Spire Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are self-confident and assured in this caring and welcoming pre-school. They interact confidently with adults and include them in their play. Children know how to share and to take turns.

For example, they share the jingle bells with adults and make music together. Relationships between children and adults are warm and trusting. Children are kind to each other, inviting their friends to come and join in the teddy-bears picnic they have created in the role-play area.

Children understand established routines, hanging up their coats and putting lunch boxes on the trolley when they arrive, without reminders. Staff... have high expectations of children's behaviour, to which children respond positively.Children have great fun and are happy in the pre-school.

For instance, they laugh with pleasure as they jump and splash in the water, and they make wet footprints on the ground. They feel safe and secure, understanding how to minimise risk, such as always wearing helmets when riding the balance bicycles. Children have plenty of opportunities to enjoy books.

They eagerly perform the actions to familiar stories and join in with the words they know. Children sit in the cosy book corner and choose their own books to look at, carefully turning the pages.

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

Parents are very happy with the setting.

They say that their children settle well and that relationships are good. Parents talk to their child's key worker about their likes and dislikes and, together, next steps are agreed. Communication is regular, and parents are kept up to date with their child's progress through the online system.

Parents are given suggestions as to how they can support their children at home and are invited to contribute to their child's learning journey.Staff plan engaging activities to meet the needs of the children. They assess their progress and provide further activities to extend their learning and progress.

For instance, children devised a game of squirting water from a syringe and staff provided targets for them to aim at. They plan to provide support for mathematical development, such as encouraging the children to measure how far the water will go.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported.

Staff liaise with external professionals and deliver the activities they suggest to help to support good progress.The manager has a vision to promote children's independence skills. However, this is not fully implemented by some staff.

On occasion, staff do not recognise opportunities where they can teach children to use tools and equipment themselves, or where they can encourage children to complete tasks for themselves.Staff provide a wide range of opportunities for children to develop their communication and language skills. Children play games where they describe common objects and enjoy singing familiar songs and rhymes.

Staff chat to children as they play, repeating words and phrases back to children clearly to support their pronunciation skills.Children have wide-ranging opportunities to develop their physical and social skills. Outside, they skilfully negotiate the space as they steer the ride-on toys and balance bicycles, following the track and so avoiding collisions.

Inside, they enjoy using and sharing the modelling dough, and they practise using simple tools, such as rolling pins and scissors.The manager is reflective about her practice and supports staff in completing further training. However, procedures for staff supervision and coaching are not robust and precise enough to identify and improve individual staff practice.

Staff help children to develop a good understanding of the world, media and materials. For instance, children learn about change during experimentation. They observe with fascination and notice changes, such as that ice changes when salt is added.

Staff support the development of children's early writing effectively. For instance, they provide a varied selection of materials, such as paint brushes, felt tips, chalks and crayons, for children to use to make marks. Children begin to understand that marks carry meaning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and her staff undertake regular training to ensure that their knowledge is up to date. They have a clear understanding of their responsibilities in keeping children safe at all times.

All staff can identify the signs and symptoms of abuse. They are aware of who they should inform about any concerns they have and how these should be recorded. Staff are aware of the dangers of radicalisation and other social pressures.

Staff check the premises daily to ensure that children will be safe as they learn and play. There are clear procedures in place should an allegation be made against a member of staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance further the opportunities and resources for children to practise everyday skills to support their developing independence review arrangements to evaluate staff practice and provide targeted training opportunities to help develop individual staff practice.

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