Cracker Jacks Pre-School

Cracker Jacks Pre-School

Unique reference number (URN): 2820165 Address: 15 Kester Way, St. Neots, PE19 6SL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 27/11/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Cracker Jacks Day Nursery Ltd

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.1

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.

p.1

Achievement Expected standard

Typically, children achieve well from their starting points. Gaps in all children's learning are closing consistently, in particular for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Generally, children gain the skills that will prepare them for their move on to school. Babies are inquisitive and actively explore the stimulating environment. They smile with delight as they discover how to make different sounds using musical instruments. Babies babble and swiftly learn the pattern of conversation. Young children show a love of books. They eagerly join in with repeated refrains from familiar stories. Older children listen intently to personalised stories in which staff include the children's names as characters. They take turns to contribute their creative ideas and shape the narrative of the story. Children develop motor skills effectively. They draw on cotton wool pads with coloured pens,

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

place them into a plate of milk and observe how the colours blend together to create new colours. Children build strength and coordination using a varied range of equipment outdoors.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and conduct. They set clear, age-appropriate boundaries that have a positive impact on children's behaviour. Staff reinforce positive social behaviours, such as reminding children to place a pot of pens in the middle of the table to ensure that everyone can share. This supports children's understanding of fairness and cooperation within group contexts. All staff have positive relationships with the children. They consistently identify and praise children for their efforts and achievements. This helps boost their confidence and self-esteem. Tidy-up time is signalled through staff and children singing a familiar song. Babies clearly recognise this cue. They demonstrate their understanding of routine and expectations as they help staff to tidy away resources. Staff use these moments to model positive behaviours. This means that expectations are understood and embedded across all rooms, supporting continuity.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children understand expectations as they transition to the next room.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff provide calm, clear explanations and model respectful interactions to support babies to understand kind and caring relationships. Staff support young children to work collaboratively to construct a train track. They teach them to take turns to position a piece of track and provide them with opportunities to practise these skills independently. Leaders take time to share information with parents about the importance of attending regularly.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff create a warm, nurturing environment where babies confidently seek reassurance through spontaneous cuddles. This demonstrates secure key-person relationships. This helps children who are new to the setting to settle quickly. There are inconsistencies in how staff support younger children to develop independence skills. For instance, some staff do not encourage children to manage their self-care and outer clothing. This does not provide all children with the skills to prepare them for their transition to the next room. Children are provided with nutritious meals, and staff create a calm, comfortable environment for children who need to rest. They regularly check that children remain safe while they sleep. While this supports children's wellbeing and health, staff do not typically help children to develop an awareness of a healthy lifestyle. This limits children's ability to make healthy choices, understand why these choices are important and develop positive

