Thundridge Preschool Ltd

Inspection of Thundridge Preschool Ltd The Norman Wodson Pavilion, Cold Christmas Lane, Thundridge, Ware SG12 0SJ

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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

Staff happily welcome children. Families are an important part of the setting. Staff know about children's home lives and talk to them about their families, enhancing their sense of belonging. They place family photos for children to look at. Staff use the information from home visits to plan activities that they know children will like. Children are keen to explore and start their day of learning and playing. Children are keen to have a go at developing new skills and staff are always close by to help if needed. This helps to build children's self-confidence. They show a positive attitude to learning and are ready to explore. Staff have adapted the paint bottles, so that children can tip the paint bottles upside down and squeeze paint into a pot. Children enjoy mixing paints and discussing the changes they see when mixing them together.

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The provision is good

The curriculum to support children's personal, social and emotional development is good. Staff teach children how to recognise difficult feelings and manage frustration. For example, they talk to children about using 'kind hands and feet'. They encourage children to use the cosy sensory spaces to calm down if they need it.

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need to do better?

n Leaders are clear about the curriculum intent and, overall, staff implement this well. Staff plan the environment to support children's development. They use children's interests when planning activities. However, not all staff are fully aware of the intended learning to help children to stay engaged. They do not directly teach children the skills and knowledge children need to learn from the activity. Consequently, some children wander around the room from one activity to another. n Staff raise any emerging gaps in children's learning with leaders and seek additional support when necessary. This enables staff to work in partnership with parents and other professionals to devise strategies and to help reduce gaps in learning. n Children are beginning to understand the daily routines. They recognise the song that indicates they need to help tidy up. They know they need to wash their hands before snack time. Children show pride as they are given tasks to help put

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need to do better?

the place mats on the table. They are encouraged to share, take turns and be kind to each other. n Staff organise the outdoor space well. Children dig in the sand and find hidden toy animals. Children explore the outside space and design their own games while practising their physical skills. For example, some children sit on bikes and ride down the slope, while others release cars from the top to see who gets to the bottom first.

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need to do better?

10 September 2024 n Children develop good communication and language skills to help prepare them for the next stage in their learning. They introduce children to new words and sentences through everyday conversations, songs and stories. n Children demonstrate their love for reading as they freely access a range of books and ask staff to read to them or look at the pictures and tell their friends about the story. n Staff model and promote counting, sorting and number recognition. Children learn about numbers and mathematical language as they link up play elephants using the trunks and tails. Staff help children to sequence the elephants by number, colour or size. n Partnerships with parents are good. Parents appreciate the regular updates they receive when they come into the setting to drop off and collect their children. They value the home visit, which they report helps their children to settle quickly

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need to do better?

into the pre-school, when they first attend. Parents report they bring back siblings due to the support they have had in the past. n Leaders provide a range of training opportunities for staff. Leaders work alongside staff each day. They make suggestions, in the moment, about what staff can do differently to support children's learning. That said, staff do not have clear and precise targets to help them understand how they can raise the quality of their teaching further.

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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 focus staff's teaching during children's play to help children fully benefit from the intended curriculum, so that children make even more progress n enhance the support and coaching offered to staff to better target gaps in their teaching practice.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2702119 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10362218 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 40 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person Thundridge Preschool Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 07961100287 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Thundridge preschool Ltd registered in 2022. The pre-school employs six staff. Of these, four hold appropriate qualifications at level 3 or above. The pre-school is open from 9am until 3pm, Monday to Friday during term time only. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The leadership team joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n Staff spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector spoke with the nominated individual about the leadership and management of the setting. 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 leader 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. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre-school.

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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

10 September 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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