Lady Mount Pre-School Group

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children have good relationships with staff, who are caring and supportive.

A high staff-to-child ratio means children receive quality time and attention, which promotes communication and language well.Resources are readily accessible for the children to select themselves and support exploration and independent learning. Children are encouraged to become creative and critical thinkers when working with cardboard rolls, large beads and blocks.

They balance them on top of each other, working out the best possible position to create a long, attractive wall. The staff members support the children to share and work together.... They ask some good questions, such as 'what would happen if…?' which enable the children to think, make decisions and work together.

Reading is a high priority at the setting, and stories are listened to attentively by children. Staff check children's understanding of new words that are explained and put into context, such as our autumn walk or our autumn 'stroll'. Children share books together and are excited by the contents.

They are engaged, read independently and cooperate very well, using many pre-reading skills. A love of reading is promoted well.Staff prioritise independence, communication and language, and these aspects are encouraged continuously.

They eat their own lunches with the children and model language, using the words 'pinch' and 'pull' to explain how to open packets. Many children succeed very well, and other children politely ask for help. Conversations about healthy food, birthdays, what the children did that morning, and their families are rich in content, vocabulary and meaning.

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

The manager and her staff are very knowledgeable and passionate about providing children with high-quality experiences. They value each other and are supported well by the voluntary management committee and the school, which is in the same building. The team continually evaluates the space and resources, thinking about the children, their interests and needs.

For example, they have recently purchased steps to enhance physical development. Children's imagination is encouraged, and the steps can be used by the children as a stage to engage in theatrical activities. Staff plan following children's interests.

This maintains children's curiosity, and they become effective learners, contributing to their good progress.Staff training and their consistent caring approach has a positive impact on behaviour and self-regulation. The children are very well behaved, polite and kind, and happily accept they may need to wait to use equipment.

The manager is a reflective practitioner and believes behaviour management must continually be evaluated to have an impact on children.The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a wealth of knowledge about the children. Working closely with staff, they identify needs and put programmes in place, ensuring children catch up and make good progress.

The SENCo alongside the pre-school staff work very well together with other agencies to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included and make exceptional progress.The manager and her staff promote equality and diversity. They prepare children for life, encouraging them to respect British values and also the diverse society we live in by celebrating some religious festivals, such as Holi and Diwali.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff appreciate that children missed out on wider, real-life experiences. The staff use an interactive screen to show children environments outside of their local area, to develop knowledge of different places and other cultures. They plan to start visits to a care home again, to build children's confidence, widen their understanding of the world and develop essential social skills in preparation for their future lives.

Parents are very supportive of the setting and the staff, saying they are experienced, attentive and caring to each unique child. They believe the weekly communication is exceptional, and they love the photos, information, developmental and progress reports shared with them. They welcome the ideas on how to support learning at home and information about events.

Parents and staff exchange information prior to children starting to attend the pre-school and moving on to the Reception class. This is caring, informative and appropriate. Parents and staff are less able to exchange detailed or confidential information during the daily drop off to the pre-school.

This restricts the partnership working between parents and their children's key person.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The pre-school is secure, and regular risk assessments are implemented, indoors and outdoors, to keep children safe.

Staff have a secure knowledge of all safeguarding policies and procedures. They would report instantly any suspicions of abuse, including drug-related exploitation or signs of radicalisation.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop further ways to broaden children's understanding of the wider world and cultures consider alternate ways to provide a quality daily transition into pre-school between the key person and a child's carer.

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