Egerton & Walmsley Playgroup/Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The philosophy of this setting, 'Promoting and creating a home-from-home setting for children to feel safe, valued and reach their full potential' is what makes this setting so welcoming.

Children demonstrate high levels of energy and excitement as they enter the well-resourced environment. They develop strong emotional attachments with their key person when settling into this warm and welcoming setting. Children bring in an item from home that is familiar, and the staff provide lots of cuddles and reassurance, so that children feel safe and secure from the start.

Children respond well to routines. For instance, when s...taff indicate it is time to go outside, children confidently line up at the 'bus stop' sign. They transition safely in a line to the outdoor area.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and are good role models. They encourage children to share their emotions. For example, children independently choose from the emotion stones that match the emotion they are feeling that day.

This helps children to feel valued and accepted. Children benefit from a well-planned and ambitious curriculum. The committed staff provide a range of learning experiences and opportunities for children to develop new skills.

For example, children experiment in the outdoor area weighing different-sized pumpkins. The children create a pumpkin patch and explain that 'the small pumpkin will grow big overnight'. This supports children to develop an understanding of mathematical concepts.

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

Staff are skilled at identifying children who may need extra support. They use targeted interventions provided by some external professionals to help close any gaps in children's learning. However, plans are not shared effectively with other settings that children attend.

As a result, children's progress is not monitored consistently.The setting is run by a team of committee members. Along with leaders and managers, they form the management team.

The management team supports staff well, providing them with coaching and guidance. They give careful consideration to the staff's well-being and work effectively to support each other. Staff receive regular supervisions and annual appraisals.

In addition to mandatory training, staff have opportunities for ongoing professional development. This supports the staff team so that they deliver teaching to a consistently good standard.Partnership working with parents is a strength of this setting.

Staff provide updates to parents through daily conversations and online app posts. They send photos of children's learning and enjoyment. Parents comment that staff are 'amazing and always supportive'.

Parents are kept informed of their children's time at the setting.Staff support children's communication and language. They read stories and sing lots of nursery rhymes, providing resources that bring them to life.

For example, they use finger puppets and count on their fingers when singing rhymes. They use a wide range of language, such as 'snap, snap' and 'hop, hop, hop' when singing. Children's increasing vocabulary supports them to be confident communicators.

Care practices are good. The children wash their hands regularly. Staff provide younger children with lots of opportunities to feed themselves at snack time and lunchtime and pour their own drinks.

Staff talk to children about the importance of having a healthy diet, and support them when they need help. This encourages children to become increasingly independent.Staff weave mathematical concepts throughout children's play.

Children make simple calculations, such as working out the total when one more is added. Older children enjoy printing with painted fruit, increasing the number of fruits as they add them into a matching sequence. This helps to develop children's sense of number and sequencing patterns.

The staff provide the parents and children with star wow cards to take home. The children write down any interesting news and then read out the stars at circle time. This encourages children's confidence and self-esteem.

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 further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove information-sharing with other settings to monitor the progress of children precisely and build on their good progress.

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