Young Discoverers Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are highly engaged in their learning and staff follow their lead instinctively.

Staff support and encourage children to solve problems for themselves. Children respond positively and enthusiastically. Staff are aware of children's individual capabilities and provide appropriate levels of challenge, setting high expectations for all.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities thrive. Staff support them with high levels of care and respect. They respond compassionately to children's cues.

For instance, they lie down next to children and follow their lead as they play and interact with o...ne another. Partnerships with other professionals support children's individual needs. Additional funding that the setting receives is used effectively to support children and their families.

Everyone is given access to the same opportunities. This supports them to become prepared for their future experiences. All children feel safe and secure at the pre-school.

They form meaningful relationships with the staff. Children behave well at the pre-school. Staff work together to ensure that their expectations are all consistent.

Children are helpful and follow staff's instructions without hesitation. They kindly help their friends, for example those who are less confident or familiar with the routine of the session.

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

The experienced manager utilises staff's skills effectively.

Staff share their knowledge with one another, which helps the less-experienced members of the team to develop their teaching even further. For instance, staff develop their ability to support children's learning during forest school activities. Staff are encouraged to continuously enhance their knowledge, for example by completing relevant training.

The manager supports less-qualified members of staff to gain new qualifications relevant to their roles.Parents are supported to build on their children's learning at home. Staff share ideas and information with them frequently, for example information on the curriculum.

They encourage parents to support their children's literacy at home. Staff also support the early literacy of those children who speak English as an additional language. For instance, they share a range of dual-language books with them, encouraging them to read these at home with their families.

The curriculum is carefully planned around the children who attend the pre-school. Planning is an ongoing process and frequently adapted. Staff are provided with time to meet together.

They plan a range of exciting activities based on the children's previous learning. For instance, staff update their planning for later in the week as a result of children's learning on previous days.Staff use every opportunity to build on children's existing knowledge.

They inspire children in a variety of ways. For instance, they make story time interactive. They skilfully weave different areas of learning together.

For example, children keenly count with staff as they move around the room while a staff member reads them a story. The most able children join in with the story by repeating familiar phrases. Other children excitedly talk about what they see in the pictures, for example when they spot an elephant on the page.

Staff use a range of highly effective strategies to encourage children to develop their own learning and skills. As a result, children demonstrate very high levels of perseverance. For example, children independently climb trees in the forest outside.

They do not give up and listen carefully to the staff's gentle guidance as they try to climb different branches. They are further motivated by staff's words of encouragement and praise. Children are clearly proud of their achievements as they share their accomplishments with other members of staff, who respond enthusiastically.

Overall, communication with parents is strong. They feel well informed about their children's learning and progress. Staff encourage parents to share information about their children with them before they start.

However, on occasions, this information is not gathered and used effectively enough to help the children settle as rapidly as possible when they start.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and her staff have a strong understanding of how to keep children safe.

They rigidly follow the policies in place, such as the setting's collection of children policy. They work with outside agencies and parents closely, sharing relevant information to safeguard children. Staff have completed relevant training and are aware of the signs to look out for regarding children's welfare.

They are confident in the process to follow should they have any concerns about children. This includes those children who may be at risk from extreme views or behaviour.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nencourage staff to build on the good communication with parents even further and to gain enough relevant information before children start so that they can support children to settle more effectively.