Kennet Valley Caterpillars

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enthusiastically greet their friends and staff on arrival at the pre-school.

Those children who display any signs of anxiety are supported well by staff and settle quickly into their chosen activities. Outside in the garden, children thoroughly enjoy the freedom to take measured risks. They demonstrate this as they stack up large tyres and practise their jumping skills.

Children behave well. For example, they work together to transport water and conkers into differently sized containers, and share use of the wheelbarrow in different activities. Inside, children access a range of activities and resources.
<...br/>They explore different textures and show high levels of curiosity as they focus intently on washing the dolls hair, for example. Children patiently wait for their turn and show good control as they hook a duck as part of water play. They develop their imagination as they role play real-life situations, such as going to the hairdresser's.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those who speak English as an additional language, receive clear guidance and lots of praise from staff. This gives children the confidence to participate and they take pride in their achievements.

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

The manager's intent for the curriculum is clear.

Staff make regular assessments of what children know and can do and plan stimulating learning experiences, to help move children forward in their development. Children enthusiastically listen to stories and confidently talk about what is happening. They use words, such as 'more than' and 'less than' as they balance objects on scales.

This helps to build on children's communication and language development.The manager and staff have high expectations for all children, including those with SEND or those who speak English as an additional language. They use their knowledge to great effect and work closely with other professionals, to help ensure that any gaps in learning close as quickly as possible.

The manager makes good use of additional funding to meet the needs of children very effectively.Staff support children's health well. They teach children about oral hygiene in fun and practical ways.

For example, children practise brushing the doll's teeth when engaging in messy play. Children enjoy a range of nutritionally balanced snacks.Staff provide children with good opportunities to build on their small- and large-muscle skills needed for early writing.

For instance, children enthusiastically discuss their drawing as they make marks on the white board. They handle large paintbrushes from the water tray with good control to paint the wall. Children show good hand-to-eye coordination as they use tools, such as tweezers, to move toy spiders into their sensory den.

Staff share detailed information with parents about their child's care and daily achievements. However, systems are not in place for staff to consistently share children's next steps in learning with all parents, to help them support their children's development at home. Parents speak highly of the pre-school.

They comment on the strong relationships between children and staff.Children have wonderful opportunities to learn about the wider world. For example, they take part in community events, such as celebrating harvest festival with staff, their own families and friends.

The manager has worked hard to support staff through different changes, including the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff leaving and staff taking on new roles. She values everyone's contribution to improve the setting and places a strong emphasis on developing staff's skills and their well-being. However, the manager recognises that there is an opportunity to build on the programme of supervision further, to help raise the quality of staff teaching to an even higher level.

Although children delight in the learning experiences staff provide, there are occasions when staff can enhance their learning even more. For example, during the inspection, some children eagerly helped staff build a balancing circuit. Once completed, some children found the circuit too easy and busy and staff missed opportunities to challenge them further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a secure understanding of how to keep children safe from harm. They attend regular training to ensure they keep their knowledge of safeguarding procedures up to date.

Staff know the possible signs of concern and are aware of the correct procedures to follow when necessary. Effective risk assessments are in place. Staff provide careful supervision during activities, which contributes to children's safety.

The manager has robust recruitment procedures and checks the suitability of staff. New staff receive an in-depth induction to help them to understand their roles and responsibilities fully.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to build on the programme of supervision and professional development, to help raise the quality of teaching to the highest level nenhance the good partnership with parents further so that all parents are fully informed about their child's learning and development, to help them guide their child's learning at home.

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