West Cliff Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are very well cared for and enjoy their time spent at this welcoming pre-school. Staff plan their curriculum around the interests and learning needs of children.

Children eagerly join in with activities and make good progress in their learning from their starting points. The well-resourced outdoor area provides children with many opportunities to learn about their environment. For example, older children eagerly dig in the soil and unearth worms.

They are clearly interested by the worms and become absorbed in their play and exploration. Indoors, children also benefit from a wide range of physical play activiti...es. They climb and balance and take appropriate risks, with support and guidance from staff.

Children learn to manage risks for themselves. Staff are warm and attentive, promoting wonderful relationships and strong attachments. They listen to the children and respond to their needs well.

Children learn that their views and feelings matter. Staff invest time getting to know the families extremely well. They exchange information with parents outside the entrance as children arrive and leave.

Staff identify where families may need some additional help and act to get them that support very efficiently. Children show that they feel safe and secure. For instance, they engage confidently with new visitors to the pre-school and invite them to join in with their play.

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

The manager monitors practice well to ensure all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language have equal opportunities to make good progress. She knows how every child is achieving and ensures those who need extra support receive targeted interventions to improve their progress. Staff are proactive in working in a wide range of effective partnerships with external agencies.

Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff form close, respectful relationships with children and their families through an effective key-person system. During lockdowns, due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff kept in contact with families through online social media and telephone calls.

Staff use a range of strategies to keep parents informed of their child's development and seek their views to look at ways to improve. Parents feel that the pre-school has a small, friendly feel and comment on the good progress their children make.The manager considers carefully how to spend extra funding to benefit children.

Staff skilfully identify gaps in children's life experiences and consider ways to help develop children's knowledge and enrich their lives. For example, they purchase training and resources to provide a range of music and movement activities to broaden children's experiences.Children enjoy singing and dancing to music.

They become excited as they practise moving their arms up, down, side to side and in a criss-cross action. Children practise their early writing skills, repeating these movements to make patterns on the patio using chalk.Staff prioritise children's early communication skills.

They fully involve themselves in the children's activities and engage in discussions with children throughout the pre-school day. However, staff do not consistently make the most of their interactions with children in order to extend their learning and build on what they already know.Good attention is given to developing children's mathematical understanding.

As younger children 'blast off into space' in their play, staff count backwards aloud. Older children sequence numbers and estimate quantities excitedly. For instance, children guess how many balls they collect in buckets and present the buckets in the correct number order.

Behaviour management training was identified to help children manage their feelings and emotions, as a result of not being in the setting due to lockdowns. The recent in-house training on behaviour management has enabled staff to use effective and positive strategies to help children manage their feelings. Overall, children behave very well.

Staff feel valued and supported by leaders and they enjoy their roles. The manager supports staff to manage their workload effectively and maintain their well-being through regular supervision and performance management. She supports staff to develop their skills.

However, the manager does not focus enough on staff's professional development in order to help raise the quality of their interactions further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff implement robust policies and procedures to promote children's safety and welfare.

Staff know the procedure to follow should they have concerns about a child or if an allegation is made against a member of staff. They are deployed well around the pre-school and supervise children very well. The manager ensures that staff are alert to safeguarding matters and potential signs of abuse through frequent training and very regular information sharing.

She makes timely referrals and liaises with other agencies regularly. This ensures that children and families get the support they need.

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 improve the quality of their interactions with children in ways that consistently support learning and help children to make the best possible progress.