Ewelme Village Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy their time at the pre-school.

They explore toys and resources, happily knowing that their key person is close to hand to support them if necessary. Children welcome visitors and include them in routines, such as snack time, where they demonstrate their understanding about what makes a healthy snack.Children benefit from daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise.

For example, they go on frequent walks in the local area to observe changes in the seasons. They develop their coordination and balance as they play on large-scale equipment indoors. Children are eager to play outdoors.

They show go...od independence in relation to their age as they put their coats on and keep trying in order to zip them up.Children benefit from consistently high expectations from staff. They know that they need to use their 'listening ears' and 'eyes for sight' as they enthusiastically sit for group times with their friends.

Children demonstrate good listening and attention. They delight in acting out the plot from 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt', showing the different ways to move in the long grass.

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

Since the last inspection, the manager has led significant improvements to the quality of the curriculum.

All staff can explain the overall aims for the seven areas of learning and how they plan activities to meet children's next steps. Staff confidently talk about the intent for learning for activities that they prepare.Staff consider the needs of the youngest children at the planning stage well.

For example, they know the intention of activities and consider how to adapt the equipment to make them accessible for all. They tailor their interactions to the age and stage of the children effectively, to help them achieve their targets.Staff capture teachable opportunities that arise to develop children's literacy skills.

However, on occasion, there are inconsistencies in their own subject knowledge in relation to literacy. This means that the content they teach is sometimes inaccurate.Staff help children to learn about their feelings and emotions.

For instance, children learn to talk about facial expressions and feelings, such as 'happy', 'sad', 'angry' or 'funny'. Staff offer sensitive support to children who are adjusting to pre-school. For example, they use visual prompts to help children know what is coming now and next.

This helps them to feel safe and secure.Staff recognise when children need support to develop their social circle. However, a small number of children play with those most familiar to them, and staff do not fully recognise how they can deploy themselves to further promote their social skills.

Staff help children to learn how to keep themselves healthy. During their play, children talk about an impressive range of fruits and vegetables, such as 'apricots, 'turnips' and 'broccoli'. They recall their prior knowledge, confidently talking about why these foods are healthy and about the importance of toothbrushing.

Staff actively challenge stereotypes in their interactions with children. For instance, they encourage children to take on different roles in their imaginary play. They give children choices, which enable them to be unique.

They help children to recognise that they can all have their own view or opinion while following the pre-school value of 'We are all friends together.' The committee members are actively involved in the leadership and management of the pre-school. They support the manager in her role and review her performance.

They have plans in place to help the pre-school improve further, such as in relation to supporting staff well-being and introducing even more ways of working with parents.Support for staff is meaningful and robust. New staff report that they had a successful induction.

This helped them to become familiar with the routines and policies of the pre-school. For instance, they benefitted from shadowing a key person before taking on the key-person role themselves. This helped them to do this confidently.

Managers also supervise the performance of staff regularly and thoroughly. This is helping the whole team to raise the quality of education.Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well.

For example, they help parents access guidance from professionals, such as the health visitor. Staff build positive relationships with other settings children transfer to. This helps to promote continuity in children's development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a secure understanding of how to keep children safe. For instance, they complete risk assessments of the spaces used each day and before outings to identify and minimise any hazards.

The manager ensures that staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. For example, staff complete regular training, and the manager checks their knowledge through questioning. Staff are able to talk about signs and symptoms of abuse.

They know how to refer any potential concerns about children's welfare. The new committee chair has a secure understanding of the need to ensure that suitability checks are conducted for all new committee members before they become involved in the leadership and management of the pre-school.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen staff subject knowledge and help to promote children's literacy skills more effectively in preparation for starting school review staff deployment, particularly outdoors, and strengthen opportunities to help children develop their social interactions with others.