Happy Valley Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are greeted by friendly staff as they arrive at the pre-school. They are keen to separate from their carers and are happy to see staff. Children explore their environment confidently and quickly find something to play with.

They enjoy washing toy babies in a tray of water and bubbles. Children squeeze sponges and watch the soap ooze out. They hold the toy babies gently as they wipe the wet sponge over them.

Staff talk to children about making the babies clean and describe the 'foam' and 'bubbles' being squeezed from the sponge. Children particularly enjoy using the outdoor area. Staff have constructed an area ...for children to grow vegetables and herbs.

They encourage children to take the weeds out of the soil and explain that they will make the plants 'poorly' if they are left to grow. Children smell the parsley they have grown and ask what the other plants are called. Staff describe the carrots and talk about children taking them home to eat with their family for dinner.

Staff combine different learning opportunities as they describe the insects which live in the soil and how they help the flowers and plants to grow.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum which prioritises children's communication development. They describe how they want children to develop relationships with others and develop their independence and confidence.

They focus on developing children's language in order to prepare them for their next stage of learning.Staff plan activities for children that are based on their interests. Children are keen to explore the activities on offer.

Staff interact with children and talk to them about what they are doing. However, staff do not always apply ways to extend children's learning further. This means that children lose interest quickly and are sometimes seen wandering around the room.

Therefore, children do not get the most out of their learning.Generally, children behave well. Since the last inspection, staff have started to implement some strategies which support children to understand the impact of their behaviour.

This is beginning to make a difference to how children respond to their peers.Children who speak English as an additional language have opportunities to use their primary language alongside developing their language skills in English. Staff display words in children's primary language and use picture symbols to aid any difficulties in communication.

Staff speak a range of different languages, which supports the relationship between staff and children's families.Staff offer activities which cover all areas of learning for children. They let children lead their own play and choose what they want to play with.

However, the organisation of the environment does not always excite children and motivate them to learn. For example, books are found ripped on shelves and the role-play area has very little resources which are visible to children to ignite their curiosity. Therefore, children do not fully benefit from opportunities to develop their exploratory and investigative skills.

Parents talk positively about the care their children receive. They say that their children are happy to attend. Parents know who their child's key person is and receive information on a daily basis about what their children have been doing.

Parents describe being 'part of a family'.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff quickly identify any delays in children's development and work closely with parents to create learning plans which help children to experience consistency of care.

They welcome advice from other professionals to establish appropriate strategies, which means that children make progress.Leaders have identified where improvements are required across the pre-school. They have devised plans to action these and work closely with staff to make changes to practice.

Leaders plan training days for staff and model any new approaches which are implemented to ensure that staff understand these. This means that staff continuously develop their knowledge and skills to improve learning experiences for children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff understand their responsibilities to keep children safe. They can identify signs that may mean a child is at risk of harm and know what procedures they should follow should a concern arise. Staff carry out rigorous risk assessments of the outdoor area and teach children how to check for risks when crossing a public space to enter the garden area.

Leaders ensure that staff regularly refresh their safeguarding knowledge and explain what they would do if an allegation was made against a member of staff. There are suitable recruitment procedures in place to determine the suitability of staff working with children.

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 understand how to extend learning opportunities so that children experience the highest level of teaching develop the organisation of the learning environment so that it excites and motivates children to access the learning activities on offer.