Upton St Mary's Pre-School Playgroup.

Inspection of Upton St Mary's Pre- School Playgroup. The Church Halls, Church Road, Upton, Wirral CH49 6JZ

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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 welcome children into this warm and friendly setting. They take time to get to know children and families. Staff give lots of reassurance for children who are new to the setting. As a result, staff build positive relationships with them. Children quickly settle and choose from a range of activities on offer, which staff know they are interested in. For example, children enjoy filling and emptying containers in the sand, while others share stories with staff. This helps children to feel happy, safe and secure.

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The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy music and movement sessions. They beam as they listen to staff play familiar songs on the piano. For example, children enthusiastically jump up and down as they sing 'five cheeky monkeys'. Staff support children to count the fingers on their hands to represent the monkeys. This supports children's emerging counting skills and mathematical language.

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The provision is good

Children's behaviour is good. Staff act as positive role models. Every child is celebrated as being unique. They support children to be kind and respectful of others. Staff and children say a 'thank you prayer' before they have snack, and staff encourage children to have polite manners by saying 'please' and 'thank you'. This helps children to have a positive attitude to learning and develop their emotional well-being.

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need to do better?

n Managers have created a well-thought-out curriculum, which considers the age and stages of the children who attend. For example, younger children focus on developing their mark making with chunky crayons while older children use stencils to practise their emerging writing skills. This means that the curriculum is well sequenced and enables children to develop their knowledge and skills over time. n Children enjoy time outdoors in the garden area. Staff provide children with opportunities to explore the world around them. For example, children use magnifying glasses to examine a spider and web. This helps to teach children about the natural world in which they live. n Children develop their independent skills through a variety of activities. For example, during snack time, children hand out cups to their friends and use plastic knives to cut up bananas. Younger children learn to drink from cups with

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need to do better?

no lids, while older children confidently use one-handled cups. This helps children to prepare for the next stage in their learning. n Partnerships with parents are a strength. Parents comment on the 'nurturing and kind' environment that staff create. They receive regular feedback through daily communication and parents' meetings. They enjoy looking in their child's journal,

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need to do better?

31 January 2025 which includes photos and comments of their child's time at the setting. Staff give advice on a range of topics, such as toilet training. Consequently, this helps provide continuity of care for the children. n Children learn about a variety of cultures and beliefs. For example, staff teach children about Chinese New Year and how it is celebrated. They enjoy learning about the animals in the Chinese zodiac story and that this is the year of the snake. This helps children to understand about the diverse world they live in. n Communication and language is held in high regard. Staff model language very well, as they continually talk to children and introduce them to new language during meaningful conversations. Children take books from the lending library to share with adults at home. This helps to develop children's early communication and language skills. n Staff plan activities to support children's next steps in learning, including children

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need to do better?

with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, older children learn initial letter sounds in a small group. They look at the letter 's' and think of items beginning with this sound. However, on occasion, larger-group activities are not always organised successfully, resulting in younger children losing interest and becoming distracted. This means that some children do not always have high levels of engagement in their learning. n Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, they practise their climbing skills on the large climbing frame and ride around on trikes and bikes. Staff support them to ensure that they are safe as they learn new skills. This helps children to develop their large muscles and overall physical development. n Managers and staff are reflective about the provision. They have regular meetings to discuss what works well and what they would like to change. Staff

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need to do better?

have regular supervisions, and managers ensure that workload is manageable. As a result, staff feel very well supported and are passionate about their roles.

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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 interest first.

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should:

n strengthen the organisation of larger-group activities to ensure that they are meaningful for all children and support high levels of engagement.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 306495 Local authority Wirral Inspection number 10367976 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 18

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Name of registered person

Upton St. Mary's Pre-School Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 0151 677 1186 ext. 1036 Date of previous inspection 5 March 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Upton St Mary's Pre-School Playgroup registered in 1970 and is located in Wirral. The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. Of whom, four hold early years qualifications at level 3 or above and one holds a level 6 (qualified teacher status). The pre-school opens on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 9.15am to 12.15pm, during term-time only. It offers funded educational places for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want children to learn. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability staff working in the nursery. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at various times throughout the inspection.

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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

31 January 2025 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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