Harlington Village Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are excited to arrive at this friendly pre-school. Enthusiastic staff greet them and chat about the activities planned for the day.

Children are encouraged to play an active role in planning and preparing an exciting learning environment. For example, children attending the breakfast club help staff to set up a sensory farm scene for the pre-school children to enjoy. They enthusiastically prepare fields and fences out of cereal and lay out animals for their younger friends to explore.

Children show high levels of curiosity in their play. They explore the environment and discuss their observations with the atte...ntive staff. Staff support children's critical-thinking skills by encouraging them to explore their ideas.

For example, children observe the colours they see in puddles. Staff encourage them to use brooms to combine powdered paints and discuss the new colours that they create.Children develop close bonds with the nurturing staff.

They cuddle up to them to listen to stories and seek staff out to proudly show off their artwork. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) form particularly close bonds with their key staff. They display high levels of affection and demonstrate that they feel secure in staff's attentive care.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about how children learn. They plan well-sequenced activities aimed at developing children's skills and supporting their future learning. For example, children use a variety of objects to squeeze the juice out of citrus fruits.

Staff explain that this helps to develop children's hand muscles in preparation for writing.Children behave well at the pre-school. They are kind to one another and encourage their friends to join in activities.

Staff use age-appropriate methods to support children's understanding of acceptable behaviour. For example, children understand that it is dangerous to stand on chairs. Staff reward children with stickers when they correctly explain that they could fall off and hurt themselves or others.

Parents speak highly of staff and the high-quality teaching they provide. They comment on the progress their children make at the pre-school. Parents value the nurturing relationships that staff form with children.

They acknowledge how this supports children's well-being and enables them to settle swiftly in pre-school.Children of all ages demonstrate high levels of independence. During the breakfast-club session, children pour their own drinks and serve themselves food.

They scoop cereal into bowls and spread their chosen toppings onto their toast. Pre-school children are confident in putting on their own coats and shoes and in tending to their own essential hygiene routines independently.The manager and staff establish strong relationships with parents.

Parents are fully informed about children's development, with daily updates and regular progress reports. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team maintained regular contact with families. They participated in online story sessions and distributed resources and activities.

Parents play an active role in the pre-school. They show their support in fundraising activities and take part in celebrations and special events.Children with SEND are particularly well supported in the pre-school.

Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children benefit from high-quality, one-to-one care. This ensures that children with SEND make good progress from their starting points.Children of all ages thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in the pre-school.

Staff are highly skilled at setting up an exciting environment for all children. Children attending the breakfast club enjoy a variety of craft activities and independently select age-appropriate resources. Once the breakfast club has ended, the staff swiftly transform the environment to cater for the specific interests and needs of the pre-school children.

Staff have detailed knowledge of the children in their care, their abilities and their learning goals. They use this information to plan focused learning activities aimed at supporting children's progress. However, staff do not always use this knowledge of children's next steps when supporting them in activities and sessions of free play.

Opportunities to maximise children's learning are sometimes missed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Management and staff demonstrate good knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse.

They clearly explain the correct process to follow when raising concerns to the appropriate authority. The manager has robust recruitment and induction processes in place. This ensures all staff are suitable to work with children.

All staff complete regular first-aid and safeguarding training to keep their knowledge up to date. Staff supervise children well in all areas of the pre-school and conduct regular risk assessments of the environment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nensure staff consistently apply their extensive knowledge of children's development needs during activities, to support all children in making excellent progress.

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