Creswick Pre-School

Inspection of Creswick Pre-School Sir John Newsom Way, Welwyn Garden City AL7 4FL

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is good

Staff create a safe and nurturing environment for children. They know that children need to feel happy and secure to thrive. Therefore, they prioritise children's emotional well-being. For instance, they support them through any changes in their life and provide bespoke settling-in sessions. This enables children to build secure attachments with the staff team before they join the pre-school. Children settle quickly. They feel at ease and are eager to learn. Staff plan learning based on children's interests and provide daily enticing 'wow' activities that broaden their experiences. This means that children have positive attitudes to learning. This child-centred approach helps all children make good progress in their academic and personal development. Children learn about size and measurement. They work out how much wrapping paper they will need to wrap different-shaped objects in the elf wrapping station.

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The provision is good

Self-registration helps children to identify their name. They swiftly develop an awareness of phonic sounds and count how many letters are in their name. Staff support children to understand that information can be sourced through books and supervised use of the internet. They embrace children's curiosity about wild animals, discovering together that cheetahs run faster than leopards. Children learn about life cycles. They observe stick insects hatch from eggs and help to nurture and care for them. Children are highly independent. This is because staff challenge them to manage their own outer clothing and prepare their healthy snack.

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need to do better?

n Leaders have a clear intent for the well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum, which emphasises supporting children to be respectful individuals and articulate communicators. The staff team implements this through a wide range of exciting experiences that fill children with a sense of awe and wonder. The staff use a wide range of assessment methods to ensure that children's progress is stringently monitored and to precisely identify what skills and knowledge children need to learn next. Key persons know their children very well. However, there are not highly effective arrangements to share their children's next steps in learning with other staff. This means that they are not well informed about how to support children's learning during interactions with them. n Staff have secure knowledge of child development and consistently build on children's communication and language skills. They identify a diverse selection of

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need to do better?

core books, and each one is implemented successfully through 'book of the week'. This helps to embed key words and phrases. Children's listening and attention skills are immediately captured as staff read with great intonation and create high levels of anticipation and excitement as they reveal each page. Children swiftly learn the sign of the week, which staff skilfully incorporate into

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need to do better?

18 December 2024 songs. They sing with immense enthusiasm, confidently using sign language they have learned. n Staff are positive role models for children. They sensitively remind children to use their good manners and support them to recognise their own and others' feelings in preparation to regulate their own behaviour. Children show that they understand and follow the pre-school's agreed handy hints. They play harmoniously together, respecting each other's thoughts and ideas as they use different-shaped wooden bricks to create complex structures. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to provide children with personalised support plans to help them make the best possible progress. Any additional funding the pre-school receives is used to support children's individual needs.

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need to do better?

n Staff promote children's healthy lifestyles well. Children learn to assess their own risks and build on their strength and stamina in the inviting outdoor environment. They negotiate walking up and down the hill safely and persevere to climb the suspended step ladders. n Partnerships with parents are a key strength. Staff ensure that parents are fully informed about children's learning experiences daily, including through secure online platforms. Parents are warmly invited to weekend stay-and-play sessions and are encouraged to borrow books and games to continue to aid children's learning at home. They describe the staff team as 'fantastic'. Overall, leaders work in partnership with most of the other provisions that children attend, although this is not consistent. This means that some children who attend other settings lack continuity in their learning and development. n Leaders work closely with staff to support their ongoing professional

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need to do better?

development. Staff have good opportunities to complete training that is tailored to meet the individual needs of children. New knowledge and skills are shared with the whole team to ensure a consistent approach.

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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 strengthen the sharing of information between children's key person and other staff n build on partnerships with all other settings that children attend to support their continuity in learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY543468 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10367858 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 28 Number of children on roll 53 Name of registered person Creswick Pre-School Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01707331328 Date of previous inspection 27 February 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Creswick Pre-School registered in 2017. It is open from 9am until 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Children can attend for a variety of sessions. There are five staff members who work directly with the children, of whom three hold relevant childcare qualifications at level 3 or above. The pre-school provides government funded early years education for all eligible children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector and manager completed a learning walk across all the areas of the pre-school to understand how the curriculum is organised. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation of children having snack. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector held a number of discussions with staff at appropriate times during the inspection and also spoke to children. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager. She looked at relevant documentation, such as evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre- school. n The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and their written feedback.

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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

18 December 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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