Woodcroft Pre School and Wrap around care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop positive attachments with staff. The caring and dedicated staff ensure that every child is nurtured, and their individual needs are met. For example, they work closely with outside agencies and parents to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps children to feel safe and secure, meaning they settle well.

Children and babies demonstrate a love of books and stories. This is supported by enthusiastic staff who use different voices to promote their engagement. Stories are supported with props to extend children's understanding. For instance, children enjoy listening to stories and use props to act out the story. Babies enjoy music and movement. For example, staff sing familiar songs that babies enjoy dancing along to. This supports children's communication and language development.

Children gain a good awareness of healthy living. For instance, they learn about good oral health and understand the importance of brushing their teeth. Children follow good hygiene practices and staff talk to them about healthy eating. For example, children enjoy choosing and talking about what fruit they will have for their snack. They are given plenty of praise to help raise their self-esteem. For instance, staff say 'Well done!' when children independently wash their faces after lunchtime.

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

• The provider, who is also the manager, failed to notify Ofsted of additional company directors. This breaches a requirement of the early years foundation stage. However, it does not impact on children's safety. Directors do not work at the setting and are not present at the setting when children are there. The manager ensured that each director completed the required application to Ofsted during the inspection. The leaders are robust in ensuring children's welfare and safety. For example, they do not allow staff members to work alone, and door entry procedures ensure that only known people are permitted to enter the setting.
• Leaders work alongside their team. This means they constantly observe the quality of teaching delivered, and supervision sessions are ongoing. Additionally, leaders share research and training opportunities with staff to enhance their continuous professional development.
• Leaders and staff clearly identify what needs to be learned by all children, including those who speak English as an additional language. However, they do not actively include important words in children's home languages when teaching. This does not help children who speak English as an additional language to understand activities and does not value their home language or enhance their communication skills.
• The support in place for children with SEND is excellent. Leaders are relentless in their pursuit of removing barriers to learning. Links with external professionals are robust. Children with SEND flourish and make good progress.
• Overall, all children are engaged in the learning opportunities that staff carefully plan for them. However, staff do not organise changes in routine well to engage all children and help them understand what is expected of them. For instance, when being asked to tidy up, children wander aimlessly, and their engagement lacks during this time. This means that, during changes in routine, the environment becomes a little chaotic, and learning is not as purposeful. This disrupts children's learning and the overall progress they make.
• Leaders and staff use additional funding effectively to meet the individual learning needs of children. For example, they provide children with resources that support their individual care and learning needs. As a result, children make progress.
• The key-person system works well. Parents report that in-depth daily communication means they always know about their child's day at pre-school. They appreciate the support that the leaders and staff give to them as a family.
• Staff liaise with parents to ensure that they know about children's home life and plan opportunities to broaden their experiences. For instance, all children have opportunities to play outside every day and are supported to access the outside. For example, funding is used to provide the children with wet weather clothing.
• Children receive plenty of physical exercise and fresh air and form positive friendships. For instance, they enjoy working together to walk along and balance on the logs; they help each other holding hands as they step to the next log. This supports children's physical development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve teaching to ensure staff continuously support children who speak
• English as an additional language
• review and improve the organisation of changes in routine to ensure all children are engaged and understand what is expected of them during these times.