Flockton Playgroup

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled at this friendly and safe pre-school.

Staff welcome parents and carers into the setting each morning. This, alongside the close bonds that children have with staff, helps children to feel emotionally secure. As a result, children arrive to the setting after their summer holiday break ready and excited to play and learn.

Children show that they remember the rules and expectations. For example, they listen to instructions from staff and eagerly help to tidy up the toys.Children receive daily opportunities to play and explore outdoors.

They become highly engrossed as they pretend to... cook in the mud kitchen. Children concentrate well as they practise their balancing skills on crates and wooden planks. They explore which equipment to use to make a bridge on their obstacle course.

These opportunities support children to continue to develop their problem-solving skills and imaginations.Staff regularly introduce new vocabulary to children. They demonstrate to children how to speak in sentences to each other and ask questions.

This supports children to develop their conversation skills. Children also receive many opportunities to learn how to listen and pay attention. For instance, staff take children on listening walks.

Children take part in group activities to practise their turn-taking and listening skills. These approaches support children to become confident in speaking and listening to each other and the adults who work with them.

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

Staff observe children as they play and identify the skills and knowledge that they have achieved.

They use this information to plan for children's next steps in development. Staff find out about children's interests. They aim to provide further opportunities to learn about these and extend them.

The learning environment is stimulating and meets children's needs. This helps children to remain highly motivated to play and learn.Children receive lots of praise for their efforts, or when they do something well.

They receive a note on the 'proud cloud' or a special sticker. Children develop their understanding of this and say their parents are 'proud' of them. This supports children to develop their self-esteem and confidence.

The setting is run by qualified and experienced staff. On some occasions, volunteers and parent helpers dedicate their time to provide further support to the employed staff. However, the provider does not always ensure that staff's and volunteers' time is always used in the best way.

For example, sometimes, qualified staff spend time carrying out tasks away from the children. During this time, less-experienced volunteers assist other staff members in supporting children's play. This does not ensure that children consistently benefit from the high-quality learning experiences that qualified staff are able to provide.

Staff encourage parents to further support their children's learning at home. For instance, children take turns to take home a teddy bear to take on adventures with their families. Staff know which books children enjoy, and send these home to share with their parents.

This supports families to develop good reading routines for children and helps to promote a love of books and stories.Children receive healthy snacks at the pre-school. This includes foods such as fruit and wholemeal toast.

Children bring packed lunches to eat at mealtimes. Staff provide some information to parents about how to provide healthy lunchboxes for their children. However, some children's lunchboxes contain salty snacks and sugary juice.

Staff have not provided further communication to ensure that all parents and children receive consistent messages about healthy diets.Staff closely monitor children's progress and quickly identify any concerns about their development. This helps staff and the provider to make sure that appropriate assessments are carried out by other professionals.

Staff work with advisers from the local authority to ensure that focused plans are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, children with SEND receive good levels of support for their learning and development.Staff take part in regular supervision sessions.

They receive opportunities to further extend their knowledge by completing higher level childcare qualifications. Consequently, their skills and practice continues to improve. This, in turn, enhances the quality of their interactions with children.

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: strengthen the organisation of activities and routines to make the best possible use of staff's time, to ensure that children continue to receive consistently high-quality learning experiences nenhance communication with parents, to provide further information about healthy food options for children's lunchboxes.