Christleton Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and content at this bright and welcoming pre-school. Staff are nurturing and supportive, and even very new children settle quickly.

Staff promote equal opportunities well and teach children to be kind and to respect each other's differences in an age-appropriate way. Staff have high expectations for children's progress and give clear and consistent behavioural messages. Children display positive attitudes to learning and behave very well.

Children eagerly seek out their friends as they explore the outdoor environment. They use all of their muscles as they join in an energetic warm-up session, countin...g the number of star jumps to match the corresponding number of children. They delight in discovering snow on their play equipment, noticing how it melts and turns to water.

Staff ask them thought-provoking questions, such as 'Why do you think I am spreading salt on the path?' Children are keen to share their thoughts and ideas, displaying a sense of achievement as they do so.Mathematical concepts are embedded securely throughout the pre-school. Children confidently count their friends and work out the number of chairs and plates they need at snack time.

Staff are skilful in their teaching of mathematics. They engage children in discussions on capacity during water play and talk about the characteristics of different shapes. Children use excellent problem-solving skills to create three-dimensional objects, and staff give them time to work things out for themselves.

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

The leadership and management of this pre-school are good. The manager acts with integrity in using the funding they receive and goes beyond this to provide personalised support to those children who need it the most. Self-evaluation is reflective and accurate, and it identifies areas for further development.

Staff are enthusiastic and encourage children to make choices and decisions about their play. Children take pride in their achievements and are eager to show visitors what they can do. However, occasionally, during group activities, staff do not notice where enhancements are needed in their practice to ensure that children of different ages and abilities are suitably challenged and engaged.

The dedicated team works hard to ensure that children are developing their independence, self-care, and the skills they need for the next stage in their learning. Staff place a strong emphasis on supporting children's communication and language skills, in the knowledge that it underpins all other areas of learning. They encourage children to pronounce words correctly and add new words to extend their vocabulary.

Children access a broad curriculum that helps to ensure that they embed skills across all areas of learning. Staff follow children's interests and provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop their small-muscle skills in readiness for future writing. Children benefit from excellent links with the local primary school and are well supported, through teacher visits and discussions, for their move on to school.

Children quickly develop close attachments with staff, who help children to feel safe and emotionally secure. They take time to find out personal information about children when they first start, which helps children to settle with ease. However, the process for gathering and sharing information about children's existing knowledge and skills on joining has not yet been prioritised.

This means that staff are not always fully aware of what children already know and can do, in order to plan effectively for their next steps and enhance progress right from the start.Parents speak highly about the pre-school and the home-from-home environment the staff have created. They appreciate the daily feedback they receive and comment on the progress their children have made.

The pre-school has an open-door policy, where staff offer advice and support to the community they serve. A parent said, 'They make my job as a parent easier.' This highlights the level of respect and appreciation from parents.

These positive relationships help to ensure that the children make good progress.The manager acknowledges the importance of well-being and recognises that this has a big impact on children's learning and development. Staff say that they feel appreciated and supported, and they work diligently to ensure that the children make good progress.

However, staff coaching and focused professional development opportunities have not yet been prioritised in order to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager has instilled a positive safeguarding culture throughout the pre-school.

All staff have completed safeguarding training and fully understand their responsibilities to record and report any safeguarding concerns swiftly. Staff teach children about potential hazards and how to stay safe. They explain why and how to hold scissors when cutting out shapes, and they give gentle reminders that the ground is slippery when it is icy.

This allows the children to begin to manage their own risks and learn to keep themselves safe. Robust recruitment arrangements ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children, and thorough risk assessments of the premises ensure that all areas are safe and secure.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: refine the existing process for gathering and sharing information about children's current knowledge and skills, in order to inform the curriculum at the earliest opportunity strengthen arrangements for staff coaching and professional development to more sharply focus on enhancing staff's teaching and practice to the highest level.