Scorton Village Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Every child is supported to reach their full potential and staff have consistently high expectations for achievement and behaviour. Staff tailor the levels of support and challenge, so they are carefully and precisely matched to meet children's individual needs. Children thrive from the start of their learning journey in the pre-school and make exceptional progress.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language are extremely well supported. Staff actively promote children's personal, social and emotional development and provide exciting opportunit...ies for them to be part of their local community. Children benefit from the highly effective key-person system and show high levels of self-confidence, including those children who are new to the pre-school.

They show an overwhelming ability to take turns during play and understand the boundaries in pre-school. Children's behaviour is exemplary.The manager and staff team demonstrate high levels of commitment and are passionate in their work with children and families.

Staff value the excellent relationships they form with children and their families. They provide a wide selection of opportunities for parents and carers to become involved in their children's learning, and continuously gather feedback to make improvements. In addition, partnerships with other agencies involved with children are highly successful in supporting children's learning.

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

Partnerships with children's parents are extremely important to the manager and staff team. Staff provide settling-in visits, home visits and play sessions to encourage parents to become part of their community. Parents are exceptionally happy with the pre-school.

They are delighted with the home-learning bags, which they feel are 'individually made to meet their children's needs and interests'.Staff are aware of the children's prior experiences and provide opportunities which broaden and build on their skills for future learning. Children delight in walks around the community to learn about other people around them and how to take care of themselves near roads.

Staff provide one-to-one care for children who need further support, so they can be included in these trips and develop excellent social skills.The manager and staff team maintain excellent partnerships with schools children attend. Children are emotionally well supported to move on to the next stage in their learning and benefit from sessions in school with their key person.

Staff create booklets to show children where they will go and what their school will be like. Staff actively promote continuity of care and learning.Children of all ages know how to communicate their needs effectively.

Young children, including those with limited language, show how they feel confident to ask staff for help. Staff are highly responsive and sensitive in meeting their needs. Older children build an extensive vocabulary as staff encourage them to use descriptive words as they play.

Staff encourage children to have high levels of independence and take an active part in their self-care. Children know to put their coats on to go outdoors and wash their hands before they have a snack. They use the toilet from an early age and show pride in their own appearance as they brush their teeth.

They have high levels of self-respect and self-esteem.Children excel in their mathematical development. Staff prepare the environment to ensure it is rich in numbers and resources which encourage children to count, identify shapes and problem-solve.

Children make choices about where they want to extend their learning, including outdoors. Young children show high levels of focus and concentration beyond their developmental stages.The manager carefully considers the most effective way to use extra funding so that it has the biggest impact for children.

Children with SEND benefit from individual learning plans and highly effective partnerships with other professionals. Feedback from other professionals is highly complimentary. They say, 'The whole experience has been exemplary; an outstanding example of inclusion.'

Staff say how they feel effectively supported and encouraged to consistently develop their skills. They are highly qualified, and teaching is exceptional. Staff who are working towards degree-level qualifications share their research with the team and use this to develop practice in the setting.

They benefit from weekly meetings to share best practice and have regular supervision sessions to discuss any sensitive issues. Staff are happy, keen and enthusiastic in their roles.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The designated lead staff member for safeguarding in the pre-school is highly qualified and experienced. She gathers information from the local safeguarding partnership on a weekly basis and shares this with the staff team to ensure they have the most up-to-date knowledge to keep children safe. The staff team is highly vigilant and demonstrates how safety procedures are followed consistently, such as the lock down 'whistle holder'.

The manager follows robust recruitment procedures for staff and students to ensure they are suitable to work with children. Staff actively promote online safety to parents and children. For example, children are aware that the passwords on the computers help to keep them safe.