Rodwell Pre-school

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children form close, positive relationships with staff.

On arrival, they separate easily from parents at the entrance door. Children are happy and settled. They behave well and enjoy their time at this calm and inviting pre-school.

During morning group time, children develop their imaginations and act out characters from familiar books. They are developing a love of stories.Children learn to be independent in their play and in self-help skills.

They use toilets and wash hands independently, asking confidently for help when it is required. Children decide where to play and which activities to engage in. They ar...e given time to complete their play to their own satisfaction.

Children learn to put on coats and choose what to have at snack time, using these skills to prepare themselves in readiness for school.The manager is aware that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some children have had limited experiences of physical exercise. Because of this, all children spend lots of time in the garden.

They get plenty of fresh air and develop their physical skills as they run, climb, kick balls and balance on blocks they have placed together to make roads. This provides further opportunities for children to develop strength in their bodies and to take risks in their play. Children explore nature in the garden.

They find rain drops and spider webs, and observe them closely through magnifying glasses.

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

Children are motivated and have a positive attitude to their learning. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere, as every child is engaged busily in activities.

Staff join in with children's play, and children are eager to tell them what they are doing.Staff spend quality time engaging with children to find out about what they know and enjoy. They use this information to plan a curriculum across the areas of learning, which extends all children's experiences.

However, at times, staff do not always offer enough challenging support during child-initiated activities, to fully extend children's learning.Children practise developing their early writing skills regularly. Older children use dough with various tools, strengthening their hand muscles in readiness for writing.

Younger children handle interesting small-world toys to develop their hand-to-eye coordination.Staff support children who learn English as an additional language well. They learn and use key words in the children's home language to support children's confidence.

Parents discuss information with staff about family cultures to reflect this in pre-school life. Children make good progress in their understanding of English. They speak clearly to both staff and their friends about their needs and wishes.

Staff are knowledgeable about the needs of children who may need extra support. They work in partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure that children get the targeted help they need. However, when some staff teach children phonics, they do not always use the correct letter sound.

Therefore, this does not always support children effectively to develop appropriate early language skills.The manager and staff support children to be emotionally ready for their move on to school. For example, they invite teachers into the pre-school to see and interact with the older children.

This helps children to become familiar with the adults who will be caring for them.The manager and staff are dedicated to and passionate about their roles. They have high expectations for all the children they care for and want every child to become confident and successful in their learning.

The manager supports staff well through supervision. Staff receive training to further their knowledge and understanding of the curriculum. They report that they feel well supported.

The key-person system is well established and effective. Parents mention the strong bonds that form between their children and staff. They describe the staff as 'like a family' and say that they are grateful for the support the pre-school provides.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager ensures that staff undertake safeguarding training and attend meetings to keep their knowledge up to date. Staff are knowledgeable about how to keep children safe.

They know the signs to look out for in children and their wider families. Staff know who to report these concerns to, including to agencies outside of their setting. The manager follows robust procedures to ensure that those employed to work with children are suitable to do so.

The premises are clean, safe and secure. Staff carry out checks to maintain good standards.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance staff practice further to ensure they model how to pronounce sounds correctly when teaching phonics, to better support children's early language skills help staff to adapt teaching during child-initiated activities, to fully extend children's learning.