Holy Trinity Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children demonstrate extremely positive attitudes to learning through consistently high levels of concentration and enjoyment. They begin to experiment with tools and resources that capture their natural curiosity, such as tape measures, rulers and timers, during their play.

Children listen intently to their favourite story and use the soft toys and other props to bring the story to life. During such activities, children are extremely confident at recognising the initial sounds in words. Children show very high levels of confidence in their play.

For example, they stand on the outdoor stage and sing songs on the...ir own using the microphone and stand. Children keenly investigate as they mix the mud, water and seeds with a stick. They carefully pour the mixture into cake tins.

During such activities, children talk to each other with increasing confidence about what they are doing and about the imaginary roles they are playing. Staff use many spontaneous learning opportunities very well and encourage children to closely observe and describe the worm they have found outside. Children have long periods throughout the day when they can choose to play indoors or outdoors.

They show extremely good control and coordination outdoors as they balance on tyres, climb trees under close supervision and pull the rope of the home-made pulley. Children's behaviour is excellent and they show empathy and a high regard for their friends. They are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their learning, such as school.

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

Staff's assessment of children's progress is highly comprehensive and is used to identify precise and challenging next steps in children's learning. They provide a curriculum that offers children a wealth of inspiring activities that support children to strengthen and deepen their skills across all areas of their learning.Staff have attended training on how to be even more effective in how they support children with speech, language and communication needs.

For example, they listen intently to children during learning activities and everyday tasks and skillfully help them to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings. Furthermore, staff expand on what children are saying, and introduce more complex sentences. These types of experiences help children to make exceptional progress in their communication development.

Staff have regular opportunities to observe the visiting teacher undertaking a programme of letters and sounds activities with the children. This ensures that staff receive focused and highly effective professional development with a particular emphasis on literacy. Consequently, teaching is highly effective and children's literacy skills are rapidly increasing.

The management team ensures that they actively promote a positive and respectful culture through the whole curriculum and amongst staff. For example, children regularly visit a care home for the elderly, where they sing with the residents and value the diversity of people. Furthermore, staff comment that they feel extremely well supported in effectively managing their workloads and well-being.

There are a range of highly effective strategies in place that keep parents exceptionally well-informed about their child's progress so that they can support and extend their child's learning at home. Parents bring in fruit or vegetables each day for children to share in playgroup. This, along with milk or water to drink, helps children to learn about and experience a healthy diet.

The management team regularly seeks the views of parents, children, staff and the local authority advisers, including those who support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps to drive forward ongoing improvements, which consistently maintains high-quality care and education for all children.Staff have extensive knowledge of the importance of supporting children's emotional security and they do this exceedingly well.

Children form secure emotional attachments with staff through a highly effective key-person system and settling-in procedure. Staff use extremely successful strategies, including high-quality positive role modelling, to promote children's good behaviour.The playgroup's trained forest school leader takes the children on weekly visits to the woodland environment at the nearby school.

She, along with playgroup staff, supervise children exceptionally well as they experience optimum challenge and manage risks for themselves outdoors. For example, children zoom down the slide into the mud puddle, make their own dens and cook marshmallows on a real fire.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff have an exceptionally good knowledge of the signs that may indicate that a child is at risk of abuse or neglect. They are acutely aware of the correct procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child's welfare. The management team ensures that visitors to the playgroup have all the information they need to keep children safe.

For example, they are made aware of the code of conduct that they must follow and of the playgroup's whistle-blowing procedures. Staff thoroughly check all indoor and outdoor areas to identify and minimise any possible risks to children. This, and risk-assessing all outings off the premises, helps to keep children extremely safe and well.