Herstmonceux Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at pre-school. On the day of inspection, one child was seen bounding through the door and telling staff excitedly 'I'm going on a bear hunt!'.

He fully understood this was the planned activity for the day and could not wait to get to pre-school. Several parents were seen having to remind their children to say goodbye at drop-off time as the children became engrossed in activities so quickly. The relationships between children and staff are very strong.

Children approach staff confidently for help, comfort and support. They clearly know that staff will help them and keep them safe. F...or example, one child struggled to put his coat on and asked a staff member, 'Please will you help me?'.

All children have lovely manners and behave very well. They are kind to one another and share and take turns in their play. One child was heard to say to another child, 'Please may I have a go?'.

The other child said 'Of course!'.The quality of teaching is good. The new manager leads a strong, dedicated team of staff.

They share the same vision to give children the best possible start to their learning. Activities are planned well to meet the individual learning needs of every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Every child makes good progress, especially those who need extra help with their learning.

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

Although the manager has only been in post for a few weeks, she has already accurately identified how she can make further improvements to the provision. She recognises that some changes are needed to the planning of larger group activities. At times, children have to sit for long periods, and a few children lose interest and concentration.

Full use is made of the outside areas to extend and enrich children's learning. Children and staff make regular trips to the adjoining woodland to explore a range of activities. On the day of inspection, children thoroughly enjoyed recreating the story of 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'.

They splashed in the stream and made dens out of logs to hide their bears in. Staff engaged in creative play with the children and extended children's learning well.Most opportunities are used very well to develop children's speaking and listening skills.

Staff encourage children to pronounce words clearly and learn new vocabulary through topic work. For example, as children enjoy the bear hunt story, staff remind them about the different language used in the book and help them learn about positional language such as 'over', 'under' and 'through'. However, although staff use a good range of questions to help develop children's knowledge, on a few occasions they answer questions too quickly and do not give children sufficient time to think before they respond.

Children develop very positive attitudes towards learning. Even the youngest children are inquisitive, curious and keen to explore. Good attention is given towards respecting the individual wishes of every child.

For example, at the end of each session, children explain to staff what they have enjoyed doing and what they would like to do next time. This enables staff to take full account of children's interests when planning activities.Children's health and welfare needs are met well.

They benefit from plenty of activities outside and practise moving in a variety of ways. For example, a steep slope in the garden provides an exciting space for children to climb up and roll down. Children delight in digging in the mud area and enjoy practising a range of skills, such as pouring and stirring as they play in the mud kitchen.

A good range of topic work helps children understand how to follow a healthy lifestyle. For example, they enjoy tasting new, nutritious foods at snack time and understand the importance of good dental hygiene.Good attention is paid towards keeping children safe.

Staff deploy themselves well to make sure children are fully supervised at all times, both inside and outside. Children learn about possible risks when they visit the woodland. They remind each other about the importance of being vigilant as they cross the car park.

Once in the woodland, children fully understand where they can play, and they recognise the possible risks associated in playing near water. Staff explain these hazards well and children are confident playing in these areas.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are extremely vigilant about safeguarding children. Stringent procedures are in place to ensure that every possible check is carried out on potential new staff during the recruitment process. Comprehensive policies and regular training mean that staff have a very good understanding of the signs to look out for that may indicate a child is at risk of abuse or is being exposed to extreme views and inappropriate behaviours.

Staff are vigilant and ensure that children's well-being is protected at all times. They help parents understand how to keep children safe at home, particularly when using digital media.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of larger group activities to make sure children remain engaged in purposeful learning develop the support for children's communication skills further by ensuring staff allow children sufficient time to think before they respond to questions.