Panda Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children have great fun at the pre-school. They enjoy learning and show growing levels of confidence as they choose how and where they play.

Staff know their key children extremely well. They plan exciting and stimulating activities to help children move on to the next stage in their development. As a result, children make good progress.

Children follow their interests and use their imagination well. For example, they work together cooperatively to build a house with the blocks in the construction role-play area. Children count and talk about shapes, then use pens and paper to record their designs.

Staff inter...act positively to develop children's thinking skills further. Children put on hard hats and high-visibility jackets as they work on their building site, and tell others they need to wear 'a safety coat' to help build the house. Children behave well.

They listen and respond positively to adults and are helpful towards others. For example, children help each other carry a long tube at tidy-up time. Staff have high expectations of children and regularly provide meaningful praise and encouragement.

This boosts children's confidence and self-esteem. Staff value children as individuals and celebrate the unique contribution each child brings to the pre-school.

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

Children are happy and confident, and develop positive relationships with others.

The key-person system is effective in helping children to settle and feel emotionally secure. Staff work closely with parents to find out what children can do when they first start. They use this information effectively to plan for the children's individual learning.

Children's physical health is supported very well. They have lots of opportunities to be physically active in the extensive outdoor area. Children show good coordination as they climb and balance on the large play equipment.

Staff teach children to take appropriate risks and challenges as they play, so they learn how to keep themselves safe. Children thoroughly enjoy being outdoors. For example, they have great fun on the listening walk around the garden.

As they stop and listen, they tell others, 'I can hear a tractor'. Children giggle with excitement as they move their bodies to run, jump and stride around the garden with their friends.Children show good levels of independence.

They are motivated to learn and remain focused on their chosen play activity. For example, children concentrate for long periods of time at the craft table to create their bird models from the materials.The manager and staff work extremely well with other professionals to plan for the children's specific needs.

Effective monitoring enables the staff to promptly identify any children who may need additional help. Staff take prompt action, to ensure that children get the support they need to help them catch up.Staff work particularly well with parents to share information and maintain a consistent approach for children's care and learning.

Parents receive regular updates on their children's learning and development. Staff share ideas on ways parents can extend their children's learning at home, for instance, taking books home to read together. Parents make positive comments about the staff, such as 'staff always make time for me', and 'well informed about child's achievements'.

Children count confidently in their play. They take part in planned activities to help develop their understanding of mathematics. However, some planned activities are not adapted to suit children's individual abilities and some children lose interest.

Children's communication and language skills are supported effectively. Staff continually model new words and ask questions to develop children's speech. However, on occasions, staff miss chances to extend children's learning fully, to help them reach their full potential.

The manager supports the staff well to develop their knowledge and skills. Regular supervisions enable staff to discuss their work and help ensure children receive a good learning experience. Staff have strong links with the school and help prepare children for their move to school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures and their responsibility to keep children safe. They keep their knowledge updated by attending safeguarding training.

The provider implements safer recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Ongoing risk assessments and checks by the staff result in the premises being safe and secure. Staff take prompt action when they identity any hazards, for instance, when the slide separated from the climbing frame.

This helps to make sure that children are kept safe. Staff closely supervise the busy arrival and departure times to make sure that children are unable to leave unsupervised.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of planned activities to suit all children's differing needs, to keep them interested and involved make greater use of opportunities to extend children's learning, to enable all children to reach their full potential.

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