The Partyhouse

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are greeted by familiar staff as they arrive at the pre-school. They readily leave their parents and quickly engage in play. Children develop strong and trusting bonds with staff, who provide them with care and affection.

Young children climb onto staff's laps and share familiar stories. They listen intently and discuss the pictures together. Children happily involve staff in their play.

For example, young children use their imagination and pretend to make cupcakes and cups of tea for staff.Children enjoy their time in the garden. They use the balance beam to walk along and delight in jumping off the end.
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This helps children to build their core strength and develop their balance. Other children thoroughly enjoy digging for worms in the garden. Together with staff, they discuss what they think worms might eat and drink.

Children then decide to make a small worm garden in a bowl. They collect plenty of mud, leaves and twigs for the worms' new home. Staff use these opportunities to help children to learn about simple addition.

For example, when children have two worms, staff ask how many they will have if they add another one. Children quickly say that two add one makes three.

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

The management team has worked hard to continually improve practice.

They have recruited new staff and work together to prioritise staff's well-being. The management team demonstrate a reflective and evaluative approach. They take note of feedback from parents, children and staff to make changes and improvements.

Children can make choices in their play from the range of resources and activities available to them. They engage, for a long period of time, in meaningful activities that are planned for their interests. This helps children to be motivated learners.

For example, children have opportunities to carry out digging activities in the garden. They spend an extended amount of time filling and emptying moulds with sand.Staff promote children's mathematical development well.

Older children start to learn about more complex shapes, such as a semicircle, as they discuss that this is half a circle. When staff introduce new shapes, such as a crescent, children recognise this is a similar shape to a banana. Staff use other opportunities to help children to learn to count, such as counting the birds that they can see in the garden or the number of plates they need at lunchtime.

Children generally behave well. The manager plans for new children to learn the rules and expected behaviour in the pre-school. However, staff do not always explain their expectations clearly to children, so that they develop a deeper understanding of why the rules are in place.

For example, staff remind children not to stand on equipment without an explanation as to why they must not do this. As a result, children do not learn the importance of respecting resources.Children are developing some self-care skills.

Staff support children to understand that they need to wash their hands before lunchtime and after playing in the garden. However, children are not as well supported to become independent. For example, staff put children's coats on for them.

This does not help children to learn to do things for themselves.Staff support children's communication and language development well. They continually talk to children during activities, adding in new words, such as 'squish' and 'mould', and asking them questions.

Staff read stories and sing songs as part of everyday activities. As a result, children are becoming confident talkers.Partnerships with parents are positive.

Parents value the feedback that staff give. They are delighted with the progress their children are making. Home learning ideas are shared with parents to help their children progress at home.

This helps with the continuity of care. Parents state that the pre-school holds a 'special place' in their children's hearts.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff understand their responsibilities to safeguard the children in their care. The manager regularly tests staff knowledge with questions and visual reminders to make sure they have a good understanding of the wider safeguarding concerns, such as female genital mutilation. She has created safeguarding lanyards for staff to wear to remind them of key information.

Robust recruitment processes are in place to ensure that those working with children are safe to do so. Staff know when and how to report concerns they have about a child in their care or about a colleague.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to provide a consistent approach to behaviour management, so that children learn why behaviour rules are in place provide more opportunities for children to develop their independence.

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