Southfields Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents

This provision is good • The pre-school environment is inviting and beautifully presented for children. Staff put a lot of thought and care into the activities and resources that they provide for children. For example, following some plumbing work carried out in the nursery, staff provide a number of different tools and pipes for children to explore and investigate.

• Staff are very good role models for children. They are kind, caring and authentic. Children respond extremely well to their interactions and clearly enjoy their time talking to and playing with staff.

• The manager is knowledgeable and hard working. She ensures that her team has plenty of opportunity to acc...ess training and professional development. This supports staff to provide consistently good-quality teaching.

Staff have recently attended a course which supported their knowledge of how boys play. • The outdoor provision is particularly strong. Children show high levels of well-being and engagement while playing in the wide open space of the farmland on whose site the pre-school is based.

Staff provide waterproof all-in-one suits so that children can access the outdoor environment comfortably in all weathers. • Parents are extremely happy with the provision. They say that it is unique and that they travel some distance to bring their children because they value the pre-school so much.

Staff provide regular updates for parents about their children's progress and development. • Staff do not always accurately identify children's initial starting points when they start at pre-school. • The manager does not fully check the progress of the different groups of children to help identify less obvious gaps in their learning and to tailor teaching if required.