Our Lady of Pity Annexe Pre School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children demonstrate that they feel extremely safe, content and happy in the setting. They enter the setting eager to play and highly motivated to learn. They make excellent progress from their starting points because the caring staff team know children very well.

All staff show a deep awareness of the curriculum and the children they care for. Children are collaborators in shaping a curriculum that ignites their enthusiasm and passion for learning. The curriculum is highly challenging and implemented effectively to support all children.

Children's sense of community is outstanding. The pre-school celebrates div...ersity, promoting an appreciation of each child's uniqueness with the wider community. Leaders and staff take children on regular outings in the community and invite visitors into their setting.

For example, they enjoy beach walks where they learn about their environment and sustainability. Children enjoy regular visits from a therapy dog and guide dog, where they learn about the invaluable roles. Staff, children, parents and community members work together to fundraise to support local community initiatives.

Children learn about deprivation and those less fortunate than themselves.Staff demonstrate that they have very high expectations of children's behaviour, gently correcting unwanted behaviour. The attentive staff promptly acknowledge children's efforts and provide instant reinforcement for this positive behaviour.

As a result, children's behaviour and respect for others are highly commendable. Older children use their excellent verbal skills to find resolutions to disagreements.

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

The manager is an inspirational leader, completely focused on the best interests of children.

Meticulously and professionally, she monitors the quality of all aspects of pre-school life. She has played an enormous role in improving staff's confidence as educators, through feedback, support and extensive training and development opportunities. The care and education children receive are consistently of the highest quality.

Staff ensure that they get to know each child before they start and complete detailed ongoing assessments of children. They use this information to plan tailored next steps and provide a personalised and ambitious curriculum that covers all areas of learning. Children are extremely motivated and exceptionally enthusiastic to join in, share and cooperate with their friends and staff.

The quality of the curriculum has a significant impact on children's self-esteem and confidence. Children are incredibly proud of the things they have learned. For example, they confidently explain the difference between herbivores, carnivores and vegetarians.

Staff provide children with constant access to a broad and exciting range of arts and crafts resources. Children of all ages become fully absorbed in pouring and mixing paint colours, exploring the properties of glue and using tools to make marks.All staff have the highest expectations of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Consequently, children with SEND achieve the best possible outcomes. Parents of children with SEND describe how staff have gone 'above and beyond' to include their children in every aspect of the pre-school life. Experienced staff expertly adapt their teaching and practice so that children with SEND benefit from an inclusive and challenging curriculum.

Children have exceptionally positive attitudes towards learning. Throughout the play sessions, they remain purposefully engaged and motivated. For example, young children concentrate intently as they carefully place pegs onto colourful fabric that is hung and blowing in the wind outdoors.

They persevere until they are successful and until their pegs are secure. Children work together to use large wooden planks and foam bricks to build complex constructions. Staff are completely respectful and value children's voices and choices.

For example, when it is time for children to return indoors, they ask staff if their constructions can be left for them to return to later, and staff say 'Of course, no problem'.Highly effective interactions with staff encourage children to learn new words and use them in their play. For example, children talk about their stories using words, like characters, narrator, audience and theatre.

Staff skilfully check children's recall of new learning. Children say the narrator 'makes the story louder', the audience 'listens or takes part' in the story and a theatre is where you go to 'listen and watch a story'. Children's communication, language and literacy skills are promoted extremely well.

Professional relationships with staff in the adjacent Reception class are outstanding. Opportunities throughout the year, such as visiting the reception classroom and sharing activities and facilities, help to support children's learning, development and transition into school superbly. During the inspection, parents commented, 'My child is being prepared exceptionally well for school.'

Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding. Feedback from parents is excellent and complements how supportive, caring and nurturing staff are. Parents comment on the extensive communication they receive and how it provides them with the information they need to support their children at home.

Story sacks, home-learning kits and stay-and-play sessions help parents to support their children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.