Manor Early Years Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are cared for in a nurturing and exceptionally well-resourced environment. Most children separate easily from parents, relishing the welcoming smiles and cheery 'good mornings' given by staff. For those children who are less sure, staff offer hugs and comforting words.

This helps children to feel safe and secure, and they settle quickly into their day. Children enjoy being outdoors. They relish the extensive play and learning opportunities that staff plan for them, particularly for their physical development.

Children are busy and full of excitement at having the freedom to explore. For example, children pract...ise a range of movements as they negotiate inclines. As children get to the top of the incline they shout, 'I'm king of the world.'

Children discover how to climb onto tyre swings. They work out for themselves how to sit in the tyre and push the ground with their feet to make the swing move. Children respond with beaming smiles to the praise given by staff for their achievements.

Children show high levels of respect for each other and towards adults. They very willingly let other children enter their already established play. Children are happy to discuss what they are doing and to share resources.

Occasionally, when children forget to say please and thank you, they willingly accept staff's gentle reminders.

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

Staff know when they talk to children to get down to their level, speak clearly and use the correct pronunciation. However, staff do not consistently use these conversations to develop children's thinking when they play.

At times, staff are focused on telling and directing children, rather than encouraging them to think for themselves.Staff do not make the best use of opportunities to plan activities and routines to further develop children's mathematical understanding. In particular, they do not extend children's understanding about numbers and counting.

Children have many opportunities for make marks across the pre-school. For example, children paint on a large sheet of fabric. The fabric moves in the breeze and children have to hold the fabric steady as they paint.

This helps children to understand how the natural environment can impact on what they want to do.Children show high levels of perseverance and a can-do attitude to achieve their goals. For example, children experience difficulty in manoeuvring a sit-in car across uneven ground.

After discussion, they ask more children to help, negotiating who will sit in the car and who will push. As the car moves, children show pleasure and satisfaction in their own achievements.Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well.

They know to work in close partnership with a wide range of other professionals to ensure that children and their families get the support they need.Staff teach children to keep themselves safe. For example, when walking to the pre-school's woodland area, children have to cross a small area where cars park.

Children confidently demonstrate the rules for road safety. They know where to stop and to look to see the path is clear before crossing.Staff teach children to care for the natural environment.

They encourage children to recycle waste vegetables and fruit in the compost bin. Children talk confidently about how they will dig the compost into the soil before they plant seeds.Staff are mindful of the impact that changes can have on children's development.

As such, the management team has developed very strong links with local schools. This enables a consistent approach to children's care and learning as children enter the next phase of their development.The management team and staff have adapted daily routines in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They have implemented additional hygiene measures to help ensure the good health of children. Drop-off and collection arrangements have been altered so that parents no longer come into the pre-school.Parents are very complimentary about the pre-school.

They praise the way that staff help children to settle in and feel secure in the environment. Parents stress the value to their children and themselves of the daily discussions with staff and staff's use of online communications.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The management team and staff are knowledgeable about child protection issues. They have a secure understanding of the correct procedure to follow if they have concerns about a child. Staff have a good understanding of broader safeguarding issues.

The management team has robust recruitment and vetting procedures in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. It uses staff's recruitment, induction and ongoing supervision sessions to make sure that all staff are suitable to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review staff's practice to enable children to develop their thinking skills support staff to develop consistency in supporting children's mathematical development, in particular children's understanding of numbers and counting.