Green Shoots

Inspection of Green Shoots Bruton Community Hall, Bruton Avenue, BATH BA2 4QJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is good

Children form strong relationships with staff, who provide an extremely caring and reassuring approach. Children feel valued and safe in their care. Staff have high expectations of all children and create a well-balanced curriculum. They give an extremely strong focus to promoting children's personal, social and emotional well- being. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those with English as an additional language (EAL), make continually good progress.

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The provision is good

Children gain confidence from a young age to have a go in their play and they experience a great variety of activities that enhance their knowledge and skills. For example, children concentrate carefully when attempting to cut off pieces of Bath stone using real tools. They learn about keeping themselves and others safe and know they need to wear protective glasses when using the tools. Children enjoy going on a bus trip with staff into town to visit a local art gallery. They like to take a pre-school 'travel pup' toy away on holiday with them. On return, they eagerly tell their friends where they have been, such as on an aeroplane to a hot country. Children learn to be kind and helpful and play cooperatively with their friends.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and staff work very well together as a team and continue to develop their professional role and skills. For example, staff have completed training that has helped them to recognise, understand and meet the individual needs of children with SEND and how to help each child to achieve in their play. n Staff encourage children's communication and language very well, including those children with EAL. Staff work closely with parents to promote children's language skills at home and in pre-school. Older children use words well to describe their ideas. For example, they find a wood louse outdoors and let it crawl across their hand. They tell staff, 'It feels tickly'. Younger children gain confidence and begin to follow simple instructions and form two- and- three- word sentences. n Children use their imaginations very well in play. They enjoy making pretend meals for staff and offer them a 'cup of coffee' and 'piece of toast'. They remind

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need to do better?

staff to be careful and say, 'Your drink might be hot.' Children enjoy putting on a show and sing their favourite nursery rhymes. They proudly give a bow when their friends enthusiastically clap their hands in appreciation. n Leaders and staff are very reflective of their practice. They continually assess how the play environment is helping children and have rearranged the layout of areas where children sit for story times. This has helped to create a calmer area and encouraged more children to access books independently. n Children enjoy counting and begin to use numbers of personal significance. They

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need to do better?

3 May 2024 tell staff, 'I'm four and I'm strong.' They sometimes represent numbers using their fingers. However, although staff make good use of opportunities for children to count, they do not always reinforce this with the written number shape. For example, to help children develop their number recognition skills and link written numbers to quantity. n Staff are highly skilled at helping children develop an extremely good sense of identity and self-worth. They talk with children about what makes them and their friends unique. Children say their friend has sparkly eyes or a very special smile. Staff plan extremely enriching experiences, such as cultural days, to help children learn, and become accepting of similarities and differences between their lives and those of others. For example, they are keen to try food from other countries that parents have cooked. They thoroughly enjoy visiting a nearby care

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need to do better?

home with staff, where they sing songs and read stories with the residents. n Children develop enjoyment of physical play and gain very good control of their bodies. For example, they learn how to relax doing simple yoga positions, or enthusiastically join in with belly dancing activities. They have great fun doing star jumps, stamping like an elephant or shuffling like a gorilla. n Leaders and staff continually monitor children's progress. They identify children's next steps of development and plan activities to encourage their curiosity and interest. However, at times, staff do not organise some group activities as well as possible to maximise children's learning. For example, to enable all children to participate individually and follow the sequence of making play dough. n Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff value and support every family. They are keen for parents to be fully involved in their children's learning. Parents

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need to do better?

comment that staff are very supportive and keep good communication with them about their children's achievements. n Staff use frequent praise and encouragement, which helps children develop very good self-esteem. Children recognise their 'golden rules', such as to use their 'listening ears' and 'inside voices' when playing with their friends.

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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 make more use of opportunities for children to understand about linking number and quantity and develop aspects of their early mathematical awareness further n review and strengthen the organisation of group activities to maximise learning opportunities for children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY462581 Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council Inspection number 10317391 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 45 Name of registered person Green Shoots (Bath) Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07712617336 Date of previous inspection 15 May 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Green Shoots registered in 2013. It operates from the Bruton Community Hall in Bath. The pre-school is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays during term time, from 9am until 3.30pm. The owner works as the manager and employs 12 members of staff. They also employ a pre-school cook. Two members of staff have completed an early years degree and the majority of other staff hold a level 3 early years qualification. The pre-school is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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 inspector and the manager undertook a learning walk and discussed their curriculum and what they want children to learn. n The inspector observed children's interactions in play indoors and outdoors and had discussions with staff about children's learning and next steps of development. n The inspector viewed a sample of documentation, such as records of suitability for staff and nursery policies. n The inspector completed a joint observation of an activity with the manager and discussed the quality of education provided. n The inspector took into account the written and spoken views of parents.

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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

3 May 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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