Wool Pre-School

Inspection of Wool Pre-School KOW Building, Colliers Lane, Wool, WAREHAM, Dorset BH20 6DL

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children arrive happily at pre-school where warm, friendly staff greet them. Children demonstrate good levels of motivation and quickly select an activity that interests them. They are active and benefit from plenty of fresh air and exercise. They ably cycle on trikes, run, jump and hop. Children learn to be independent in preparation for school. For example, they put on their own shoes and coats and serve their own drinks and snacks. Children behave well and follow the rules and routines of the pre-school. Staff praise children for their efforts, which builds their self-esteem. When minor disagreements do occur, staff deal with these effectively. Children are safe and secure.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy role play, which develops their imagination and social skills. For example, they make a train by lining up chairs and announce, 'Anybody want to come on my train?' Children play cooperatively and take turns. They make 'tea' in teapots and pour it into cups for their friends. Children are resilient and focus intently for long periods of time. For example, they carefully build a 'house' with sand and bricks. When it falls over, they say 'never mind', and build it again. Staff work very closely as a team to ensure that all children make good progress, with an emphasis on building their social skills, confidence and independence.

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need to do better?

n Managers and staff provide a broad and well-balanced curriculum, with a focus on preparing children for school. Activities are carefully planned to help children reach their next steps and nurture their interests. This ensures that children are motivated to learn and make good progress. n An effective system of assessment ensures that any gaps in learning are quickly identified and steps put in place to close them. If a child is not making the expected progress, staff involve parents and other professionals in a timely and appropriate way to ensure that children get the support they need. n Staff actively promote children's communication and language skills. They provide a running commentary as children play, which helps to give meaning to what they are doing. They repeat children's speech to support them to pronounce words correctly and add new vocabulary. For example, they talk to children about colours being 'light' or 'dark'.

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need to do better?

n Staff expertly weave the teaching of mathematics into their interactions with children. They encourage children to count, compare sizes and recognise shapes. This helps them to learn simple mathematics vocabulary in preparation for school. n A well-established key person system ensures that children develop strong attachments with staff. Each child also has a 'buddy' key person, to ensure that they remain settled should their main member of staff be absent. Building these

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need to do better?

16 September 2022 bonds promotes children's well-being and helps them feel secure. n Staff work closely with parents to find out about children and their families. However, they do not always use this information to support children who speak English as an additional language to celebrate their home languages and cultural differences to help them feel valued. n Staff read stories with enthusiasm and children enjoy looking at books independently and sharing them with their peers. They re-enact stories, which stimulates their imagination and helps them to learn about the world around them. n Staff encourage children to learn and sing familiar songs to develop their creativity and literacy skills. However, during whole-group activities, the space is not well organised and children cannot see most of the staff who are demonstrating the movements. Some children lose interest and focus as a result. n The manager has good systems in place to monitor staff practice. They receive

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need to do better?

regular supervisions and peer observations to develop and share good practice. Staff undertake planned training courses regularly to ensure they are able to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. n Parents are happy with the care and education their children receive. They comment how they are well informed about their children's progress and that staff are approachable, kind and caring. n During the COVID-19 pandemic, the pre-school took effective steps to prevent the spread of infection. Some changes still remain in place. For example, parents drop children off at the door, which staff say helps them settle more quickly.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a good understanding of the signs that might indicate a child is at risk of abuse. They are aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns they might have about a child's well-being and know the procedures to follow. The designated safeguarding lead works closely with external agencies to keep children safe from harm. Effective risk assessments help to ensure that the setting is safe. Accidents are closely monitored to highlight any patterns and swift action taken to minimise risks.

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should:

n provide children with more opportunities to celebrate and share their home languages and cultural traditions to help them feel valued n improve the organisation of whole-group activities to ensure that all children are able to fully engage with the learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 153449 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 10062655 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 22 Name of registered person Wool Pre-school Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01929 405144 9am to 3pm Date of previous inspection 3 February 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Wool Pre-School registered in 1992. It is located in the village of Wool, in Dorset. The pre-school is open every weekday from 8.30am until 4.30pm, term time only. It receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are eight members of staff, seven of whom hold a relevant early years qualification at level 3 and one of whom holds a level 2 qualification.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider 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 provider. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together through all areas of the pre-school and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children communicated with the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation during snack time. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

16 September 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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