The Orchard Community Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children beam with smiles as they arrive.

Staff greet children warmly and discuss the many exciting activities that are set up for them. Children have strong relationships with their key person. Where younger children are still settling in, they cuddle with staff for comfort and reassurance.

Children feel safe and secure as they are supported by caring and dedicated staff.Activities are available for children to freely explore and investigate. Staff prepare interesting resources that encourage children to share and take turns.

For example, children play with play dough together and excitedly hide dinosaurs ins...ide. When more children come to join in, staff encourage children to consider how they can include everyone fairly. Children kindly share out their resources with others.

This promotes children's understanding of sharing and treating others with respect.Leaders have developed a curriculum that is broad and well balanced. They plan to build learning experiences around children's interests.

This keeps children excited and motivated in their learning. For example, children show an interest in a 'space' theme. Staff use numbered rockets to increase children's understanding of counting and number recognition.

Children gain knowledge to prepare them for their next stage of learning.

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

Leaders of the committee have not provided required information to Ofsted. Although the committee makes some of its own checks when new members join, Ofsted has therefore not been able to verify their suitability.

This is a breach of requirements. However, committee members do not have unsupervised access to children, and this limits any impact on children's safety or well-being.Young children receive plenty of support to develop their early communication skills.

Staff play closely with them and provide new words. For example, when children play in the mud kitchen, staff use words such as 'mix' and 'stir'. Staff demonstrate the actions to support children's understanding.

This increases children's language skills.Children's love of reading is promoted. Staff read to children with enthusiasm and link stories to their current learning.

Staff use voices to represent different characters. This inspires children, and they excitedly discuss other books and songs with a 'space' theme. Children listen attentively and remain engaged for long periods.

Staff promote the development of children's physical skills. For example, they provide activities such as painting and mark making. Staff plan these activities to strengthen the muscles in children's hands.

This supports preparation for future learning, such as early writing. Staff encourage children to use different tools, and children enjoy the sensory experience of feeling wet paint with their hands. Children build positive attitudes to play and learning.

Children begin to manage self-care routines themselves, such as washing their hands. At times, however, staff do not consider how to extend older children's independence during daily routines such as mealtimes. This means that children's independence skills are not consistently extended and increased.

Staff access training to continually raise standards of teaching for children. For example, staff increase their understanding of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff confidently work with parents and professionals, such as speech and language therapists.

They collaborate to put individual plans in place to support children with SEND. Through this, children receive a shared approach to their care and education.Leaders put effective measures in place to reduce burdensome paperwork tasks for staff.

Leaders work together to create a system where assessments are purposeful and accurate. Staff feel supported, knowing that any work-related pressure is consistently monitored and reduced by leaders. Staff report high levels of well-being and feel confident in their roles.

Parents speak highly of the pre-school. They explain that they are kept fully informed about their child's progress. Staff do this by inviting parents in and discussing children's work and future learning.

Parents feel involved and are equipped with suggestions of how to extend children's learning at home. Parent partnerships are strong.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date provide the required information to ensure all members of the committee have their suitability verified by Ofsted.13/12/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen support for older children to consistently develop and increase their independence skills.