Mylor Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children benefit from exciting activities planned by staff to stimulate their curiosity.

For instance, children are eager to explore their senses as they use their imaginations to make pretend snow. Children mix ingredients and demonstrate high levels of concentration as they carefully measure flour and oil into trays.Staff plan a broad and varied curriculum across each of the seven areas of learning.

For example, children enjoy playing outside as they mix powder paints and water to create rainbow patterns on the ground. Children benefit from opportunities to be physically active, such as testing their balance and coor...dination to fetch water using different-sized containers, and digging in the sandpit. Staff model language, asking purposeful questions to assess what children know.

They offer praise and encouragement as they observe children managing tasks. Staff support children to use problem-solving skills, such as learning how to 'make the water stop and start again' when they operate the tap.Leaders demonstrate a strong, shared vision for the pre-school.

The manager works closely with the parent-led committee to create effective improvement plans that help to evaluate policies and procedures. These reflect the good practice demonstrated by staff. As a result, children make consistently good progress towards their learning goals.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported to access the full curriculum. Staff make good use of funding to help children achieve their goals and staff are deployed effectively to offer appropriate and targeted support.Staff plan activities to help children build on learning experiences over time.

For instance, children enjoy planting bulbs in pots they have decorated. They look forward to taking the bulbs home to grow and eagerly discuss how long the process will take. This provides children with opportunities to practise speaking and listening through meaningful discussion.

At times, the good teaching could be improved to help children develop mathematical understanding even further. For instance, opportunities are occasionally missed to explore children's interest in number sequencing during activities where they practise counting.Staff skilfully offer high levels of emotional support for children as they implement consistent behaviour management strategies.

This helps to foster a culture of patience, tolerance and respect. As a result, children demonstrate exceptional behaviour and self-control. For example, young children teach their peers rules and expectations as they delightfully observe a Christmas tree, resisting temptation to remove ornaments as they look on in awe and wonder.

Children benefit from a rich set of experiences. Staff draw upon the knowledge and expertise of parents and volunteers to explore equality and diversity. For example, parents lead role-play sessions which help children to explore their jobs, such as a paramedic or coastguard.

They help children to challenge stereotypes and accept people's differences, such as age and gender.Staff develop superb ways of teaching children the language of feelings. For instance, they make creative use of interactive displays which children use to teach one another about important people in their lives.

Children explore the expressions on people's faces and use dolls to help describe their own feelings, clearly expressing themselves.Parents are highly complimentary. They comment that they have every confidence in the pre-school and describe its approach as being exceptionally child centred, helping children to feel empowered.

Parents appreciate the well-established key-person system and feel greatly involved in their child's learning, at the pre-school and at home. As a result of the excellent partnerships, children develop exceptionally high levels of independence and self-confidence.Leaders and managers are supportive of staff development.

Staff benefit from regular supervision which helps to target training opportunities. For example, new staff are supported to gain qualifications to ensure children benefit from consistently good levels of teaching. Staff and committee members play an important role in the monitoring of effective practice and hold the manager accountable.

This helps to ensure the pre-school is managed effectively and efficiently and with integrity.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The pre-school staff team and committee members have a very broad knowledge of child protection issues.

They know how to identify the signs and symptoms which may indicate that a child is at risk of harm and who to contact should they have concerns about a child's safety and welfare. Staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities around safeguarding, and frequently attend training to update their knowledge to keep children safe and protected from harm. For instance, all staff hold current paediatric first-aid certificates and undertake online safeguarding training updates.

Staff make effective use of risk assessments and use them to inform procedures that help to keep children safe. For instance, they routinely practise emergency evacuation procedures, such as fire drills.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide children with opportunities to explore their interest in counting even further, to offer greater challenge in their understanding of mathematical concepts.

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