Little Gaddesden Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy the many opportunities they have to play, learn and explore outdoors. They learn to take care of themselves as they challenge their bodies through climbing and balancing during forest school sessions. Children find the thrill of running down hills exciting and understand the effect this has on their bodies.

Children behave well and make friends with their peers. Staff support them to show kindness to each other as they learn to share and turn take. They encourage children to have a go at gaining new skills and support them to persevere, such as when using tools for the first time.

Children sho...w pride in their achievements.Staff plan a curriculum which enables children to make good progress in their learning. Children eagerly explore the many activities available to them.

They show their developing skills as they use pencils and draw detailed pictures with ease. Progress in other areas of learning is also evident, for instance children display their knowledge of spiders and count as they draw the correct number of legs. Interactions between children and staff are warm and friendly.

Conversations easily flow and children demonstrate they feel safe and happy at the pre-school.

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

Managers and staff have high expectations for the children in their care. They plan the curriculum around children's learning needs and interests.

Key persons identify what they want each child to achieve before they move on to the next stage in their learning. These skills help to give all children the foundations they need to make good progress.Children's communication skills are strong, including those children who speak English as an additional language.

Staff use the walk back to the pre-school from forest school as a learning opportunity. They help children to reflect on what they have learned through the morning. Children express their views and ideas eloquently and talk about what they can see and hear as they walk.

Overall, parents speak positively about the pre-school and staff. They state that children thrive in a stimulating environment and are making good progress. Parents especially praise the experiences children have to explore the natural world.

However, some parents do not receive sufficient information on how their children are developing and what staff are intending for them to learn. Consequently, they are not always able to further support children to learn even more at home.The manager and staff have effective procedures in place to help keep children safe.

Recent reflection of practice has resulted in changing where parents and children meet staff for forest school sessions, so they are not close to moving cars. Staff reinforce rules and boundaries with children, especially when they are off site. Children are learning how to take care of themselves.

They talk about why they need to wash their hands before eating as germs could make them sick.Overall, staff understand how to implement the curriculum through their teaching. Children engage well in meaningful learning throughout their day.

For example, when they find a beetle, children talk about how hard it is to see it as it is the same colour as the log. Some children display high-level thinking and speaking skills and are keen to learn more. Staff use many spontaneous moments of learning to help children develop their skills and knowledge.

Occasionally, staff do not seize these moments to help children extend their understanding of more complex concepts.The manager reflects on staff's practice. She has a good understanding of the strengths of the pre-school and areas she wants to continue to develop.

Discussion at the weekly staff meeting enables all staff to contribute their ideas. The manager monitors staff practice, giving supportive coaching and encouragement so that staff's skills continuously improve. Staff report that they are happy working at the pre-school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: share relevant information with all parents, in order for them to have more insight into how children are learning and developing support staff to understand how to make more effective use of spontaneous learning opportunities that challenge and extend children.

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