Sunflowers Pre School

Inspection of Sunflowers Pre School All Saints Church, Blenheim Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 4EB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision requires improvement

Children are not given consistent direct support to help them make good use of resources and at times interactions with staff are limited. This means that children who speak English as an additional language (EAL) and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not experience consistently good opportunities to progress.

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The provision requires improvement

After the first national lockdown, children found taking turns and completing tasks themselves difficult. They have benefited from the encouragement of staff to develop their independence. Children have learned to try tasks before asking for help. For example, they put on their coats before going outside.

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The provision requires improvement

Children arrive and settle quickly into the routine of the day. They choose an activity of interest and engage in play with their friends. Staff are welcoming and help those children that struggle by giving them a reassuring cuddle until they are ready to join the other children.

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The provision requires improvement

Children are developing their understanding of the need to be hygienic. They wash their hands when they arrive at pre-school and understand the reason for using soap.

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The provision requires improvement

Children's behaviour is, generally, good with only a few gentle reminders from staff. Children take pride in helping the adults. For example, they are keen to help with setting the table for snack.

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need to do better?

n Staff do not always focus on what individual children already know or use this information as a starting point to build upon children's existing knowledge. For example, they do not always plan effectively to make sure that activities suit each child's current level of understanding and support their good progress. n Staff lack understanding of how best to support children who speak EAL and those with SEND. Although they lead small communication groups these are not adapted to take account of children's complex needs. This means that these groups of children are slow to develop key skills, such as speaking and listening. n There are several periods of time during the day where staff are busy with routine tasks, such as cleaning or preparing food. This means that they have less time to focus on supporting children's learning. n Children's physical ability develops when they ride on bikes. Their fine motor

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need to do better?

skills grow as they independently hang their dressing up clothes on hangers and play in the sand, picking up the beads. n Children enjoy listening to familiar stories, especially when staff pause for them

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need to do better?

21 June 2021 to finish the sentence. They enjoy imaginary play and sit on the logs in a circle around the pretend campfire, holding sticks and talking about roasting marshmallows. Staff lead singing, and the children enthusiastically join in. They remind children to use good manners and say 'please' and 'thank you' and congratulate them to reinforce their behaviour. n Children have fun pretending to make dinner in the popular mud kitchen area. They show their knowledge of cooking as they pour water over the pasta and place it on the pretend cooker. They use mathematical language as they lift their pan saying, 'it's really heavy now'. Staff help children to further develop their mathematical language as they model words such as short and tall to compare objects. n Children's cultural backgrounds are celebrated. Snack time is an opportunity for children to try a range of different foods from around the world, such as sweet

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need to do better?

bread and naan bread. Staff also create opportunities for children to find out about different festivals. n Partnerships with parents are effective. Documents are translated to help all parents understand the information. Regular parent evenings offer opportunities for parents to talk about their child's learning and to share their online development journals. Parents are complimentary about the pre-school and know who their child's key person is. Staff support parents to access specialist services such as speech therapy. n Leaders encourage staff to take on new responsibilities and access training, which benefits their work with children. This has helped to strengthen partnerships with other professionals and support children's transitions into school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff fully understand the need to keep children safe. They attend training to help them recognise signs of abuse and neglect. All staff know how to report concerns and keep written records to support the process. Robust vetting procedures are in place to ensure that all adults working with children are safe and suitable. Whistle- blowing procedures are in place to support staff to report a concern about a colleague or manager. Staff are vigilant in ensuring that only adults known to them are permitted to collect children from pre-school. This helps to ensure that children's safety is paramount.

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Due date

21 June 2021 ensure that staff support the individual learning needs of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disability 20/09/2021

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Due date

improve staff's understanding of what they want children to learn, taking account of each child's stage of development and previous learning. 20/09/2021

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should:

n create more opportunities for staff to engage with and support children in their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY556206 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 10174758 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 19 Name of registered person Happy Tots Pre-School Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07849 458 920 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Sunflowers Pre School was registered in 2018. It is situated in Ipswich. Opening times are Monday to Friday from 8.15am to 4pm, during term times only. The playgroup receives funding for early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are five staff working directly with the children. Of these, two staff have a level 6 qualification, two staff a level 4 qualification and one member of staff is working towards a level 3 qualification.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector spoke to children and parents and took account of their views. n The inspector held regular discussions with the manager and the staff. The manager undertook a learning walk around the premises with the inspector. n The manager and inspector carried out a joint observation. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities inside and outdoors. She assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector looked at a range of documents to evidence the suitability of staff working in the pre-school.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

21 June 2021 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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