Woodside's Little Me Pre-School

Inspection of Woodside's Little Me Pre-School Woodside Hall, Manor Raod, Benfleet, Essex SS7 4PH

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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The provision is good

Children arrive excited, enthusiastic and eager to learn. They are greeted by happy and welcoming staff and leave their parents with ease. Children settle very quickly at well-presented activities within a most child-friendly and inviting environment. Children are comfortable and confident and move around engaging in activities of their choice. Children delight in story time. They sit comfortably and listen with intent. Staff have established close bonds with the children and know them well. Children communicate their needs and the staff are very attentive.

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The provision is good

Children are familiar with the routines and what is expected of them. Children are polite and their behaviour is extremely good. They show kindness and concern for one another. They learn to share and negotiate when taking turns. Staff positively encourage children to be independent. For example, children thoroughly enjoy snack time. Their play is not interrupted as they decide when to eat. Children develop a sense of belonging as they self-register to indicate they have had snack. They choose from a range of healthy fruits from the buffet. They are encouraged to wash up their plate and cup when they finish. Children's language is developing well. Staff engage children in conversations and introduce new words to broaden their vocabulary, such as 'sphere' and 'scavenger'.

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need to do better?

n Parents speak extremely positively of the care their children receive. They comment that the staff are very supportive, communicate well and that their children have made very good progress since attending. Parents comment that the staff are 'fabulous' and spend time getting to know their children. They comment that they feel reassured their child is safe and having fun. Parents discuss how easily their children settle. They fully appreciate the lending book library and the suggestions they receive to extend their child's learning at home. n Children benefit from a broad curriculum. The staff use initial assessments well and know what the children need to learn next. They positively follow children's own interests when planning. Staff challenge children's thinking. For example, children make play dough. When the mixture is too wet, they are prompted to think what is needed to make the right consistency. Children show great

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need to do better?

satisfaction as they solve the problem. n All children's communication skills, including those who speak English as an additional language, are fully supported and progressing well. Children are confident speakers and ask lots of questions. The environment is rich in text and staff engage children in meaningful conversations. However, on occasions, staff do not allow children sufficient time to think and process information to respond, before asking further questions. n The well-established key-person system in place promotes children's emotional

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need to do better?

25 March 2022 security. All children, including those who require additional support, settle quickly and confidently engage in activities. Children show fascination and sustained levels of concentration, when using the sensory play equipment. They sit with their friends in the wigwam as they create stories using the small world figures and puppets. n The manager is very ambitious. She has high expectations for her staff and the children. The manager fully supports her staff to develop their own professional development. She is fully aware of the positive impact training has on the outcomes for children attending. The manager has effective engagement with the staff. Appraisals, supervisions and daily communication means she is fully aware of any issues. Staff comment that they are happy, feel supported and valued, and that their well-being is considered. However, planned monitoring of staff practice is not as frequent and, therefore, opportunities to improve and

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need to do better?

enhance practice may be missed. n The quality of education is good. Children are encouraged to recall what they have learned. For example, children experience sitting on a tractor in the field. Staff ask the children how many pedals the tractor had and what colour it was. Children are eager to answer and are praised for remembering. They enjoy a supervised walk in the field. Children work together in small groups as they look for clues on a clipboard provided. They excitedly point out a bird's nest and signs in the environment. They make good guesses as to what they may say. Children make good attempts at early writing skills as they document what they have seen.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and her team of staff including students, all have a very secure knowledge of how to protect children's welfare. They understand the possible behaviours and symptoms that may cause concern, and know how to report these. Staff are committed to ongoing training to ensure they are up to date and have a good knowledge of the wider issues of child protection. The manager has a robust recruitment policy, and ongoing suitability checks in place to ensure children are cared for by staff who are suitable to do so. Routine risk assessments are completed to ensure children play in a safe and secure environment.

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should:

n give children more time to think and respond to questions, developing their language and conversation skills further n monitor the quality of teaching and learning even more closely to identify how practice can be enhanced to achieve the highest level of learning experiences.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2525184 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10208243 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 35 Number of children on roll 53 Name of registered person Woodside's Little Me Pre-School Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 07394471861 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Woodside's Little Me Pre-School was registered in 2019. It employs nine members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 3. The pre-school opens from 9am until 4pm on Monday Tuesday and Thursday, 9am until 3pm on Wednesday and 9am until 12 midday on Friday, during term time only. The pre-school offers a lunch club from 12 midday until 1pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two- and three-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The manager showed the inspector around the areas that children access. They discussed how staff organise the setting and plan the curriculum and experiences for children. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the pre-school deputy manager. n The inspector held discussions with staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector looked at a sample of the pre-school's documents. This included evidence about staff suitability and training.

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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

25 March 2022 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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