St John’s Pre-school, Merrow

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

This small and dedicated staff team places an importance on helping children to settle quickly into the pre-school. Children have strong bonds with staff members, who are attentive and caring. Staff know each child well and how to help them to develop high levels of confidence and self-esteem.

Children are happy and engaged learners. They enjoy making their own choices in their play and staff support their emerging interests to add further challenges in their learning. Staff take pride in providing stimulating activities and resources to spark children's curiosity and help them to gain new skills and abilities.

Childre...n behave well. Staff clearly explain their expectations for behaviour and are good role models. Children show an increasing awareness of how to control their own emotions and to share and work with others.

They receive constant praise for their achievements and are encouraged to try things for themselves. Children are gaining independence skills in their own self-care such as dressing themselves and putting on their shoes for outdoor play. They participate in group times and patiently wait for their turn in circle and story time.

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

Children are well supported to learn about their immediate community and the wider world around them. They help to celebrate local residents' special birthdays and take trips out and about to build on their social interactions. Children are learning about people who help us.

For example, they enjoy playing in the role-play doctor's surgery as they dress up in clothing that reflects different professional roles. Children use specific resources that they encounter in real life, for example using a stethoscope to listen to the doll's 'heartbeat'.The manager makes sure she retains good-quality staff who are supported through an effective supervision process and form a strong team.

However, she does not focus intently enough on their professional development opportunities, to help them to continuously raise their knowledge and understanding to even higher levels.The manager uses self-evaluation well to help her to identify areas for improvement. Staff, parents and children are valued for their contributions and views to inform changes.

Staff have worked well towards the recommendations from the last inspection. For instance, children enjoy using early technology in their play as they read stories and listen to different dinosaur sounds as they press buttons.Staff regularly observe and assess children's learning.

They closely track and monitor their progress, to help to quickly identify potential gaps and provide additional support and challenge if required. Staff have high expectations for children, but information is not successfully shared with other settings, to help plan more precisely for their future learning.Partnerships with parents are firmly in place, and parents speak highly of the manager and her team.

Parents have many opportunities to discuss their children's progress and help to form the next steps in their learning. They feel that their children develop important skills that help them to move to school easily.Children are developing healthy attitudes towards being physically active and they learn about making informed choices about the food they eat.

They learn to balance and negotiate their bodies as they use the climbing frame and have daily access to fresh air in the outdoors.Staff help children to use early mathematics in their play. They calculate and estimate how to add more items to the weighing scales to learn about 'heavy' and 'light' objects.

Children explore different colours as they create their own paintings to build on their imaginary skills and are increasing their small physical movements as they use scissors.Staff are committed to supporting children to build good communication and language skills. Children are given time to answer questions posed to them and offer their own views and descriptive vocabulary in response.

They listen and follow instructions with ease and use their own solutions to solve problems. Children engage in group singing times and use their memory and recall skills as they repeat actions and words to their favourite tunes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms of abuse to be fully aware of, to help to protect the children in their care. They understand the procedures to follow to report any concerns about a child's welfare and safety. Policies and procedures are in place and are adapted to reflect any relevant changes to local authority requirements.

Robust recruitment systems are in place for the staff team and also the current committee members. The manager, who is also the nominated individual, regularly checks the ongoing suitability of all staff, reflecting a vigilance for the safeguarding of children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the opportunities to share information with other settings, to promote further continuity in children's future development and progress focus more intently on the professional development opportunities for staff members, to help them to continuously raise their knowledge and understanding to much higher levels.

Also at this postcode