Sutton Valence Pre-school Group

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children form wonderful friendships with one another. They play well together and clearly enjoy their time at the setting.

Children are greeted with a big smile and open arms by a team of friendly staff. They happily wave their parents goodbye, before setting off to explore their environment.The outdoor environment sparks children's curiosity.

They explore various mini-beasts living in the garden. The discovery of spider eggs in their playhouse leads to a wealth of interesting questions from the children. For example, they ask what the spiders eat and how they make their webs.

These questions are skilfully ans...wered by the staff. Staff develop children's interest and respect for nature and the world we live in. Children are excited to explore and find nature fascinating.

For example, they listen for the sound of kestrels nesting in the tree. Children excitedly find binoculars and look into the sky to spot the kestrels flying in and out of their nest.The curriculum is well thought out and ambitious for every child.

The curriculum intent focuses on children becoming confident and independent learners. Children confidently lead their play. For example, they were observed initiating a game of musical statues.

Children played tunes on a keyboard to a group of their peers dancing. They purposely stopped the music and those children dancing made statues. This game was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

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

Staff have securely embedded the routines of the day. On arrival, children independently place their belongings on their pegs and put on their indoor shoes. They know and understand the setting routines and have an awareness of what comes next.

For example, children have learned that, after their story, they wash their hands and then have their snack.Staff have developed children's confidence in their physical abilities. Children have learned to take appropriate risks, challenge themselves and persevere at tasks they have chosen.

For example, they physically challenge their bodies on the climbing frame, by balancing, using their coordination skills and negotiating space while supporting their own weight. Staff give encouragement and praise to children for their achievements.Overall, the quality of education is good.

Staff understand their intent for activities. For instance, when observing a group activity, staff wanted children to learn about different mathematical concepts and these were explored. However, staff do not always recognise when children would benefit from adult intervention to extend their learning when ideas capture their interest.

Staff are attentive to children's emotional and well-being needs. They support children who become upset effectively. For example, a child is quickly soothed after taking a tumble, as a member of staff pretends to take their tears and put them in their pocket.

Children are well behaved. Staff role model being kind, polite and respectful to one another and support children to learn good behaviours. Children remind each other of the rules and boundaries of the setting, such as 'we must not walk up the slide, we slide down it'.

However, although staff set clear boundaries, they do not consistently provide children with the explanations they need to understand why some rules are in place.The pre-school group is a well-established setting at the heart of the local community. The long-standing members of staff work extremely well together and thoroughly enjoy their roles.

Staff are well supported by the manager. The team has regular meetings and appraisals, and has access to ongoing online training to further improve professional development. The manager fosters a supportive, friendly and positive working atmosphere.

Families appreciate the committed and dedicated team. They return to the setting with new generations of family members. Parents comment that the setting is 'amazing' and speak positively about the staff.

Furthermore, they report that their children are making good progress and have made some wonderful friendships.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities to prevent children from the risk of harm.

Safeguarding training is kept up to date. This has increased staff's knowledge of all aspects of the safeguarding umbrella. The setting follows effective recruitment procedures, ensuring that the correct documentation, staff suitability records and references are obtained prior to starting at the setting.

The manager has robust induction methods in place to ensure that staff are suitable for their role and responsibilities. Staff carry out daily risk assessments to ensure that the environment is safe for children to play and explore.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance the arrangements to manage children's behaviour, to help them understand why certain behaviours are not appropriate support staff to more consistently recognise opportunities that arise during activities, to build on children's interest and extend their learning further.