St Paul’s Pre School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The setting is well organised and allows children to explore a range of well-planned activities. There is a good mix of adult-led and child-initiated experiences, designed to help children to develop across all areas of the curriculum.

Children can choose to play indoors or outdoors as they develop their independence and explore in the safe and secure environment.Staff interact positively with children and help them to develop their knowledge and skills. Children play in the sand and describe what they are doing.

They happily talk about past experiences, such as going to the beach, as they build sandcastles. Occasional...ly, staff are too quick to provide solutions and do not encourage children to negotiate and solve problems for themselves to help their critical thinking.The manager is ambitious and has a clear vision for providing high-quality, inclusive care and education to all children.

Staff are passionate about giving children the best start in life. They are good role models and teach children right from wrong. A consistent approach is applied to help children to understand the expectations of their behaviour.

For example, staff shake a tambourine to indicate it is tidy-up time. Children respond positively and help to tidy away the toys at the end of the session. Children are well behaved and polite.

They are happy, confident and caring individuals, who have a positive attitude to learning. They form secure attachments with adults and each other.

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

Leaders and staff take time to get to know individual children and their families.

They have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The manager works closely with other professionals to ensure all families receive the support they need so that children can achieve their full potential.Children learn and develop across a broad range of areas.

Staff regularly assess what children know, understand and can do. They use this information well to decide what children need to learn next.Staff use children's interests to enhance activities, while making sure their learning is the main focus.

They introduce initiatives, such as a new story each week, to spark children's curiosity and love of books. During the inspection, they used the book 'Dear Zoo' effectively alongside an animal theme. Staff are animated as they read stories.

They use a range of descriptive words to extend children's vocabulary. Children find different animals around the room and use these to supplement the story and bring it to life. Children are engaged.

They join in with key phrases and anticipate what might come next.Children develop their independence and self-care skills as they pour their own drinks at snack time and choose from a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables or breadsticks. They talk about their favourite foods and the effect these have on their bodies as they learn about having a healthy diet.

Children enjoy their time outside and have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills. They build sandcastles, roll balls down tubes and climb in and out of containers as they pretend to sail a boat. They learn about the wider world and different people as they take part in community events, such as visiting the library and raising money for a local charity.

Leaders and staff reflect on the setting and are keen to make improvements that aim to enhance children's experiences. For example, the manager intends to develop the outdoor area to provide children with greater opportunities to learn about living things.The manager has built good links with other professionals and early years providers.

She regularly attends network meetings where she shares ideas and good practice to enhance the setting further. Staff complete regular training to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. This includes specialised training to help them to better support the children and families who attend the setting.

The manager monitors staff performance well. She supports the staff through completing regular supervisions, observing their practice and giving feedback to enhance their skills. She has identified that, at times, staff miss some opportunities to extend children's critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff know what signs and symptoms might indicate a child is at risk of harm. They understand how to identify and report any concerns they may have about a child's welfare.

The manager ensures staff keep their knowledge up to date and all staff are aware of wider child protection issues. When appointing new staff, the manager follows safer recruitment procedures to assure herself that staff are suitable and have the skills they need to fulfil their roles in the pre-school.

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 for children to negotiate and manage simple problems for themselves.