Fleet Methodist Church Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff have high expectations for children. They provide a welcoming environment. Children demonstrate that they are happy and feel safe and secure.

During the inspection, children were curious about the topic of British wildlife. They looked at reference books to identify birds they had seen in their garden. With staff guidance, children learned to differentiate the differences between male and female varieties through for example, the colours of their feathers.

They looked at toy creatures, naming these and considering if any, such as the hedgehog, visit their gardens. Children were very keen to make bird feeders. The...y use skilful hand-to-eye coordination when threading cereal pieces onto pipe cleaners.

Children explain they will hang these on trees at home for the birds to eat. Staff proactively compile a reference sheet for children to use at home. These show pictures of the most common birds, so children can spot these on the feeders, to extend their learning further.

Children have positive relationships with the staff who care for them. They learn about respecting each other. This is demonstrated through discussions children have with staff, following an activity staff planned for children to do at home to celebrate National Kindness Day.

Staff and children discuss the feedback from parents about kind acts, which included sharing toys and playing nicely with siblings. Staff help children to understand vocabulary used by parents, for example by explaining what a 'compliment' is.

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

The manager is conscientious and hard-working.

She has a clear vision for the pre-school's practice and engages very well with her staff. For example, she is constructive in the ways that she helps to ensure that staff are not unduly overloaded in their work and that they receive purposeful support and training. Staff state positively that many improvements have been achieved recently, including extending and enhancing opportunities for outdoor play.

New staff speak confidently of a robust induction that fully prepares them for their roles and responsibilities.Partnerships with parents are well established. Staff place a high priority on supporting the ways learning is extended at home.

This is implemented in a variety of ways, including home learning activities and the lending library. Staff explain that the library has made a positive impact on children's willingness to exchange books to read at home. Parents state passionately that their children enjoy attending pre-school.

They add that staff are experienced and thoroughly support children's future learning. Parents are appreciative of the information they receive to help them plan for the topics children will be learning about.Staff demonstrate integrity in how they ensure children needing additional support or interventions receive this.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those children speaking English as an additional language, make good progress in relation to their starting points.Staff implement the early years foundation stage curriculum well overall. They demonstrate effective teaching and interactions at most times.

However, staff do not consistently show confidence to be more ambitious in the ways they extend and enhance weekly topics that children show interest in, for example the shape, colour, number and letter of the week. This means, at times, children lose concentration and motivation to take part and join in.Children show inquisitiveness about why things happen.

For example, they are very keen to learn more about the large block of ice. Flowers and leaves are frozen within the ice to build on the topic of wildlife and children use one-handed tools to break the ice up. Staff encourage children to make predictions about what is happening as they use small hammers to crack away at the ice.

Children understand that the ice is melting and turning to water.Children show attention as they listen to stories. Older children show an awareness of the terms 'author' and 'illustrator' as they talk about the books.

Staff help children to understand about emotions. For instance, they make suggestions about how the characters feel. Children enjoy singing popular rhymes during group activities.

However, they often show distraction and sometimes a lack of self-control as the group sessions are not aimed securely enough to take into account children's abilities, age and stage.Staff are supportive of children's independence and confidence. For example, children take it in turns to be 'special helper', where they help choose the story book and set up tables for snack time and lunch.

Children demonstrate an emerging awareness of letters and numbers. For instance, they recognise some of their friends' names on the place mats and count how many cups and plates are needed. Staff help children to understand about risk, as they take turns to be 'safety helper'.

Children show responsibility as they help staff to check the outdoors for hazards prior to their friends going out to play.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff adhere to robust policies, procedures and risk assessments that help to promote children's health, safety and well-being effectively.

Staff have a secure understanding of all safeguarding matters. They confidently demonstrate their awareness of possible indicators of abuse or neglect. Staff know the procedures to follow to make a timely referral if a concern is raised about a child.

Staff know their responsibilities of how to act should they have a concern regarding a senior staff member and have received training in relation to the 'Prevent' duty. Secure systems are in place for the recruitment, induction and training of staff to help ensure their ongoing suitability.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the quality of staff interactions to build on how children engage in their learning activities and maintain higher levels of concentration review practice for group time sessions in order to be more consistent in how these activities are aimed at children's abilities, age and stage, to help ensure the best possible impact for children's learning.