Collingham and District Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

When children first start attending, they are invited to taster sessions to help them become familiar with staff and the environment. Staff use strategies to promote children's emotional well-being during this time.

For example, they help children to understand what is happening now and what will happen next, such as when parents will come to collect them. This helps children to become familiar with the routine and to settle. Children are physically active.

For instance, in the garden, they copy staff as they show them how to move across obstacle courses. Children develop their balance and coordination as they walk acr...oss wooden planks and jump on a hopscotch grid. When older children struggle to take turns using equipment outside, staff support them using visual prompts to help them understand when it is their turn.

For instance, this includes children using a sand timer. Younger children show positive attitudes in their play and a willingness to try new things. For example, when they build using foam shapes and their constructions fall over, staff suggest they place them on a hard surface before balancing them again.

Children listen and follow the staff's instructions, achieving their goal of making a pretend castle. Children are supported to develop their communication and language skills. For instance, they sing songs with staff and listen to stories.

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

The manager and staff help children to be emotionally ready for their move on to school. For example, they take all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to visit the school regularly at different times of the day. This helps children to become familiar with the routines at school and the children who attend.

The manager and staff use observations and assessments to help identify how to support children's development and to close any gaps in their learning. They identify that some children need further help to develop their understanding of mathematics. Therefore, staff plan activities that ignite children's excitement.

Children search for numbers that staff hide in the environment. Staff support them to recognise the different numbers they find.At the beginning of some group-time activities, staff help children understand the expectations for behaviour.

This includes reminding children to use 'good listening ears' and 'looking eyes'. However, during some adult-led activities, staff do not fully support children to engage and benefit from the learning experiences offered. This results in some children losing interest.

The manager and staff share information with parents about their children's development. They support parents to continue their children's learning at home. This includes helping them to support their children's behaviour.

Staff lend the parents of children who speak English as an additional language books in their home language and in English to encourage them to read to their children.Staff have a good knowledge of their key children's learning needs, including what they need to learn next. However, strategies for sharing information between key persons are not effective.

This results in staff not always recognising how best to support children's development as they play. Therefore, children are not always supported to make the progress they are capable of.Staff offer children nutritious foods and drinks to help promote a healthy diet.

They help them to understand what food is healthy and how much they need in a day, such as to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables.Children with SEND are supported well. Staff receive specific training from other professionals.

This helps them understand how to use equipment safely to support children's physical skills. Children have individual targets in place, and the manager uses additional funding that children receive to provide one-to-one support. This results in children building on their development.

The manager and staff reflect on the experiences they offer children. Recent changes to the routine have helped staff to meet children's personal needs. For instance, staff ensure children have opportunities for exercise outdoors after lunchtime so they are not sitting for long periods.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to engage children more fully in planned activities so children get the most from learning experiences strengthen the sharing of information between key persons so that staff understand how to support children's learning as they play.