Smarties Pre School and Out of School Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff provide a nurturing environment for children and their families. They greet children and parents positively at the door.

Children happily enter the pre-school, ready to start their day. Children build strong bonds with staff, who know the children well and support them in exploring their learning environment. This helps children to settle quickly and feel safe and secure.

Children are happy and busy throughout the day. They learn the rules of taking turns during adult-led circle times, and develop their physical skills as they climb and balance on the outdoor equipment. Staff plan a rich curriculum that offers a ...range of exciting activities and experiences for children, differentiating them according to children's age and development.

Children listen intently as staff enthusiastically read the book 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. They learn about healthy foods and where they come from as they thread fruit onto a skewer. These experiences support children's language skills as they finish well-known phrases, and develop their physical skills and understanding of healthy lifestyles.

As a result of well-planned activities such as these, children make good progress in their learning.Children generally behave well. They receive clear expectations from staff, and regular routines enable children to understand what is expected of them.

During group times, staff explain to children that they need to take it in turns to talk so that everyone can be heard. This supports children to understand the consequences of their actions and builds on their understanding of social interactions.

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

The manager has worked hard to provide staff with a clear, sequenced curriculum across all areas of learning.

Staff receive regular and appropriate training that enables them to deliver the curriculum well.Staff tailor planning to children's different ages and individual needs. During groups times, younger children develop their repertoire of nursery rhymes as they play musical instruments.

Older children begin to learn mathematical concepts as they sing songs about numbers and count the number of children in their group. As a result of this progressive curriculum, children engage well in activities and show sustained concentration.Overall, staff are deployed well around the pre-school and fully immerse themselves in children's play.

However, they do not always notice when children have disagreements. Therefore, staff are not able to consistently help them in developing their understanding of the consequences of their actions.Staff provide children with opportunities to develop their fine motor skills in preparation for early writing.

Outside, children explore coloured rice. They use small spoons to scoop the rice into pots, practising their hand-to-eye coordination. Staff support children in using mathematical language to describe when the pots are 'full' and 'empty'.

Inside, children use pencils to draw pictures of bees, linked to bees visiting their outdoor area. Children talk about the bees' nest in the nearby school, and excitedly gather around to look at the bees they find.Children engage in conversations with staff throughout the day.

Staff encourage children to share their ideas and experiences, and support them in remembering previous learning. Children make links in their learning when comparing chicks hatching from eggs to caterpillars emerging from their cocoons. Overall, staff use opportunities during discussions to enhance and extend children's knowledge.

However, they do not consistently use these interactions to challenge children's understanding and address children's misconceptions.The chair of the committee has a good overview of the quality of care and education in the pre-school, and provides good, valuable leadership. She understands the committee's roles and responsibilities to help ensure that statutory requirements are met, and swiftly actions areas for improvement.

Parents are very happy with the provision at the pre-school. They are highly complimentary about the support they receive, and state that the staff are always on hand to discuss their children's needs. An effective key-person system ensures that staff build effective partnerships from the start of children's care.

Parents feel well informed about their children's learning through daily discussions and parent meetings.The knowledgeable and newly appointed special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) knows the children's needs very well. Communication is effective within the team.

As a result, children with additional needs are supported well. The SENCo works closely with parents and builds strong links with the local school. She shares information with the school SENCo to support children's transitions as they move on in their education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: guide staff to develop an increased awareness of children's behaviour across the setting and provide children with appropriate and timely support to resolve emerging disagreements in their play help staff to develop their teaching skills so that they confidently challenge misconceptions in learning and embrace opportunities to strengthen children's knowledge and understanding even further.