Rackets Pre-School Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy to attend this setting. They know the routines of the day.

For example, on arrival, they independently put their lunch box and water bottle onto the trolley. Activities are readily available to them, and they soon start to explore the interesting learning opportunities.Children's imaginations are ignited.

Various role-play areas entice children to play alongside their friends. They dress up as builders and communicate with each other about where to place foam bricks. Outdoors, children develop their core muscles as they race each other on wheeled equipment.

They learn about new textures and ...vocabulary in the mud kitchen and by playing with the water tray, which is filled with ice. Children are inquisitive and ask where ice comes from. Their understanding of the world develops as staff engage in conversations with them about ice melting and water freezing.

Children are eager to learn. When they sit during a Spanish lesson, they listen intently to what the teacher is saying. Conversations are meaningful as they talk about the feathers on the peacock they saw during an outing.

Children's behaviour is good. They listen to staff's directions and share nicely with each other. Staff gently remind children to work together as they try to make a tower with small toy dinosaurs.

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

The manager is extremely knowledgeable about the early years curriculum. She has a clear vision for what she wants children to learn. Staff plan activities for children by using assessments from frequent observations.

Children's next steps for learning are skilfully identified and shared between staff to provide a seamless learning experience within the setting. As a result, children make good progress.Children's learning experiences are vast.

Visiting the large off-site gardens and playground is a daily activity. Children learn about animals and wildlife. They deepen their knowledge of birds as they talk about the garden's resident peacock.

Older children are well prepared for school. Staff show them how to sit nicely during group discussions about the weather and days of the week.Children's routines are embedded.

They know when to tidy up, as staff begin singing a 'tidy up' song. Children line up before washing their hands for mealtimes and go to the toilet before outings. However, sometimes, activities are not organised well enough to ensure children are fully involved.

For example, children wait for prolonged periods before snack time and after visiting the gardens. Although staff read a story and sing to children during this time, some children are not interested and quickly lose focus. As a result, some learning opportunities are missed.

Parents are happy with the care their children receive. They praise the friendly and supportive staff. Parents feel relaxed and reassured due to the varied learning opportunities available to their children.

They enjoy being invited to events such as Mother's Day and the King's Coronation. Termly parents' evenings give parents a detailed insight into their child's development and next steps. However, information is not shared with parents each time their child's next steps are changed.

This does not promote consistent learning opportunities between home and the setting to ensure children make the very best progress.Children's health and well-being are a priority. They are given plenty of opportunities for exercise and fresh air.

They choose from a variety of fresh fruit during mealtimes. When children are sad, their friends notice and offer comfort. Staff help children to understand emotions as they take the time to talk to them about feelings.

The manager makes links with other professionals and local schools. Information about children's development is shared prior to children's transition. This increases children's opportunities for a consistent and seamless learning experience.

Early years professionals visit regularly to offer support and advice about particular areas for improvement. As a result, the manager has implemented extra training for staff to improve the quality of teaching.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported.

Staff quickly establish children's needs and differences during settling-in periods. Staff learn key words in the children's first language to help them feel secure and understood. The clear speech and repetition used by staff helps children to thrive and make excellent progress.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have good knowledge about how to identify signs and symptoms of abuse. They are knowledgeable about the different services they can contact if they have a concern about a child's welfare.

The manager gratefully receives recommendations from early years professionals. Together, they identify specific training for staff, such as female genital mutilation and county lines. This extends staff's knowledge about how to identify safeguarding issues.

All adults who have access to the building are suitably vetted to ensure that children are protected from harm. Staff hold first-aid certificates, giving them the knowledge needed to care for children in cases of accidents and injuries.

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 the provision so children consistently receive challenging and effective learning opportunities, to help them make the best possible progress review how often children's next steps are shared with parents, to enable them to fully support their children's learning at home.