Longstanton Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children settle well and have formed secure bonds with staff, who are very warm and caring towards them. However, some staff do not have all the skills they need to help children make consistently good progress in their learning. They do not implement the curriculum effectively enough so that it builds on what children already know or what they need to learn next.

Nevertheless, staff provide a welcoming and secure environment, where children show that they feel safe. This helps them to develop their confidence. Children's behaviour is good.

Staff explain the rules to children to help them understand why it is important to... share. Children readily take turns to push the cars down the ramps. Staff encourage children to manage their personal care.

Children competently wash their hands and sit at the table ready for their snack. However, staff sometimes do too much for the children, which has an impact on children's ability to do things for themselves, make mistakes and keep trying. Staff understand the importance of helping children to be ready for school.

Children are gaining some of the key skills that support their future learning.

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

The quality of teaching requires improvement. Some staff do not have the skills they need to help children make good progress in their learning.

At times, their interactions with children are not sustained long enough to help each child to develop the language they need for thinking.The arrangements for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not consistently effective. Emerging concerns are not always acted on swiftly to ensure children get the help they need and reduce any differences in their learning.

Children have opportunities to be imaginative, re-enacting familiar scenarios in the role-play area. They busy themselves 'making dinner' and gathering crockery, confidently counting out 'three plates for everyone'.Staff have a sound knowledge of their key children.

They understand what children enjoy and use their interests to plan some of the activities. Staff gather information from parents about their children when they first start at the pre-school. This helps them to tailor the settling-in process according to children's individual needs.

Children do not benefit from a well-designed curriculum that builds securely on what they know so that they experience consistently good learning opportunities. Some staff do not present the information effectively to children in a way that offers the appropriate level of challenge, nor do they adapt their method accordingly.Children develop their physical skills as they learn to balance, control their muscles, and allow space for one another as they scoot along on ride-on toys.

Staff support children as they try to walk across the stepping stones, encouraging them to persevere.The manager provides supervision to check staff's well-being and ensures that they have regular opportunities for training. However, the professional development of some staff is not focused sufficiently on improving their teaching skills.

In addition, the monitoring of their practice is not robust enough to help staff develop the knowledge they need to become skilful practitioners.Children enjoy listening to stories. They enthusiastically join in, saying the familiar words.

Sometimes, staff encourage them to think about what happens next.Staff work with parents to find out children's interests from home when they first start at the pre-school. Some parents say they are happy with the care the staff provide, and they feel their children are well supported to settle in.

Staff encourage children to count the number of teeth on the plastic model, helping them gain awareness of mathematical concepts. Together, they talk about the importance of cleaning their teeth with regular brushing.

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 meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date support staff to implement a curriculum that clearly identifies what it is that all children need to learn and reflects their individual needs and offers appropriate challenge, to help them make good progress 26/07/2024 improve arrangements for supporting children with SEND so that any emerging concerns about a child's development are acted on promptly 26/07/2024 focus professional development plans on improving staff's skills and knowledge to help them to support children in building on what they already know and can do.26/07/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the monitoring of staff practice to develop their knowledge and understanding of how children learn so that all children benefit from consistently good-quality learning experiences.

Also at this postcode