Greenleys Community Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are supported by experienced and nurturing staff at their pre-school. Overall, children are well behaved and are consistently praised for good manners and achievements.

Children are encouraged to develop their independence throughout the daily routine of pre-school. For instance, children find their name on arrival for self-registration, hang their own coats on their pegs and many of them can take themselves to the bathroom. This allows children to grow in their independence and display high levels of emotional well-being.

All children's communication and language skills are developing well. Staff use a variet...y of communication methods, such as sign language, visual aids and hand gestures, to support those who are at an earlier stage in their speech and language development. This provides children with the tools they need to express their needs and desires while their speech is emerging.

This means that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who speak English as an additional language, learn to be effective communicators.Children develop the physical skills they need in preparation for future writing. For example, they strengthen their hand muscles through a range of mark-making opportunities inside and outside.

This supports all children as they explore with the dough or make marks for a purpose with chalks outside. All children enjoy access to the outside area throughout the day. In addition, children access the natural world and a variety of learning experiences.

For example, children attend forest-school sessions regularly and visit local farms to see the lambing season. This allows children to access a range of rich learning experiences in their local community.

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

Staff have a good understanding of their curriculum and how children learn.

They plan a rich and varied selection of well-organised activities to encourage children to explore and build on what they already know. This helps children to make good progress.There are effective partnerships between parents and staff.

Parents speak highly of the staff and how supportive they are. In addition, the pre-school works in partnership with the school to provide the children with a good transition when it is time for them to move on. For example, the children are taken to the school with their key person and teachers come to visit pre-school to see the children in their familiar environment.

A strong key-person system is in place. Staff understand the importance of this role in helping children to build attachments and to feel safe and secure. All staff get to know children and their wider families well.

Staff regularly share children's learning and development with parents and offer suggestions for activities to do at home.Staff present clear information to children. This promotes discussion about the subject they are teaching.

Staff engage with the children and talk about their play and interests. Staff model language well and help children to develop a broad vocabulary. They ask relevant questions to encourage children to recall and apply their existing knowledge, to work things out and to express their own ideas.

However, at times, they ask questions in quick succession and do not give children the time they need to process their thoughts and respond.The manager and the special educational needs coordinator are knowledgeable about ensuring that children's individual needs are prioritised. They work confidently with external agencies and have implemented effective strategies to provide early intervention where required.

Staff adapt resources to help children with SEND to play alongside others and still feel included in pre-school life.The new manager and her team have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Staff work well together and benefit from supervision sessions, which provide support and promote continuous professional development.

They feel valued and thoroughly enjoy working at the pre-school. However, the committee has not fully established systems for also supporting the new manager as she settles into her role, such as ensuring that she receives similar supervision opportunities.Staff support children to follow good personal hygiene routines.

For example, further to good handwashing routines, following on from COVID-19, children routinely wash their hands on arrival for each session, in addition to after outdoor play or before eating food. Staff discuss the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle with children. The children understand the importance of good oral health, exercise and drinking frequently to remain hydrated.

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: support staff to recognise and improve when to allow children more time to process and respond to questions strengthen arrangements for providing the manager with support and supervision, to promote her well-being and aid her professional development.