Nunnerywood Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and understand the routines of the day. They put away their belongings and proceed to find their name card to self-register. Children develop secure relationships with the kind and caring staff and enjoy cuddles with them if they become tired or upset.

This helps children to feel emotionally secure. Children behave well and are respectful and considerate of each other. They learn what is expected from them.

For example, staff remind children to use their indoor voices and indoor feet when they return from outdoor play.Children have lots of opportunities to be physically active and play outside in ...the fresh air. Young children run around with their friends and confidently climb on apparatus.

Children display good control and coordination of their body. They focus as they engage in mindfulness and yoga sessions.Children take part in small group activities throughout the day.

They listen attentively and respond to questions asked by staff. For example, children are becoming familiar with the days of the week and proudly tell staff, 'Today is Monday'. Children develop dexterity and good hand-to-eye coordination.

They dip cotton buds into paint and carefully colour in a picture. Children enthusiastically join in with action songs and rhymes. Staff sit alongside them to demonstrate the actions and to offer encouragement and support.

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

The general manager is also the provider of this warm and welcoming pre-school. She is experienced and dedicated to her role. The provider knows the community the pre-school serves very well.

Together with the manager, they ensure that the layout of the environment and timetable for the day supports staff to deliver a focused and ambitious curriculum.Staff plan a wide range of interesting play activities that ignite children's curiosity and motivates them to learn. They make regular assessments of what children know and can do.

Staff use this information to plan what children need to learn next. However, on occasions, children's planned next steps in learning are too broad and not precise enough to help them to make even better progress.A well-established key-person system supports children to form strong relationships with staff.

They attend to children's personal care and support their growing independence. Staff share information with parents about children's progress in a range of ways; for example, through daily discussions and online learning records. Parents are very happy with the care and education their children receive.

They comment on the 'wonderful staff' and how happy their children are at the pre-school.Children develop positive attitudes towards healthy lifestyles. The pre-school has a healthy eating policy that is shared with parents on induction.

Staff provide children with nutritious snacks, such as fruit and toast. Staff help parents to provide healthy options in children's lunch boxes.The pre-school promotes a respectful culture between staff and children.

Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They engage them in meaningful conversations and make links to their home life. For example, staff talk to children about the queen's jubilee celebrations.

Back and forth discussion takes place about family parties and television programmes that children have watched.Staff ensure that the curriculum they provide meets the needs of all children who attend. They support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well.

Staff meet with other professionals to share information and plan for children's learning and development. Links with staff at local schools are good. Reception Year teachers are invited into the pre-school to get to know the children in their own surroundings.

This helps children to feel confident and relaxed when the time comes for their move to school.The provider successfully leads her experienced staff team. She meets regularly with them to speak about their well-being and identify further training needs.

Staff access online training tailored around their interests. Although the provider supports staff's professional development well, she is yet to consistently monitor the effectiveness of the training staff attend to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.Staff morale is high.

Staff report they are very happy in their roles. They feel very well supported both personally and professionally.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The pre-school promotes a culture of safeguarding. Leaders and staff are clear about their responsibility to keep children safe. They make regular risk assessments on all areas of the pre-school and supervise children well.

Recruitment and vetting procedures are thorough and help to ensure that staff are suitable for their roles. Staff attend regular training to keep their safeguarding knowledge and skills up to date. They have a good understanding of the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm and they are clear on the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child in their care.

Staff support children to learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, they remind children to sit down when they use the slide.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus more closely on children's individual next steps in learning, to make them more precise to support children to make even better progress strengthen ways to monitor the effectiveness of the training staff attend to raise the quality of teaching to an even higher level.