Westover Little Stars Pre-School

Inspection of Westover Little Stars Pre-School Westover Green Community Primary School, Westover Green, BRIDGWATER, Somerset TA6 7HB

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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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with all areas of learning and development considered in the planned and flexible activities. There is a strong emphasis on communication and language development. Staff have high expectations and nurture the children very well towards excellent outcomes. All children make good progress, particularly those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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The provision is good

Children behave very well and conform to the routines that structure the day and contribute to keeping them safe. For example, they sing a road safety song when they go to the garden. They use their imaginations here as they find a worm in the playhouse, pretending it is a snake. They fill and empty buckets of sand and talk about how wet sand is different to dry sand. They say 'I can't make a pie with dry sand, it doesn't work'. They make wonderful expansive marks with large brushes and water. They experiment with wet chalk and dry chalk to see the differences as they draw on the wall-mounted chalk boards.

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The provision is good

Staff know the children very well and they share close bonds with them. Children seek support from staff when they need help with an activity or when they feel frustrated or emotionally overwhelmed. Staff are extremely sensitive and respectful to children's needs, and this helps children to feel safe and secure.

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need to do better?

n Staff use every opportunity to engage children in learning new knowledge and skills. They know the value of practice. For example, children walk along a large tree trunk and jump off the end. Children learn to balance as they carefully negotiate the uneven surface. Staff offer support to those who are less confident and gently encourage them to build up the confidence to have a go themselves. The children excitedly do this over and over, and show enormous pride when they are successful. n Staff use opportunities to extend learning. For example, they introduce problem- solving at snack time by asking children to find out how many pieces of orange are needed. They show children how to shake bells in different ways to make loud or quiet sounds. When children talk about seahorses while using the play dough, staff find pictures of colourful seahorses on an electronic device. This inspires a drawing activity. However, sometimes, staff do not notice and

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need to do better?

intervene quickly enough when children interrupt others who are deeply engaged in an activity. This means that some children become frustrated and lose focus when their thinking and flow of ideas are unnecessarily disturbed. n Children benefit from a range of visits and visitors. They go to the library and

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need to do better?

16 May 2023 visit the café. They go on woodland walks and learn about seasonal changes. They have exciting outings on the bus to go to the theatre. They speak to police officers and learn about fingerprints. They celebrate cultural festivals and know that children can speak different languages. These rich experiences help them to understand more about their local and wider community. n There are good partnerships with parents. Parents report that the staff are highly supportive of families and go above and beyond to do their best for the children in their care. Parents say that communication is regular, and they know what their children learn and the progress they make. n Managers use additional funding effectively to support children from disadvantaged families, such as by providing story sacks to promote language development. Staff have plenty of opportunities for professional development through access to an online training platform. The staff work very well as a

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need to do better?

highly communicative team and, together with the committee, strive to continue to provide high-quality practice to support children and their families.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff have good and immediate knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect. They know about the risks to children of being exposed to extreme views, radicalisation, grooming and county lines. They know who to contact in the event of an allegation against a member of staff or management. Staff have risk assessments in place to ensure that children are safe. They take measures to ensure that the risk of cross-infection is minimised by implementing strict infection-control procedures.

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should:

n support staff to monitor activities more closely to check that children have the opportunities to fully explore their thinking and ideas without being interrupted.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY358881 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 10285538 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 24 Number of children on roll 37 Name of registered person Westover Little Stars Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01278 426046 Date of previous inspection 10 October 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Westover Little Stars Pre-School registered in 2007 at Westover Green Primary School, in Bridgwater, Somerset. The group is managed by a parent committee. It is open each weekday from 8am until 5.30pm during term time only. The manager holds an early years qualification at level 6. There are eight members of staff. Of these, one member of staff holds an early years qualification at level 4 and all others hold qualifications at level 3. The group receives funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection that 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 inspector completed a learning walk with the manager and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children. n The inspector and the manager carried out a joint observation. n The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views. n The inspector looked at key documentation.

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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 May 2023 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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