Poppins Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff are nurturing and provide a warm and welcoming environment for children. This means that children are happy on arrival and eager to play. Children start their day with a group activity.

They stretch all their muscles to settle and prepare for the day ahead. The flexible environment is carefully organised to meet the interests of every child. For example, when children talk about sea-life animals, staff swiftly change the environment.

They set up activities to ensure that children can explore and learn about what they have discussed. Children have opportunities to explore sensory resources. They make 'rainbow loll...ies' from sparkly play dough and birthday cakes using slime.

Children's behaviour is good and they talk about the friends that they have in the pre-school.The dedicated and passionate staff ensure that all children make good progress against their starting points. They achieve this by successfully creating secure attachments with children using a key-person approach.

Daily planning is then tailored to children's needs. High ratios of staff to children ensure that those who require more support receive plenty of help. For example, children who need it receive targeted intervention, one-to-one support and close attention during small-group work.

This helps to develop children's social skills and prepares them for the next stage in their learning.

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

Staff work hard to develop relationships with families. This begins when children start.

Families come into the pre-school to meet the team and complete paperwork. Settling-in sessions are then personalised to each child. This means that staff get to know the children's likes and interests quickly, and this helps children settle.

Staff know what is important in each child's life and use this to plan activities for them. For example, a role-play hairdressers is set up to help children take turns. They demonstrate kindness as they brush hair gently.

This supports children's social development as they play together.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive excellent care. Staff quickly recognise when children need support.

They use sensory resources effectively to help soothe and settle children. For example, playing music and giving gentle massages help children to regulate their emotions.Children spend time daily in the garden enjoying the selection of ride-on cars.

They skilfully manoeuvre their vehicle to avoid banging into anyone, while squealing with delight as they move around easily. This helps children to develop their gross motor skills.Children develop a love of books.

They read 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' while using props to introduce mathematical language like 'half,' 'smallest' and 'biggest.' However, at times, staff use closed questions or do not give children adequate time to respond. This does not always give children the opportunity to develop their language skills further.

Children experiment and investigate in their play. For example, they use tweezers to pick up ice cubes and add them to measuring cups. They exclaim, 'My ice cube is getting smaller,' while excitedly showing their friends.

They plan to come back later to see if the cube has changed any more. This encourages children to make predictions and test their ideas.Children who speak English as an additional language receive help with their communication and language development.

Staff learn words from their home language and provide books for children to read. Staff plan activities for children to learn about other cultures. However, this could be further strengthened to enhance opportunities to celebrate the heritage of all of the children attending.

Leaders implement a clear, sequenced curriculum. Children learn and build on what they already know. Staff are well supported and very happy in their roles.

They have regular supervision with leaders. Children benefit from this because it means staff share relevant information about what children need, which supports how effectively they work together.Staff focus on encouraging children to be independent.

Children make choices in their play and what to eat from the snack bar. They select and peel their own fruit and butter their own bread. Children enjoy the social interactions that occur at mealtimes.

Parents speak highly of the setting and the support that they receive from staff. They feel that their children are making good progress, and they like daily communication. Parents say their children speak fondly about the staff at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities to keep children safe from harm. They all attend training so they can recognise signs of abuse.

This includes domestic violence, the 'Prevent' duty and female genital mutilation. Staff keep appropriate records and know the correct reporting procedures if they have any concerns. Leaders make referrals quickly so that children and families who require more support gain access to the help they need.

Leaders hold regular safeguarding meetings and check that staff are suitable to work with children. The indoor and outdoor area is risk assessed to ensure that children can play safely.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the way in which staff ask questions to help broaden children's thinking skills, recollection of knowledge and the development of their vocabulary nincrease opportunities for children to learn about cultural diversity in their community and the wider world.