S4YC @ Whitegate Preschool

S4YC @ Whitegate Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2746320 Address: Whitegate Recreation Rooms, Dalefords Lane, Whitegate, Northwich, CW8 2BL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 02/08/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: S4YC Limited

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, gain knowledge and skills across all 7 areas of learning. Children demonstrate well-developed independence skills. For example, at mealtimes, they confidently unpack their lunch and clear away afterwards. Children successfully learn to play cooperatively and are confident speakers. They learn new words as they play, such as ankle and wrist as they dance and move scarves around their body. Children confidently lead their own play. For example, they demonstrate well-developed imaginations when they engage in role play. They gain increasing concentration skills, showing sustained attention as they discuss what dinosaurs eat. Children enjoy being outside and gain increasing physical control as they move about and practise using a range of equipment. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning, including school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

There are clear expectations for behaviour that are commonly understood by all children. For example, children stop their play when staff tap a tambourine at the end of a session and help to tidy away the toys. Children work together to meticulously stack wooden bricks in the correct place. They demonstrate patience and concentration as they do so, and a real sense of pride as they step back and look at the carefully arranged bricks. There are very few instances of unwanted behaviour and children are absorbed in their play. Relationships between practitioners and children are warm, respectful and caring. There is lots of laughter and chatter in the setting. Staff and children clearly enjoy spending time with each other.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance with parents from the start. They encourage punctuality and explain to parents the benefits of children joining in with start-of- the-day routines, such as circle time. Leaders and staff provide lots of opportunities for children to play and talk together. However, at times, younger children are not as fully included as possible as they spend time in an area not accessed by other children. This means that at these times their opportunities to benefit from social interactions with other children are limited.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Relationships between staff and children are warm and nurturing. At the start of the day, children separate confidently from their parents and make their way into the setting, keen to talk to the staff and to each other, and to play with their friends. Babies are relaxed and settled and have secure bonds with staff at the setting. They settle easily to sleep in the secure and nurturing environment, with familiar staff close at hand. This demonstrates that children feel emotionally secure.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are well supported to understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They discuss the benefits of drinking milk at mealtimes and the reasons why they need to wash their hands after they have used the toilet. In the role-play area, children discuss with staff the fact that irons can be hot. Later, children incorporate this into their play, picking up the toy iron and saying to their friend, 'Look out - it's hot!' This shows that children have understood and remembered the important safety messages that they have been taught.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff have a focus on children being able to recognise and manage their emotions. Staff intentionally introduce vocabulary related to emotions during play and encourage children to talk about how they are feeling. Staff know that children need to understand and explain their feelings to help them self-regulate and be emotionally ready for the move to school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have worked with staff and the wider team to review and further improve the setting. For example, leaders and staff have developed the curriculum to reflect the needs of younger children and reviewed and made changes to the environment, both indoors and outdoors, to enhance children's learning further.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff know the children very well. Positive and thoughtful interactions support all children to feel emotionally secure. Parents report that their children are happy and settled at the setting because of the firm relationships with staff. Children's next steps are shared on 'learning boards' placed around the room. This ensures that staff keep a sharp focus on supporting children to make good progress in their learning from their starting points. The progress children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make is carefully assessed on a regular basis. Staff and leaders work in partnership with parents and professionals to review the effectiveness of any additional support their child receives and the impact this has to help children make progress in their learning and development. This ensures that all children make secure progress.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The support for children's communication and language is a particular strength of the setting. For example, staff develop vocabulary during an activity where children dance and wave scarves. Staff discuss the different body parts that the children use, encouraging them to name their ankle or wrist. Physical skills are well developed due to a clear and progressive curriculum and targeted teaching, both indoors and outdoors. Typically, staff introduce mathematical vocabulary and concepts to the children as part of their play. However, staff do not consistently build on this to help children become confident in their understanding and use of mathematical vocabulary.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff track the progress of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), closely. This enables staff to identify any gaps in learning and development quickly and to measure the impact of any additional support. Leaders have a proactive approach to engage with parents and refer children who are not making expected progress to seek professional support. Staff and leaders work effectively with other professionals, such as social care professionals and health visitors. Leaders and staff also benefit from advice and support from the area special educational needs coordinator.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff and leaders know the children and families very well. They ensure that all children are able to get the most out of their time at the setting, for example by supporting families with equipment and resources. Leaders use any additional funding effectively. For example, children benefit from additional resources to support their development in communication and language. Children who speak English as an additional language are effectively and sensitively supported. Staff use symbols and words in children's home language to ensure that all children are aware of routines and are fully involved with activities. Leaders have ensured that staff have accessed training on relevant areas of SEND. Staff talk knowledgeably about the additional support in place for vulnerable children, their role in supporting children with SEND and the progress that these children have made.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are highly reflective and have worked hard in partnership with staff to refine and develop the environment and organisation, and how they ensure children gain the skills and knowledge they need. Leaders are ambitious for the setting and have a clear plan to continue to improve the offer for children and families. Leaders act in the best interests of children, particularly those who have barriers to learning or are disadvantaged. Staff and leaders know the children and families very well and respond sensitively to individual circumstances. For example, leaders recognise the importance of additional emotional support for some families or access to free resources for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff say that they thoroughly enjoy working at the setting and that they work well together as a small team. Staff benefit from regular supervision meetings, where they discuss areas of strength, areas for development and any additional training that they might need. Leaders ensure that staff are well supported with their wellbeing. This includes ensuring that they have a manageable workload. Leaders are well supported by the wider team, especially when they are new to their role. They benefit from sharing best practice with other settings and from focused professional development sessions. These sessions support staff to reflect on their practice and further improve their delivery of the curriculum.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are relaxed, happy and settled at this cosy and nurturing setting. They enthusiastically take part in a range of interesting and well-planned activities. Staff use symbols and cue cards to prepare some children for what is coming next. This ensures that all children are supported to take part in activities and follow the routines.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children have lots of fun as they play with toy dinosaurs in the outside area. Staff encourage the children to make roaring sounds and discuss what real dinosaurs might eat. Children

