Crestwood Pre-school

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

All children and families are warmly welcomed into this inclusive pre-school. Parents highly recommend the group. They feel their children receive the best support to feel safe and happy to play when they first attend.

Children are supported exceptionally well to develop relationships with adults and friendships with other children. Children's behaviour reflects the calm and happy atmosphere staff create. Younger children quickly learn how to interact and play with other children.

Children who are learning to speak English as an additional language benefit from the targeted support they receive to become involved in pl...ay with other children. Older children demonstrate how well their social skills and friendships are developing as they engage in imaginative play together. They listen to each other's ideas and instructions to develop agreed storylines in their pretend play.

These skills prepare children well for their future learning. Children develop positive attitudes to learning and benefit from meaningful and exciting learning opportunities across the well-planned curriculum. Children say, 'That's cool' in amazement as they find out how magnets stick, repel and move things like magic.

Children concentrate and persevere. They show their growing understanding of shape as they follow pictorial instructions and use magnetic shapes to make models, such as robots. Children demonstrate their good levels of curiosity as they explore and experiment using magnets on different objects around the room.

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

The manager and staff are passionate about working with parents to provide the best start for all children. They place a high focus on identifying where children may need extra support. This helps to ensure all children develop the skills they need for their next stage in learning, including their move to school.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make particularly good progress. Staff work closely with parents and any other agencies involved so that children get all of the support they need through a consistent process of assessment. However, staff are not as swift in reviewing and adapting all children's individual next steps in learning.

On occasion, this leads to children not being fully challenged to build upon what they already know and can do.Strong focus is placed on helping children to develop their attention, listening and speaking skills. Staff are excellent role models for children who are learning to speak English as an additional language.

They are skilful in engaging children in conversations and introducing new vocabulary to them as they play. Children are encouraged to recall their experiences and share their thoughts and ideas about what they are seeing and doing. Children take part in planned small- and large-group adult-led activities, which are aimed at further progressing this area of learning.

However, staff do not consistently review and adapt their teaching in these sessions so that children benefit from being fully supported and challenged to make even better progress.Children are making good progress in their early literacy skills. They learn to recognise their own name and they are beginning to become interested in the sounds that represent the letters of the alphabet.

Children show great delight in listening to engaging and lively stories. Children enjoy repeating rhyming words and using props. They take part in new experiences, such as using paper telescopes to join in the action of looking left, right and 'up to the sky' to look for a 'shark'.

Staff promote children's physical health effectively. Children have access to physical play outdoors throughout the day. Children gain good control over their bodies.

They play running games and move in different ways to travel around obstacle courses. Children take part in preparing fruit snacks and learn about the importance of good hygiene and healthy foods.The manager and staff feel supported by the committee who manage the group.

The manager has a deep understanding of what support children need to make the best progress they can. She completes regular supervisions with staff and identifies and supports most of their training needs. However, she does not consistently evaluate staff's practice and provide all the coaching and support staff need to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Children's safety is given the highest priority. The manager and staff are proactive in their role to protect children from harm.

Children are well supervised and security arrangements are good and prevent unauthorised visitors entering the pre-school. The manager and staff recognise the early signs that may indicate that families need additional support. They respond swiftly and sensitively if they have concerns about a child's welfare.

The manager ensures that all staff are suitable to work with children. Robust recruitment procedures mean that all new staff are thoroughly vetted before they 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: review and adapt children's individual next steps in learning more frequently so that children are fully challenged to build upon what they already know and can do strengthen the evaluation of staff's practice and provide staff with all of the coaching and support they need to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level, particularly in planned adult-led sessions.

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