Oakwood Community Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled at this inclusive setting.

They arrive confidently and receive a warm welcome from the staff. They know the routines of the setting and put away their belongings independently. Children form close relationships with staff and will seek them out for comfort, reassurance and play.

Children have good behaviour. They understand the expectations and boundaries at the setting. Staff reinforce these throughout the day.

For instance, they sing a song together each morning that explores the different behaviour expectations staff have for the children. This includes being kind to their fri...ends and listening to each other. Children are developing an awareness of how their behaviour can impact on others.

Staff support children to resolve conflict and provide an understanding of how to share and respect others. Children have positive attitudes to play and learning and staff are ambitious to provide them with a well-thought-out curriculum. They are excited to join in with activities because staff are skilled at following children's interests and evolve their planning around the direction of the children's play.

For instance, children were showing an interest in pirates. Therefore, staff organised a variety of learning opportunities around pirates, both inside and outdoors. Children excitedly made eye patches, telescopes and treasure maps which they used to support their role play in the garden.

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

Staff are good teachers. They have sound knowledge of the early years foundation stage and support children's learning and development effectively. As a result, children are making good progress.

Overall, children engage well. This can be enhanced even further by staff making use of all available resources to set further challenges for children.Staff skilfully include mathematical concepts into play and routines.

For instance, they explore magnetic shapes with children and encourage them to count and talk about the shapes they can see. During group time outside, children jump and move while counting how many days through the month they are. Children learn about quantities and measuring out ingredients to make their own play dough.

This develops their critical-thinking skills as they determine how to make the correct consistency.Children develop a love of books. They independently select books of their choice to read in the cosy area with their peers.

Staff ensure children have opportunities to be read to throughout the day, one-to-one and in groups. Staff select books that relate to children's interests and use these to enhance play and learning. Children develop good imaginations and are able to make up their own stories.

For instance, a member of staff asks children to continue a made-up story about pirates. Children confidently take turns to use their imaginative skills and knowledge to create the next part of the story.Staff provide children with opportunities to develop their language and communication skills.

They model language and allow children time to think about questions they have been asked. Children enjoy participating in music classes and sing along to familiar songs. Staff introduce children to new vocabulary and concepts.

Children openly talk about 'dwarf planets' following a recent topic on space. However, staff do not always encourage children's understanding of sounds and the letters they represent.The pre-school has developed a well-organised outdoor area.

Children test out their physical abilities on different balancing and climbing equipment. This allows them to take carefully managed risks and build their self-confidence and awareness. Children are excited to explore outside.

Staff support children's understanding about their bodies and the importance of physical exercise effectively. Children take part in exercises each morning, learning about their heart rates and the impact physical exercise has on their bodies.Leaders are passionate to provide children with an inclusive early years experience.

They support staff with regular training to develop their knowledge and implement new strategies to enhance children's outcomes. For example, staff recently went on training to help children with speech and language delay. Leaders provide support and mentoring for staff, who report that they feel well supported.

Staff have good partnerships with parents and share information with them regularly. However, they do not obtain information from parents to fully understand what children already know and can do, in order to plan more effectively from the start. Parents are complimentary about the pre-school and are very happy with the care their children receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager ensures all staff attend safeguarding training. As a result, staff are confident in identifying the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm.

Staff understand the procedures to follow to keep children safe and the relevant professionals to contact if they have concerns. When appointing new staff, the manager follows a thorough recruitment procedure to ensure staff suitability. She also continues to check staff suitability on a regular basis.

All staff are familiar with wider safeguarding issues and are confident in identifying these. The pre-school environment is kept secure at all times and staff are deployed effectively to ensure children's safety.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove systems for gathering and obtaining information from parents, to help clearly identify children's starting points and enable staff to have a secure understanding of what children already know consider ways to engage children even further during activities and make use of all available resources provide children with more opportunities to learn about sounds and the letters they represent.