Meltham Pre-school Playgroup C.I.C.

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at this welcoming pre-school happy, and they are eager to learn with their friends. On arrival, they are supported by staff to hang up their coats and self-register before they eagerly join their friends in the well-resourced environment.

Children confidently select from the wide range of resources and activities. They soon engage and play with their friends. Staff support children to develop well-established friendships and display high levels of consideration for each other, as they take turns in sharing activities.

This results in a calm and nurturing learning environment.Children love to share their... thoughts and ideas, using their wonderful language. They are confident in communicating with both their friends and adults.

Staff are skilled at listening to children, giving them time to respond, developing their language skills. This results in a vocabulary-rich environment which prepares children well for their learning journey.Children are learning about how to make healthy choices.

They recall a book about 'vegetable glue' which is helping them learn about healthy foods. At snack time there are lots of healthy options and children make enthusiastic comments, such as 'I love strawberries'. Staff take lots of opportunities to promote good routines, including brushing teeth.

Children are being well prepared to live a healthy life.

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

The manager has clear, ambitious intentions for children's learning, which is shared by the whole staff team. She is highly skilled and experienced at leading staff to deliver the curriculum.

They have established an environment both indoors and outdoors which meets the needs of the children attending the pre-school.Quality interactions with children are consistent throughout the staff team. Staff have good knowledge of the unique needs of the children at the pre-school and this is supported by an effective induction process.

Staff state that they are well supported, and this results in a motivated and enthusiastic staff team. Children are provided with good-quality interactions, which are child focused and this enhances their knowledge and builds on current knowledge.Children behave well in this pre-school.

Staff have clear and consistent expectations of children's behaviour and are excellent role models. Children are calm and considerate as they explore the indoor and outdoor areas. Children enjoy quality interactions with their friends as they take turns.

This results in an environment which supports learning.The importance of literacy is embraced throughout the pre-school, resulting in children demonstrating an excellent relationship with books. At circle time, they talk about the 'book of the week', which is currently 'The Three Bears'.

Children are excited to share with the group what they like in their porridge and can join in reciting the words of the book. This is preparing children to become fluent readers.There are lots of opportunities for children to extend their mathematical skills.

Staff deliver effective teaching to meet the learning needs of each child. They model mathematical language well and children share their learning. For example, as a child uses the wooden counters, they exclaim 'I need three more to make ten'.

They are provided with lots of praise. Children are making good progress in their mathematical development.Staff encourage children to develop great independence.

For example, they self-register when they arrive, and self-serve at snack time. They are currently practising picking objects up with the tongs in the water area to help them gain skills and confidence at snack time. Children move freely around the pre-school selecting the activities they like.

Children are learning the independence and decision-making skills they need for their future lives.Staff recognise that some children need additional support to access learning and keep them safe. They establish good communication with parents and demonstrate good understanding of how to meet the needs of each unique child.

The pre-school staff work well in partnership with external agencies to support their practice and improve the outcomes for children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities display high levels of well-being and are making good progress.Children benefit from lots of outings in the local community.

For instance, they look at the pictures of themselves at the fire station and recall their experiences. Staff have an excellent relationship with the local care home. Children visit regularly to share experiences, such as singing and making apple pies.

Children are learning about the roles of people who help us and the differences of those in their local community. However, this has not yet been further developed to include the extended community.Overall, partnership with parents is effective, which results in parents expressing a sense of belonging.

Parents feel that they are provided with the information they need to support their children's learning through daily chats and the pre-school app. Stay-and-play sessions are available to parents. However, staff have not yet thought about how this could be enhanced to offer more opportunities for working parents to see the environment where their children are learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff at all levels have a good knowledge of the indicators of child abuse and how to report their concerns effectively. Staff are knowledgeable about the 'Prevent' duty and the risks of children being exposed to radicalisation.

Staff maintain a safe environment in the provision to ensure children's safety. They are committed to keeping their knowledge up to date with refresher training and are well supported by their experienced manager.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nincrease opportunities for children to gain knowledge and understanding of people and communities different to their own nextend opportunities to enable working parents to engage with the pre-school, to further extend children's learning.

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