Jack In The Box Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are caring and friendly to each other.

They welcome their friends to join in with their game of football. As they decide the rules of the game together, children say, 'This is good sportsmanship!' Children are beginning to resolve minor conflicts between themselves. For example, they discuss how they can use a sand timer and take it in turns.

Children benefit from a wide range of activities available to them, centred around their interests. They count plastic bugs as they try and make the weighing scales balance, which supports their mathematical development. Children develop excellent mark-making skills and m...any are confident to write their own name clearly.

They benefit from rich opportunities, such as bark rubbing and painting. Children have a strong sense of self. They enjoy talking about their home lives and sharing stories with their key person.

Children are confident and eager to learn. They get excited as they hunt for bugs in the garden and are gentle and kind to the bugs they find. Children enjoy expressing themselves at the 'make and do' table.

They create robots and experiment with mixing different colours. Children proudly ask for their artwork to be displayed on the wall.

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

The manager has established good links with local primary schools to support children's transitions effectively.

She works with other professionals involved in children's care, such as speech and language therapists. This helps to ensure a collaborative approach to children's education.Staff support and extend children's learning by following their interests and planning further challenge as children play.

For example, when children use plastic knives and tools to chip away at frozen ice blocks, staff ask children questions to challenge their thinking.Children make very good progress with their communication and language. Staff share non-fiction books and introduce children to new words, such as 'larvae'.

They talk to children about life cycles of ladybirds, which helps to promote their understanding of the world. Staff quickly identify children who need additional support and plan focused activities to support their speech development.Children are offered a variety of healthy fruit at snack time.

They are given choices about what they would like to eat and drink. Staff use opportunities throughout the day to talk to children about healthy eating, such as when they are cutting out food from magazines. Staff promote good oral health through discussion.

The manager has embedded a very effective key-person system. Staff know the children and families well and children regularly check in with their key person.This helps children to feel safe and secure.

Staff value each child as a unique individual. They act as very good role models and treat each other and the children with the utmost respect. Staff acknowledge children's feelings and nurture their emotions to build their self-esteem.

Parent partnerships are effective. Parents feel their children make very good progress in the setting. They speak highly of the staff team and state they are well supported as parents.

Parents enjoy the regular meetings with their key person to find out about their children's progress and development.The manager is reflective and ambitious in her vision for the setting. She ensures the teams' mandatory training is up to date.

She completes some observations of the staff team to help improve performance. However, she does not always ensure that supervision is used effectively to identify professional development opportunities to raise the quality of teaching to an even higher level.Staff promote children's independence.

They encourage them to have a go at putting on their own coat before offering them help. Children make good progress in their personal development. For example, they wash their hands before snack time, which helps them to understand the importance of good hygiene.

Staff prepare children for the next stage of their education well. For example, they support children to recognise their own name in both print and handwriting.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are aware of who the designated safeguarding lead is for the setting. They know who to tell if they have a concern about a child. The manager is confident in her knowledge of safeguarding children.

She works collaboratively with other professionals, such as social workers, sharing information to support the children and families she cares for. The team complete regular training to refresh and update their knowledge. Robust safeguarding policies and procedures are in place.

The manager ensures that systems are in place to ensure adequate supervision of children at all times. For example, they use radios to communicate between the main building and the garden area.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the arrangements for the supervision of staff to identify professional development opportunities that help raise the quality of teaching consistently to the highest level.