St Peters Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children get the best start in life attending this pre-school.

The vision and plans that leaders have for the curriculum are understood by all staff. This results in consistent, high-quality teaching. Staff understand what children need to learn and why.

Staff deliver activities through fostering children's interests, such as superheroes, alongside teaching them the key knowledge and skills that they need for future learning. For example, older and most-able children learn that text carries meaning. Staff read to them about the different powers of superheroes, such as 'x-ray vision,' to help them to develop thei...r early reading skills.

Younger and less-able children develop their small hand muscles when they draw the 'hulk,' helping them to develop their physical skills. The behaviour curriculum is excellent. All staff know and understand the needs of all children who attend.

Staff sensitively support children's learning while children navigate how to manage and recognise their own feelings and emotions. Staff revisit previous learning regarding emotions that is displayed in the environment. This helps children to consider how they might be feeling.

Children learn how to overcome problems and difficulties that they encounter with others.Staff superbly plan for and promote children's engagement, motivation and critical thinking through their teaching. Children are deeply engaged in learning.

Staff use additional funding that the provider receives for children to purchase resources that help build on children's engagement. Children's concentration skills develop rapidly. All children join in and cooperate with the exciting learning opportunities on offer.

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

Leaders understand the local context very well. The curriculum is very well thought out to meet the needs of all children who attend. Leaders have considered the impact that COVID-19 has had on children.

They have refocused the curriculum as a result to help ensure that all children develop key skills, such as communication, language and physical skills. One of the things staff now do is lead group times standing up, which aids children's ability to engage in whole-group learning from the outset. Leaders have collaborated with teachers from the host school to develop a curriculum that helps to prepare children exceptionally well for starting school.

Staff's interactions with children are of the highest standard. Staff use skilful questioning; they model the correct use of language and give children the time they need to respond to communications. These effective communications between staff and children, along with the regular reading of books and text throughout the session, help children who speak English as an additional language and those with speech delay to make rapid progress from their starting points.

The identification of children's additional needs is rapid. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) identifies where children need additional support in the pre-school or from external agencies. She does this either through home visits before children start to attend or while they are settling in.

This ensures that children get the support they need from the outset. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to promote consistency in children's learning. Staff remain ambitious for all children to help ensure that they achieve their full potential.

Staff nurture and model respectful relationships between themselves and with children. This leads to positive relationships and social experiences for children. One example of this is lunchtime, where children and staff sit together enjoying each other's company and conversation.

Experiences such as this, promote children's personal, social and emotional development.Leaders are inspirational. Staff benefit from highly effective supervision, coaching and mentoring, which has helped to develop practice to an outstanding level.

This has happened rapidly, given there have been several staff changes, since the last inspection. Staff report how happy they are working at the pre-school.Leaders work tirelessly to keep children safe, providing early support to families, so they receive the right help at the right time.

The curriculum has a specialist focus on helping children to keep themselves safe, including when using technology devices. Staff stringently monitor children's attendance to check on their welfare. Parents say that they truly believe their child is in safe hands while attending the pre-school.

Staff get to know each child and their family well, and they encourage children to share their experiences from home. This includes sharing the customs of their own religious celebrations, such as Vaisakhi. Also, staff bring in a sign language teacher to help other children to understand and use signs that some children use with their families.

This helps to broaden children's experience beyond their own and develop respect and tolerance towards others.Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in the exciting, superbly equipped outdoor area. They play together as they clamber up onto crates and jump off to land on two feet.

Children help their friends who are less confident, holding their hands as they jump and balance until they succeed. Children play hide and seek and count to 10 correctly before rushing to find their friends. The manager successfully recognises the learning opportunities for children.

For example, she knows that as children balance on ropes, they are developing their core muscle skills.

Safeguarding

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

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