Woolpit ARC

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education children receive is not consistently good. At times, teaching is of good quality, for example, when staff deliver singing sessions and story times, children enthusiastically join in. However, the way that staff are deployed means that children are sometimes left unsupported.

Consequently, children lose focus on engaging in learning. There are not have enough opportunities for meaningful interactions with staff to help children to have strong foundations in some aspects of their learning. For example, staff carry out routine tasks while children eat their snacks or at the end of lunchtime, and there is a la...ck of focus on directly supporting and engaging with the children.

Older children get up and down from their seats, sometimes while continuing to eat their food. Staff do notice and encourage children to return to their seats. Children generally enjoy their time at the setting.

When staff are alongside children during their free play, they talk to children about what they are doing. Staff notice and offer guidance when children need help during moments when children have minor disagreements about sharing. However, staff do not routinely help children to develop their knowledge.

For example, they do not always provide new information or find ways to challenge children's thinking and problem-solving abilities. Consequently, children's enthusiasm and desire to learn is not always strong. Some children create games together and join each other in cooperative play, such as playing 'hide and seek' with resources, which they enjoy.

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

The newly appointed leadership and management team are working to make improvements to the provision. They have identified and successfully addressed several significant weaknesses. This has improved children's safety.

The provider has taken action to remedy significant premises issues over the last year. The management team has also taken action to address gaps in their recruitment procedures and records. Where staff's suitability checks are not yet fully completed leaders ensure that they are not left alone with children, until their suitability has been established.

There have been delays in providing information to Ofsted about people who make up the committee, but there is a minimal impact on the safety of children because they do not have access to sensitive information about children or unsupervised contact with them.Overall, the curriculum is balanced and provides children some opportunities to learn across all areas of learning. For example, children experiment with making marks using arts and crafts resources, and play on balance and wheeled toys in the garden.

They design and build from a selection of building blocks. Leaders and managers have identified the need to strengthen practice, and are developing the breadth and depth of the curriculum. However, this is not consistently well delivered because staffing arrangements mean staff do not dedicate enough time and attention to supporting children during their play.

Leaders and staff are working to achieve consistency in practice. This has included a focus on ensuring that staff help children to learn the rules and expectations of the setting. For example, they teach children to behave kindly and considerately towards others.

This work by staff is ongoing, as there are times where children show that they are still learning and understanding the revised boundaries and expectations.Generally, there are appropriate procedures in place to help children be healthy, such as food hygiene procedures, cleaning routines and effective handwashing routines, for both children and adults. However, staff do not follow the setting's health and hygiene procedures closely.

For example, they do not always clean the mat used to change children's nappies on, between uses, despite this being part of the setting's intended procedures. This presents some risks of cross-contamination.Some parents find that they are not well-informed about what staff are working to help children learn.

At times, the information that staff provide about children's day lacks sufficient detail for parents to fully understand their care and learning. However, where there are any concerns about a child's development staff ensure that they work closely with parents to plan for children's needs and to seek help from other professionals, where needed. This supports those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Overall, children settle well with staff who know them and appreciate their individual personalities. They build bonds with the kind, calm and caring staff and show that they enjoy their interactions with them.

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 that Ofsted are provided with information promptly to allow suitability checks on those making up the registered body to be made, and put in place a clear procedure for monitoring that the process is successfully completed by those applying 21/04/2025 improve staffing arrangements to ensure that all children get the support they need to make consistently good progress 21/04/2025 ensure that staff follow the setting's health and hygiene policies and procedures effectively 21/04/2025 help staff to understand how to provide children with consistently high-quality interactions that support children to develop their knowledge and skills.21/04/2025 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: share more information with parents about their children's progress to help them to understand how they can support their children's learning and development at home monitor staff practice and evaluate areas where further improvements can be made.

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