Whittington Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents

This provision is goodnManagers are passionate about their role and ambitious.

The appointment of a well-qualified and experienced deputy manager has strengthened the leadership team. Managers seek the views of staff, parents and children to continually improve. For example, at staff's request, new outdoor areas for babies and children are in place.

Parents now contribute their written comments about their children's transition arrangements when they move rooms, and menus now include 'fish Friday' because : that is what pre-school children say they miss.nStaff place a high emphasis on making children feel safe and emotionally secure. As a result, new babies and children s...ettle easily, and all children quickly develop a sense of belonging, are content and ready to learn.

nParents say that the nursery is 'amazing', it is their child's 'second home' and the staff are 'fantastic'. They appreciate the support they receive from staff, who always take time to support children's learning and development at home. For example, staff offer tips to parents on how to positively manage children's behaviour and they provide reading books and writing activities for parents to do with their children.

nStaff have a detailed knowledge of the children. They are well-skilled at carrying out accurate assessments, which help them to identify children's strengths and gaps in learning. They use these to tailor activities to children's needs, while promoting learning through play and routines.

nOverall, the quality of teaching is good because staff provide interesting and challenging experiences for children. However, some staff are stronger teachers than others. For example, older children relish being in their woodland area where staff show them how to use lard and seed to make 'bird feeders' which they hang on trees.

However, staff do not fully capture or maintain the interest of very young children when they hunt for insects in the woodland area. nThe management team monitors the quality of teaching. However, there is scope to enhance the monitoring to help staff improve their teaching skills and the experiences they offer to very young children.