Hopscotch Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff create a warm and friendly pre-school where children are safe and secure. Children enter the pre-school with excitement and enthusiasm. They demonstrate that they are happy in their surroundings.

Children move around the playroom choosing what they would like to play with from the wide range of interesting resources and activities. Staff are kind and attentive to children's needs and listen to what they have to say. As a result, children are confident, settled and behave well.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning and provide challenges to enhance their development. For example, they provide a wide... range of cardboard tubes and drainpipes to encourage children to build creatively using different materials. All children are keen learners and have a positive attitude to their learning.

They enjoy taking part in activities led by adults. For instance, children show great enjoyment as they mix the ingredients together to make currant buns. They wait patiently for their turn to stir the mixture and are fascinated when the mixture comes together.

Children use their small-muscle skills to knead the mixture and describe how it feels, saying 'it's all sticky and squashy'. Staff praise the children for their efforts, helping to build their self-esteem.

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

Staff know the children well.

They check what children know and can do from the time they start at the pre-school. Staff use this information effectively to provide opportunities that help develop children's next steps in learning. They widen children's current experiences from home to support their learning.

For example, they take children on nature walks to extend their exploratory skills and to learn about the world around them.Staff promote children's communication and language well. They talk to children and ask questions to encourage them to think.

Staff know when to make suggestions to help broaden children's speaking skills. For example, staff suggest the children use cars with the play dough. Children are excited about this and talk about the cars getting 'stuck in the mud' and driving on 'zigzag' and 'straight' roads.

Staff are good role models and support children's emotional well-being successfully. They teach children effectively to manage their emotions and feelings. Children learn to show respect and kindness and develop early friendships.

They share, take turns and play cooperatively together.Staff promote children's writing skills. They provide activities using flour, sticks and fir cones to make marks with.

In addition, staff position paper, crayons and clip boards around the room to encourage children to write as they play. However, staff do not give the same focus to children's reading skills. Children do not visit the book area freely and books are not incorporated into their play.

Children develop independence from an early age. They use their personal skills successfully, for example when serving their fruit and pouring their drink at snack time, and when putting their coats on. Children learn to take care of their own safety.

For example, they safely climb down the step to go outside and learn not to touch ovens.The manager and staff are committed to developing strong partnerships with parents and other professionals. Staff inform parents regularly about the achievements their children have made and how parents can support them further at home.

Parents comment that the staff are friendly and helpful and tell them about what their children have been doing.The provider and manager are ambitious. They are focused on improving the quality of the pre-school.

Since the last inspection they have made changes to the layout of the playroom, which has enabled children to explore and investigate more.The manager supports staff effectively so that they are developing confidence in all areas of their practice. She carries out inductions and ongoing checks of staff's performance.

She gives feedback on what staff do well and offers guidance on how they can improve their practice. However, she does not support staff to explore all opportunities to develop their teaching skills to a higher level.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager understands her role as designated safeguarding lead well. She frequently checks staff's knowledge on a range of safeguarding issues to ensure they know how to keep children safe from harm. The manager and staff attend training to enhance their knowledge and understanding of child protection issues.

They know the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child's welfare. The manager implements effective risk assessments to ensure all areas are safe for children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nincrease the opportunities and experiences for children to develop their early reading skills further strengthen the existing arrangements for professional development to extend staff's knowledge, skills and teaching practice, to help further raise the good quality of teaching to an even higher level.