Woodlands Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education is not consistent enough to ensure children make good progress in their learning. Staff know their key children well and what their next steps in learning are. However, staff do not effectively implement plans to help children achieve their next steps.

At times, some staff do not guide or role model as children play. As a result, children lose interest and begin flitting between activities. Staff praise children regularly about what they are doing.

However, they do not consistently extend or challenge children's thinking to inspire them and help them build good attention skills.Staff develop stron...g bonds with the children. This is a fundamental part of the pre-school ethos to help children be ready to learn.

Staff greet children and parents warmly on arrival and provide children with comfort to settle in for the session. The regular routine provides children with an additional sense of security. They understand what comes next and are confident to follow these cues throughout the sessions.

Staff give children plenty of time to practise skills that will help them to become more independent. Young children have a go at taking off their shoes and putting on their wellington boots. With repetition, older children successfully complete these tasks.

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

The provider is ambitious for children and staff and has an accurate view of the overall quality of the pre-school. There is an action plan in place to develop elements of the pre-school. However, it does not focus sufficiently on developing staff practice.

Additionally, while staff feel well supported by the management team, regular meetings do not effectively address the quality of teaching and interactions with the children.Staff know the children well. They plan learning experiences to meet children's individual needs.

However, these plans are not well implemented. For instance, when older children pretend to eat and drink in the home corner, they demonstrate their secure knowledge, such as knowing that apple juice can be squeezed out of apples. Staff praise the children and role play with them but do not extend or challenge learning further.

Staff support children's language skills well on an individual basis. For example, they add gestures so children who speak English as an additional language understand the meaning of words. However, younger children struggle to concentrate and sustain attention during group times.

As staff sing familiar songs and read stories, there are distractions occurring at the same time. For example, staff are instructing some children to take off their coats when the sessions begin and some staff are completing routine tasks. As a result, children wander away and do not benefit from the opportunity to develop their concentration skills further.

There is a strong focus on physical development. Staff energetically lead dance and sport sessions. Children clap, twist, bend and jump, practising their whole-body coordination.

Outside, staff encourage children to work as a team and pass a ball to one another, backwards and over their heads.Partnership working with parents is strong. There is a good amount of communication between parents and staff.

Children's learning information is shared regularly, including ideas about how parents can help children to develop at home and be ready for the move to school. This helps to provide consistency of care and education for children.The pre-school supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and their families, appropriately.

Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to help ensure children receive the support they require. The provider considers the individual needs of vulnerable children before spending any additional funding for them.Older children learn about the natural world around them.

They use seeds to make bird feeders and then hang them in a tree to feed the birds. Staff enable children to go on a worm hunt. Staff lift stumps and help children look for worms in the leaves and dirt.

Children use magnifying glasses and sticks to carefully carry the worms to examine more closely. This helps to develop children's understanding of caring for the environment.

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 ensure the performance management programme helps staff to improve the quality of their interactions with the children 28/02/2025 ensure staff implement a challenging learning experience, for all children to extend their learning and make good progress.28/02/2025 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of group times to help younger children remain engaged in learning.