Pippins Pre-School (crediton)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The pre-school is welcoming, warm and friendly with bright open spaces for children to learn in.

Each room includes many engaging activities, learning areas and carefully planned experiences. The staff and manager organise the environment well so that it is welcoming for the children who attend the setting. Staff plan effectively for what children need to learn next.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress.Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents comment that their children settle well, enjoy coming to pre-school and learn new things.

Add...itional funding for children with SEND has been used effectively and children have made progress from these interventions. Staff support children's self-care and independent skills well. For example, children can access fresh fruit to eat and water to drink throughout the day.

The leaders and staff are ambitious and provide a stimulating curriculum for the children to follow. Staff teach children letter sounds, use signs and words, and model the correct sequence for counting numbers. In group moments, the children are calm and listen well.

Staff plan well to help children make the move on to school. For example, the pre-school has strong links with the local primary schools and pre-school staff visit the schools with the children who are moving up.

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

Leaders and managers plan the curriculum well and make sure they share this with other staff.

They create a positive and supportive working environment for staff and children.The positive atmosphere that the team creates is reflected in the attitude of the children who attend the setting and, overall, staff manage children's behaviour well. However, at times, not all staff continually share this good practice to help children regulate their emotions, particularly when faced with changes in the daily routine.

Children make good progress. For example, children in the pre-school class enjoyed playing on the balance beams and exploring the water activity in the outside area. They also enjoyed listening to a book about the oceans and were confident in discussing how important it is to recycle and look after the oceans.

The butterfly room were exploring 'Things that Move' and enjoyed making cardboard tractors that they then painted. However, at times, staff place less focus in teaching children about the wider world and other cultures compared to other areas of learning.The staff are patient, supportive and encouraging.

For example, they say 'well done' to children when they finish a task or help another child. In the sensory rooms, the staff speak calmly and gently. The staff use and model language that is positive.

The children are motivated and confident. They concentrate and engage in their learning. Children learn to undertake small tasks, such as collecting their personal belongings and tidying away toys at the end of play time.

The children are confident to learn and recount previous experiences with others.Staff are aware of the additional support children may need due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They know that children and parents may need more help when they first start at the setting.

Staff are aware of the need for children to develop good communication and to hear new vocabulary. They help children to develop a love of reading. The manager has created a lending library for the parents and children to borrow books from the setting to take home.

Partnerships with parents are strong. The pre-school uses a range of communication methods, such as email, an online journal and face-to-face meetings, to keep good links with the families and to support their child's development.Staff complete training and continue their professional development.

They gain new knowledge and skills that they use effectively to teach the children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Children are safe and secure in the pre-school.

The leaders and managers follow rigorous recruitment procedures to employ suitable staff. The managers train all new staff members with a well-planned induction programme, which includes the setting's safeguarding policies and procedures. The managers ensure that all the staff are up to date in their safeguarding training and provide various opportunities for continued professional development.

Safeguarding measures and any updates are discussed at staff meetings and shared in weekly emails to ensure everyone is up to date in their knowledge and practice. Staff are confident in the policies and procedures to follow to ensure the children are safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support all staff to provide clear and consistent messages for children to help them manage their feelings better provide better experiences for the children to learn about the wider world and to appreciate differences, to reflect current attitudes.