Rosebuds Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited to come to the pre-school and wait patiently for the doors to open. Staff happily greet the children when they arrive, asking them how they are. Children are encouraged to register themselves and are ready to explore what staff have set up for them. Children settle into the pre-school quickly while staff have a brief check in with the parents about how their morning was. There is a strong sense of community, and staff build close relationships with the children and their families. Children are happy and show a sense of belonging, build friendships and have a strong attachment with staff.

Leaders and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring that all children attending the pre-school have a good start in education and support their development well. They know the needs of the individual children and the community they live in, and they use this knowledge to plan and implement a curriculum that supports all children. They use additional funding to ensure that disadvantaged children have access to a range of activities they may not otherwise experience, such as visiting the theatre. All children, including funded children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), gain the skills needed to prepare them well for their next steps in learning.

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

• The leadership team has a very good understanding of what it wants children to learn. Children are to learn about their community and find out their role in it. Leaders want children to be confident when they start school and eager to explore new things, being able to participate in conversation and engage with others in play.
• The setting works closely with parents to support their children with their development. There are various channels to share information with the parents, enabling a two-way flow of information. This helps to ensure that there is consistency in the children's learning.
• The staff team uses information to plan the curriculum according to the interests of the children and the things they need to learn next. Staff ensure that children are able to learn in depth about topics and build on their learning experience. For example, when children choose the book of the month, staff plan activities around the story, including trips. This supports children's knowledge and literacy further.
• Staff set up a variety of activities for children to explore, engage and learn through play. Children are happy and independently choose from what is available to them. Some children enjoy pretending to cook in the role-play area, while others have fun going down the slide in the garden. However, staff do not consistently support children during the activities to further extend their learning. Some children, including children with SEND, are often playing independently without any support from staff.
• Senior leaders' evaluation of the provision is accurate. They recognise the strengths and gaps in knowledge of staff working with children. Leaders provide appropriate support for staff to understand and implement the curriculum. Staff share about the training and mentoring they receive. Observations show that staff take on feedback from leaders to improve their practice.
• Staff develop children's independence from when they start. Children are encouraged to put their belongings away when they arrive, and they access their own drinks during the day and make choices in their play. However, at times, staff do not use consistent strategies to help children understand what is expected of them. For example, when staff tell children it is tidying-up time, they do not make sure all children are aware of the expectations. This results in children continuing to play while staff tidy up.
• The provider has failed to notify Ofsted of the appointment of new directors. However, there is no significant impact on children as the directors do not work directly with them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to support staff to consistently implement behaviour expectations and routines of the pre-school
• strengthen the quality of teaching to ensure that children benefit consistently from engaging and challenging learning opportunities.