Musbury Moles Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thrive in the welcoming and stimulating pre-school where staff have high expectations for every child to flourish. Children delight in their independence to make choices as they decide where they want to play and what resources to use to support their learning.

For example, the outdoor space offers a wide variety of stimulating and exciting environments, including a wildlife garden, a fully stocked mud kitchen and a well-resourced mathematics area. Children are eager to explore and learn. Staff support children well to concentrate and develop their curiosity through skilful interactions.

Some children joyfully... explore how worms move and compare lengths of different ones through hands-on experience, while others consider weight and measure pebbles using different types of scales in the mathematical area.Children have secure relationships with all staff members and clearly feel safe and happy within the group. They confidently ask staff for help and learn to manage their own feelings and behaviour with carefully matched guidance and support from staff.

The setting has a very strong ethos of helping children to learn about the natural environment and the wider world. Children find natural resources and consider risks through regular forest school activities. They confidently help to recycle as they separate out the waste after lunch.

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

The manager has excellent systems in place to support her continual reflection of the provision. Staff use information from audits and observations to thoroughly review and then change the environments and practice so that they fully meet the needs of the children present, while offering them challenge and stimulation.Secure partnership working with a wide variety of other providers enhances children's experiences.

Shared facilities and joint activities with the on-site school help prepare children for later transitions. Information sharing with other settings ensures that children benefit from continuity of care when they attend more than one setting. Regular discussions, home learning packs and the lending library all help to support parents and staff to work together.

The manager has an extremely strong commitment to training and upskilling both her own and the staff's expertise. They have used research and ongoing materials to influence the development of highly stimulating environments and to introduce an approach that facilitates children to become independent learners.Staff undertake detailed observations and assessments of children's learning both individually and as a whole group.

They carefully plan activities to target specific learning according to children's needs. This term children are learning about feelings, how to manage their own behaviours and how to work with others successfully. Staff balance this well while acknowledging children's own interests.

For example, children enthusiastically join in a fun-filled singing session after a few of them decided to get the instruments out.Overall, teaching is strong. Precise instructions help children to keep themselves safe when entering the forest school area.

Good-quality questions and prompts help children to solve problems, such as how many plates they need at snack time. However, on occasions, staff step in too quickly to do things for children instead of teaching them to do it themselves.Staff are good role models and children respond well to their sensitive interventions.

Children learn to use words to express their feelings and are delighted when staff tell them they are 'awesome'. Children enjoy the independence of managing their own hygiene needs and helping to prepare a snack for their friends. They are equally thrilled when staff introduce a 'magic' way to teach children to put on their own coats.

Children are well prepared for their future learning. They are generally confident communicators. Children happily share their thoughts and ideas.

They listen well and are able to confidently carry out multi-part instructions, for example when they make hedgehogs using dough and items they can find in the forest area. Children use books independently and staff include a wide variety of books in different areas to support children to use for different purposes, for example the inclusion of recipe books in the mud kitchen area. Children patiently solve problems, such as working out why a stick will not stand up in dough.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager has a clear understanding of her role as a designated person and is fully aware of her responsibilities. She ensures that all staff attend regular training and they all demonstrate a secure knowledge of child protection issues, including wider safeguarding concerns.

Staff can all identify signs and symptoms that would indicate children may be at risk of harm. All staff have a secure knowledge of the correct procedures to follow should they have concerns or if someone raised an allegation against them.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: make sure staff consistently use all opportunities to teach children the skills they need to complete tasks themselves.

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