Costessey Pre School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and show that they feel safe and secure.

They are warmly greeted by happy and caring staff. Children have established close bonds with their key person and settle quickly. They thrive in this nurturing and caring pre-school.

Children approach activities with enthusiasm and are eager to learn. They have fun in the garden and squeal with excitement when they find a ladybird. Staff use their skills and ask children questions about what they can see.

Children gather around and are keen to answer, saying, 'It has black wings and orange spots.'Staff plan an environment that ignites children's curi...osity. There is a hive of activity within the pre-school as exciting activities capture children's imagination.

They pretend to be pirates and look for buried treasure. Staff engage children in meaningful conversations. They ask questions to encourage their thinking and extend their imagination.

Children beam with joy as staff bring their favourite stories to life with the aid of puppets. They listen attentively and recall their favourite parts of the story. Children develop a love of books.

Children respond positively to staff's high expectations. Staff speak to children in a kind and nurturing way that is respectful. Children beam with delight as staff praise them for their efforts, good behaviour and manners, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you'.

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

The manager and staff have created a curriculum tailored to meet the needs of the children in their care. Children thrive as staff consistently build on what they know and can do. They are highly motivated to work together as they design an obstacle course out of guttering and milk crates.

Children develop good physical skills as they learn to balance and negotiate the obstacle course. They discuss and make adjustments as they move along it, developing their problem-solving skills.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported.

Staff work closely with parents and other professionals. As a result, children are making good progress in their development. The pre-school uses additional funding to ensure that all children have access to the curriculum.

For example, children are offered extra sessions, one-to-one support and role-play pop-up activity days.The staff ensure that every child has the opportunity to progress in their development. They set out activities to entice children to engage and learn new skills.

Children enjoy mixing paints. They talk about the colours, changing them and making new colours. Staff help children to develop their small hand muscles.

They encourage them to roll, squash and squeeze the play dough. Staff use mathematical language such as 'taller' and 'smaller' when measuring the children's height. However, staff are not consistent in their teaching of mathematical concepts, such as counting and numbers.

Children's independence is well supported. Staff have high expectations and children undertake many tasks for themselves. For instance, during snack time they pour their drinks and serve their snack.

They wash and dry up their cups and plates. Children go the toilet by themselves and know to wash their hands before mealtimes. They independently access resources and make choices in their play.

Children tell visitors, 'You need a hat and put on sun cream when it's sunny outside.' Staff provide a language-rich environment. They constantly talk to children, sing songs and read books.

Staff place a strong focus on children's language development. They repeat mispronounced words back to the children and use repetition to check their understanding. Staff narrate as children play to help them hear and learn new words.

This supports children to be confident communicators.Parents say that staff are 'nurturing'. They comment on the regular feedback they receive about their children's development and next steps.

Parents state that the pre-school offers a stimulating environment where their children thrive. They say that the pre-school arrangements are very flexible and that communication is very good. Parents attend open days.

The manager and staff are very passionate about providing the highest-quality care and learning for the children. The manager has built a team of staff who are confident in their roles and enjoy coming to work. Staff comment that they feel valued and respected.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff have attended child protection training. They can identify potential abuse and know where to record and report their concerns.

Staff are clear about the importance of making prompt referrals, should they have any concerns about a child. They have a written policy in place with the contact details of external agencies. In addition, staff have a noticeboard with the same information for quick reference.

Staff are aware of the whistle-blowing policy and know what to do if they become concerned about the behaviour of a colleague. There are robust recruitment procedures to ensure staff's suitability to work with children.

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 be consistent in developing children's mathematical awareness of numbers and counting.

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