivated children select from a variety of activities, including a water tray where they wash dolls, a tent and camping area and a growing area. Children learn about the environment, growing vegetables and herbs. For example, they name the herbs and describe the taste of them.

This helps to develop children's vocabulary. Children are encouraged to be independent. They take off their own coats and hang them up and indep...endently wash their hands before snack.

Children are generally well behaved playing alongside each other. They are supported well by staff to take turns and share. Children are happy and confident and remember what they have learned.

They share their knowledge with visitors. For example, children enthusiastically explain how the frogspawn turned into tadpoles in the small pond and how these will grow into frogs. Staff support children's physical development by helping them to hit the ball with the bat.

They praise children for their efforts as well as successes. Children who find it difficult are encouraged to try again, which helps to build their resilience. Children draw with chalks on the pavement.

This helps to encourage the development of their fine physical skills.

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

The manager and staff are enthusiastic and have high expectations for all children. The manager has a clear understanding of what she wants children to achieve before they move on to their next stage of learning and she shares this with staff.

The curriculum is designed to follow children's interests and to support their next steps. The staff extend children's learning. For example, they ask relevant questions to encourage children to think and respond.

This helps children to embed prior knowledge and to make good progress in their learning.Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. Staff use puppets to try to capture children's interest and imagination.

However, the organisation of the activity does not enable all children to become fully involved.The manager and staff help children to learn about healthy eating at snack times and group times. Children answer questions about which foods are good for their bodies to grow and keep healthy.

They demonstrate their understanding of good oral hygiene by eagerly answering questions about how to brush their teeth.Children are encouraged to use their thinking and problem-solving skills. For example, they experiment with chalks and enjoy discovering if they can make paint out of chalk.

Staff help children to learn new words, such as 'grate', 'crush' and 'crumble'.Parents speak highly of the setting. They say that their children enjoy attending and make good progress, particularly with their speech and language.

However, staff do not consistently share enough detailed information with parents, or share ideas to help them to continue their children's learning at home. The manager has clear plans for improvements she wishes to make to develop parent partnerships. For example, she intends to provide workshops for parents and invite them into the setting to share stories or music from their home cultures, or to do cookery activities with the staff and children.

Children are encouraged to take risks in their play, for example when they want to climb onto a tree stump and jump off it. Staff talk to children about what they need to think about and how they are going to achieve their goal safely. Children climb and jump successfully, helping them to develop confidence and build self-esteem.

Children with special educational needs/and or disabilities are well supported. The manager and staff work with outside agencies and parents to develop strategies to support children's developmental needs. These are implemented consistently and help children to make progress.

Staff who are less experienced are provided with support. They shadow the manager and deputy, who model good practice to help new staff develop their knowledge and skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff have a good understanding of the policies and procedures to safeguard children. They have completed relevant training and are able to link this to their practice of safeguarding children. The manager and staff understand about physical and behavioural signs that could indicate abuse, including female genital mutilation.

They know how to respond to allegations against someone in the setting and about their role in the 'Prevent' duty. Although this is a shared venue, robust measures are in place to ensure that no one can access the premises or garden without the manager's approval.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: help staff to enhance the organisation and teaching of large-group activities to enable all children to participate fully provide parents with more detailed information regarding children's next stages of learning to help them to continue their children's learning at home.