Ladybirds Pre School

Inspection of Ladybirds Pre School Bunyan Meeting Rooms, High Street Elstow, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK42 9XP

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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

Staff warmly welcome children on their arrival at the pre-school. They immediately support the children's developing independence and sense of responsibility. For example, children remove their outdoor clothing and register themselves into the group by finding their individual name card. Staff readily help children who need extra support. Older children demonstrate that they can recognise their name. Staff actively support children to manage their feelings and play cooperatively with their peers. Children sensibly line up to take their turn on the slide and patiently wait for their turn to use the ride-on toys.

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The provision is good

Staff create a learning environment that captivates the interests of the children. This encourages children to explore and investigate the activities provided. For example, staff support children to understand how plants and flowers grow. They successfully introduce vocabulary, such as 'stem' and 'petal' and encourage the children to draw pictures of the flowers displayed. Children demonstrate pride in their achievements. They smile and want to share their pictures with the staff. Staff provide daily opportunities for the children to be physically active in the fresh air. They support children to take risks and to persevere as they climb on the climbing wall and walk along the raised balance beam. Children move wheeled toys with confidence, demonstrating that they understand when to 'stop' and when to 'go'.

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need to do better?

n Management and the staff work well together as a team. They support one another's well-being, share practice ideas, and regularly evaluate the overall quality of the provision. For example, management has recognised that activities, such as story time are not always effective because the number of children listening to the story is too large. As a result, they plan to revise procedures to ensure all children benefit from the activities provided. n The manager and staff structure the curriculum to cover all areas of learning. Staff complete ongoing observations of the children to monitor their progress and well-being. This successfully supports staff to understand each child's personality, interests and learning needs. Staff supervise the children well and join in the children's play. However, on occasions staff do not use spontaneous opportunities to further extend the children's thinking and enjoyment.

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need to do better?

n Staff effectively support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They involve parents in discussions and decision-making about their child. Staff work with other professionals and provide children with one-to-one support. They plan specific activities to support the targets set for each individual child. This support ensures all children are included and enables them to make good progress from their starting points. Furthermore, staff support children who receive early years pupil premium funding. For example, additional

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need to do better?

17 April 2024 funding has been used to purchase a range of sensory toys. This has helped to reduce children's anxiety and has supported their concentration skills. n Staff demonstrate that they know the children well. They form close attachments with children. This successfully supports children's emotional well-being. Children demonstrate that they enjoy the activities provided. However, rigid routines sometimes prevent the children from completing the activities they are enjoying and learning from. n Staff support children's language and communication skills. New words are introduced associated to the children's play and they are taught a range of songs and rhymes. For example, children sing 'Old MacDonald had a farm' and enthusiastically make the associated animal sounds. Staff also successfully introduce songs which support the children to understand concepts, such as 'big and small', 'short and tall' and 'fast and slow'. Additionally, Makaton and picture

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need to do better?

cards are effectively used to aid the communication of children with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities. n Management and staff develop good relationships with parents and carers. Parents receive daily verbal communication from their child's key person and regular written updates about their child's development. They are invited to spend time in the pre-school. For example, parents attend stay-and-play sessions where they are able to, for example, compete craft activities with their children. Additionally, parents are given ideas to support their child's ongoing learning at home, such as sharing story books with their child.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n support staff to use every opportunity to extend children's learning during spontaneous play activities n review the organisation of routines to better meet children's individual needs and learning outcomes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 219245 Local authority Bedford Inspection number 10335284 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 30 Number of children on roll 41 Name of registered person Elstow Pre School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07748 796051 Date of previous inspection 11 June 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Ladybirds Pre School registered in 1991. The pre-school employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine members of staff hold appropriate early years qualification ranging from level 2 to level 6. The pre-school opens each weekday, except for Thursday, during term time only. Sessions are from 9am until midday and from midday until 3pm, with the option of a lunch club from 11.30am until 12.30pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

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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 across all areas of the pre-school to understand how the early years curriculum is organised. n The inspector observed staff's interactions with the children during indoor and outdoor activities, and assessed the impact this has on the children's progress and achievements. n The manager, staff and children engaged in discussions with the inspector at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager and discussed the children's progress and achievements. n A sample of the nursery documents was reviewed by the inspector. This included evidence of the committee and staff's suitability.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector took account of the views of parents by speaking to them.

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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

17 April 2024 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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