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Inspector:

Sarah Gower-Jones talk animatedly about their dinosaurs and laugh as they feed them with leaves. This supports the development of children's communication and language skills and their imaginations well. Children make secure progress from their different starting points. Staff and leaders gather useful information about the children when they are new to the setting. They plan purposely and effectively to help children gain the knowledge and skills they need to know next. For example, staff encourage babies to grasp toys firmly and push wooden pieces through holes as part of a focus on physical development. Older children are encouraged to try to put on their own coats and wellies when they go outside. This positive support for their independence skills develops children's confidence and prepares them well for the next stage in learning, such as starting school.

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Inspector:

Children play and learn happily together. They are polite, helpful and kind. At lunchtime, they sit and talk to the staff and each other about the activities that they have enjoyed that day. They carefully place their rubbish into separate recycling bowls on the table, discussing where each item needs to go. Staff sensitively direct questions to individual children who may be more reluctant to speak. This ensures that all children are included and feel valued. Parents report that staff and leaders are kind, welcoming and supportive. Leaders and staff promote the importance of consistent routines, such as a regular attendance pattern and punctuality. Leaders work positively with all parents, gathering and responding to feedback via regular conversations, an online platform and questionnaires. This contributes to the decisions and work leaders and staff make to continually strive for improvement.

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Next steps

Leaders should support staff to develop their knowledge and skills relating to development of children's mathematical vocabulary in order to raise the quality of teaching of mathematics to an even higher level. Leaders should further review routines, especially for younger children, to ensure that all children benefit as much as possible from social interactions with other children.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders and practitioners during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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Address:

Whitegate Recreation Rooms Dalefords Lane, Whitegate Northwich CW8 2BL

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 15:30

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Address:

Local authority: Cheshire West and Chester

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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