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have regular opportunities to enjoy physical exercise. Regular visits to the sister setting enable older children to benefit from the soft-play provision. Children learn to assess risks and develop spatial awareness. Babies have a wonderful time as they reach high to pop bubbles with their hands. Staff encourage children to identify and discuss their own and others' feelings. Children express who they love and why. Staff actively encourage children to love themselves by reinforcing the importance of valuing themselves, modelling this through gestures, such as giving themselves a hug.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate an understanding of curriculum quality and teaching. They make informed decisions to drive improvement as they regularly review and refine the curriculum in response to children's needs. Staff offer a balance of adult-led and child-led experiences for all children. Assessment is ongoing and informs teaching to ensure that learning is matched to what children need to learn next. Children love to explore outside, which includes a forest school area. Staff adapt teaching to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively and maintain younger children's sustained engagement during group times. For instance, they make action songs more exciting as they encourage children to move their bodies. This also supports children's coordination and builds their core stability.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Older children are keen to learn, although the quality of teaching is variable for this group of children. Staff do not consistently encourage them to build on their critical thinking skills, such as solving problems for themselves. For example, staff tell children that they need to use thick mud on their brush to make clear, purposeful marks to create a heart pattern using a stencil. Staff teach children mathematical concepts and language related to quantity and size. They show a genuine interest in children's home life. This motivates children to use complex sentences to recall recent experiences with staff and their friends, fostering positive relationships. Staff skilfully introduce babies to new words in meaningful contexts, such as 'juicy' as babies enjoy tasting melon.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders prioritise finding out about individual children's unique circumstances to help them understand how to best support children and families. They successfully use a range of assessment methods in partnership with parents to precisely identify and agree how to best support children with a range of backgrounds and special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, staff adapt their interactions with any children they identify are not making expected progress in their communication and language skills. They consistently use clear language when speaking to children and provide them with ample time to process what they hear. This enables them to understand questions and practise their speaking skills. Leaders use additional funding well to ensure that children have every opportunity to be part of the setting's community. This provides children who might otherwise face limitations with additional opportunities.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work in close partnership with other professionals, not only to support children but also their families, where needed. Established staff are experienced in how to support children from a range of backgrounds and those with SEND. They frequently update their knowledge and skills to remain informed of current guidance and good practice. They actively support all staff with how to implement agreed strategies. This supports every child to access the full curriculum and make progress from their starting points.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are ambitious and have worked closely with external professionals to successfully address the actions raised at the previous inspection. Children now benefit from a curriculum that builds on what they already know and can do, and organised routines are embedded. Leaders continue to reflect on how well staff meet children's needs. However, they have not identified some inconsistencies in staff practice and how well children develop an awareness of a healthy lifestyle. Arrangements to improve staff practice are in place. Staff complete regular training and receive supervision meetings. Leaders encourage reflective practice through peer-on-peer observations. Recent training has strengthened staff's understanding of how children learn through patterns of repeated actions. As a result, leaders and staff have adapted the environment and resources accordingly. Leaders actively support staff wellbeing. Experienced staff say that they feel supported and valued in their

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

role. Newer staff explain how they are given time within their working day to attend their studies. Leaders identify that some children have barriers to their learning. They work in partnership with parents and outside agencies to seek support swiftly. Leaders and staff keep parents fully involved in their child's time at the setting. Parents speak positively about the staff team and the provision their children receive. They feel included in the setting's community and are involved in every aspect of their child's care, learning and development.

p.4

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

Children receive a warm welcome from staff and most excitedly leave their parents to explore the enticing environment, which includes interesting activities and experiences that reflect their individual interests. Staff provide a range of adult-led experiences for children, based on children's individual needs and what they need to learn next. This helps to support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who

p.4

Inspector:

face other barriers in their learning, to make continued progress in their development. This generally prepares children well for the next stage of their learning.

p.5

Inspector:

Children have supportive and appropriate relationships with staff. Babies are consistently addressed by name. This helps to reinforce their sense of identity and builds self-awareness from an early age. Babies, particularly those who have recently started to attend, receive nurturing cuddles at times when they require reassurance. This helps them to feel safe and secure and supports their independent curiosity. For example, babies place colourful, light- up pebbles onto semi-transparent surfaces and observe how the colours change. This supports their sensory exploration as they investigate the effects of light and colour through play. Older children show sustained engagement as staff support them to bend and join willow branches to create the shape of a heart in a forest school session. Children demonstrate secure ownership over their learning as they beam with pride as they share their achievements with staff.

p.5

Inspector:

Children show a sense of belonging. Their views are valued by staff as they make independent suggestions of the songs they would like staff to sing during group time. This supports children's engagement and motivates them to join in enthusiastically with actions and some familiar words. Children's attendance is closely monitored. Unexpected absences are followed up promptly. Parents are reminded of the importance of regular attendance to support consistency and progress in learning and development.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders should support staff to consistently allow younger children to demonstrate and practise their independence, giving them more opportunities to complete tasks on their own before providing support. Leaders should continue to build on staff practice to support older children to develop their critical thinking skills. Leaders should have a more focused approach to increasing children's awareness of a healthy lifestyle.

p.5

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the provider, manager and staff during the inspection.

p.5

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. Lorraine Pike

p.5

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.6

Address:

Registered person: Cracker Jacks Day Nursery Ltd

p.6

Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

p.6

Facts and figures used on inspection

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

p.6

Exceptional

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

p.7

Strong standard

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Needs attention

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

p.7

Urgent improvement

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

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

p.7