West Kingsdown Pre-school

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The setting is safe and inviting, and all children enjoy their time there. Children behave well and they are polite. They know what is expected of them.

Children enjoy the consistent and positive interactions with staff. This helps children develop good communication and language skills. For example, they consistently answer challenging questions with confidence.

Children develop good attitudes to learning. They are keen to share their ideas, such as when they make up their own stories to share with their friends, as they engage in imaginative play. Children gain a good understanding of physical health and well-being.<...br/>
For example, they enjoy harvesting their own healthy produce, such as herbs and carrots. All children develop good physical skills. For instance, they negotiate obstacles, such as cones and tyres on bicycles.

They climb and balance confidently on both vertical and horizontal ladders in climbing equipment and children enjoy dancing activities. Staff build on children's ideas and interests well. For example, when children enjoy a story about a park keeper who plants bulbs, staff help them to grow their own plants.

This helps to follow children's interests and brings imagination to life. Children have a good understanding about other people, including the similarities and differences between themselves and others. They learn about traditions of other religious beliefs, such as the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.

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

Staff establish positive relationships with children and get to know their individual needs and personalities well. Children settle quickly, confidently and happily into their play. They have a good sense of belonging and positive levels of well-being.

The manager and staff build and maintain good partnerships with other early years professionals. These help provide children with a positive and consistent approach to their shared care and learning. For instance, they regularly share children's achievements with staff at other settings that children also attend.

All staff support children to make good progress. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff liaise closely with outside agencies, such as speech and language therapists.

They share helpful ideas and strategies to help children to reach their full potential.Children gain good mathematical skills to support their future learning. For instance, younger children count with confidence as they play.

Older children learn more-difficult concepts, such as three-dimensional shapes, including the cuboid. Children learn some good skills to help prepare them for their eventual move to school. However, staff do not make the most out of ways to encourage children to develop more of an interest and their skills in early writing opportunities.

The manager and staff evaluate their practice together effectively. For example, at the end of each day they discuss how well the day's events and activities motivate children to learn. Staff use their findings to support their future activity plans to help children engage in their learning.

Children develop good social skills and build meaningful friendships. They play happily together and take turns and share resources maturely.Staff establish positive relationships with parents and keep them involved and informed in their children's learning.

For example, staff encourage them to regularly share their children's achievements from home.The manager closely monitors the quality of care and education that staff provide children. She regularly observes them interact with children and provides them with helpful feedback to support their future performance.

They have regular one-to-one meetings to set targets to meet and highlight any potential training needs. All staff are keen to keep up to date with new early years information and build on their skills and knowledge even further. They attend beneficial training.

For example, they have learned about different ways to encourage children to be creative.Staff have a good knowledge of the curriculum and provide children with motivating activities to cover all areas of learning. Staff ensure that they provide children with the skills they need to succeed and make good progress.

However, on occasion, children are not consistently encouraged to complete their own tasks, to learn to be more independent.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and child protection policies.

They know how to help keep children safe and protect their welfare. This includes having a good understanding of their own roles and responsibilities and those of outside agencies. For example, they know who to contact to seek additional advice, and report and follow up concerns.

The manager provides staff with routine quizzes and scenarios on safeguarding to ensure that their knowledge is current and well embedded into practice. Staff complete and monitor thorough risk assessments which cover all aspects of practice.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nextend children's opportunities to develop their early writing skills to further support their future learning and help prepare them for their eventual move to school nencourage children consistently to be even more independent and complete their own tasks.