Romsey Mill Pre-School (Ross Street)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are warmly greeted by staff on arrival. They enter the pre-school and happily engage in activities.

Children sit with staff on a settee to share books together. They confidently ask for more stories and talk about what is happening in the pictures. Children and staff spontaneously sing songs.

For example, when a child signs the word 'turtle', the child and staff member start to sing the 'Tiny Turtle' song.Children competently tip, pour and weigh rice and lentils. Staff support children to count how many spoonfuls it will take to fill a container.

Children share resources, taking turns using the scales.... They are capable of recognising numbers using numbered stones. They comment when they find two of the same number, saying, 'There are two number threes'.

Children explore the garden area. They use a slide in a variety of ways, talking about how fast they will go. Children use plant troughs to grow herbs and pumpkins.

They use large hexagons to build and be creative. Children have good independence skills. They wash their hands for snack and self-serve their own fruit and cereal.

They skilfully pour their own drinks.

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

The leadership of the pre-school is good. The leadership and management team of Romsey Mill supports the coordinator.

The coordinator spends time within the pre-school with the children. This enables her to remain up to date with children's progress and staff practice.Staff access policies to support various areas of their pre-school practice.

The policies are well written and informative. However, the pre-school does not have its own policies, and information is within policies that cover the whole organisation. This can make it difficult for staff to access information relevant to the pre-school.

Staff recognise that children require more support with their personal, social and emotional development since the COVID-19 pandemic. They ensure there are plenty of opportunities for children to socialise with their peers and to discuss their own and other children's feelings.Children gain support when they want to extend activities.

For example, when using toy animals, a child suggests that the animals are thirsty and need water. Staff help the child to place a small amount of water into a bowl for the animals.The coordinator has a good understanding of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

She recognises the importance of working with parents and professionals to support targets that are set. This ensures that children reach their full potential. The coordinator signposts parents to relevant support groups.

Parents are happy with the progress their children make. They feel that staff know their children well. However, parents feel that communication between themselves and staff could be improved.

The coordinator recognises that parents are not supported sufficiently with home learning for their children. This means that parents do not always know about changes within the pre-school and are not offered ideas to support their children's learning further.Children attend trips into the local community.

They visit the park, the church and a local mosque. This enables the children to learn about their local environment and other cultures. Children recognise changes in their environment.

For example, they talk about buds appearing on trees.Staff sensitively intervene when children struggle to share resources. They talk about sharing toy animals with their friends and being kind.

Children then gather other items to share with each other.Staff feel well supported by the coordinator. New staff have the relevant information provided to help them in their role.

Regular supervisions and appraisals of staff take place. This enables them to discuss any concerns they may have and targets for improvement. Staff feel this supports their personal well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have an understanding of how to safeguard children in their care. They recognise the signs that a child may be at risk of harm.

Staff understand their responsibilities regarding 'Prevent' duty. They record relevant information in a timely manner. Accidents that occur are correctly recorded and shared with parents.

Recruitment procedures are robust to ensure that new staff are suitable to work with children. New staff complete an in-depth induction, which includes information about safeguarding children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance communication with parents to ensure they remain up to date with what is happening within the pre-school and are offered home learning ideas nensure that policies are relevant to the pre-school setting and that staff are able to easily access relevant information.