Thorpe on the Hill Preschool

Thorpe on the Hill Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2859034 Address: Thorpe On The Hill Play Group, School Lane, Thorpe-on-the-hill, Lincoln, LN6 9BN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 22/09/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Thorpe-on-the-Hill Preschool

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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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders and staff are highly responsive to all children's needs and prioritise children building secure attachments with their key person. This helps children who are new to the setting quickly settle and feel safe and secure. Leaders consistently support children's health and wellbeing. Children are provided with nutritious meals and fresh drinking water. They readily wash their hands after using the toilet and before they eat. This helps children develop positive hygiene practices. Leaders work closely with parents and carers to ensure they provide their children with healthy lunch boxes. Staff create a calm, comfortable environment for children who need to rest. They regularly check that children remain safe while they sleep.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children have lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills. They use their leg muscles as they confidently push themselves along on ride-on toys. Others are supported to practise their balancing skills as they walk along an obstacle course. Staff provide words of encouragement and hold children's hands as they walk across planks. This helps children gain the confidence to walk across the planks by themselves.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders prioritise children's safety. They ensure children learn about being safe in the sun, for instance. Children know they need to wear hats and use sun screen and staff provide drinking water outdoors to help children stay hydrated. Children are provided with shaded areas, so they can continue their outdoor play.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff know the children in their care well, including what makes them unique. They accurately assess children's development and achievements to determine appropriate next steps in learning and development, which are embedded within children's play. This includes progress checks for children aged 2 years, which are completed promptly and shared with parents and carers and other professionals.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, are very well supported. Leaders work hard to consider and develop effective strategies and adapt the provision, ensuring that these children get the very best experience while at the setting. Regular monitoring takes place, ensuring that children's needs are met effectively.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders works closely with parents and external agencies. This helps to ensure that any identified concerns or changing circumstances relating to children's development or wellbeing are supported in a timely manner. This collaborative approach ensures that children receive the targeted support they need to help them make the progress they are capable of.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children generally develop their language and communication skills well. For example, all children eagerly join singing time with their friends. They join in with the actions, singing along with the familiar words. Children sit well at group times and listen to stories. They predict what will happen next and repeat the key phrases within the book. Children access favourite books and sit with their friends, looking at the pictures and discussing what they can see. This helps children develop a love of books.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children achieve well from their starting points and gain skills that will prepare them for their move on to school. Children enjoy engaging with the well-considered resources that staff have provided. They remain focused as they work in small groups to make marks and trace different shapes on laminated sheets. That said, children are not consistently engaged in meaningful learning and play. When staff are busy completing routine tasks, for instance, some children do not receive the interaction they need and disengage from activities.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff have built positive relationships with the children in their care. As a result, children confidently say goodbye to their parents and carers and eagerly engage with the activities on offer. Children are generally keen to help staff. They busy themselves during tidy-up time, putting resources away in the correct places, sweeping sand from the floor and putting rubbish in the bin. Children cheer when they finish tidying up before the tidy-up song ends. Staff praise children for their help.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff support children to take turns, share resources and use their manners. Children with additional needs are gently supported by staff to help them share with others and take turns. When children demonstrate unwanted behaviour, while staff intervene, they do not always help children understand what is expected of them. For example, when children kneel on chairs, staff remind them of how to sit correctly. Where children ignore these requests, staff do not pursue this. As a result, other children copy this unwanted behaviour, which does not help them learn what is expected of them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders have a clear process in place to monitor attendance. They work with parents to help them understand the importance of regular attendance and how it may have a positive effect on their children's development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders work with staff to identify the most important areas of learning for the children in their care. They have developed a broad curriculum based on children's interests, with appropriate next steps embedded within children's play. Staff adapt activities for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This enables all children to take part in the daily routines and join in activities with their friends. Overall, children are supported to do things for themselves. Children put rubbish in the bin and put their dirty plates in the bowl after snack time. That said, staff are sometimes too quick to complete tasks for children that they could do themselves. They peel children's fruit and open their food packets despite children being able to do this for themselves. This does not provide consistent opportunities for children to build on their independence skills. Staff use mealtimes to help children develop their social skills. Children readily talk about what

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

they have been doing over the weekend. Children listen to their friends and staff ask questions to encourage them to share their own experiences. This supports children to develop their conversational skills and positively interact with others.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff know each child's level of ability. They embed mathematics in children's play and routines, such as helping them count and name colours. Staff provide focused activities to extend children's skills further. Children identify written numbers and attach 'pipe-cleaner tentacles' to paper jellyfish. Staff support children to count how many tentacles they have already attached, and how many are still needed. This helps children build on their early mathematical skills.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The setting has undergone recent changes in leadership. Newly appointed leaders have ambitious plans for the setting and are clear on their expectations for the provision. They are proactive in their approach and are supporting all staff to enhance their knowledge of working with young children. Leaders recognise that further support is needed to help staff implement the newly developed curriculum more consistently.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders fully consider staff's wellbeing and workload, ensuring that support is available when needed and expectations are realistic. This helps maintain a safe and positive environment for everyone. Leaders ensure staff receive regular supervision, mentoring and training. Staff say they enjoy working at the setting and feel well supported by managers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and staff work closely with parents and carers to ensure children, who face barriers to their learning, receive appropriate and targeted support. They communicate with parents daily and share ideas and strategies so children can continue their learning at home. Parents are positive about the care their children receive at the setting. They say their children are welcomed at the setting and are making new friends.

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

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming pre-school. All children build secure attachments with the consistent and familiar staff team, helping them settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well catered for. They enjoy taking part in one-to-one, dedicated intervention sessions, and using the range of sensory resources that staff provide for them. Children who are experiencing changes in their home life are greeted by their key person, helping them settle quickly and join their friends. Children enjoy coming to pre-school, and leaders encourage them to attend regularly.

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

Staff adapt activities so all children can take part at their own pace. For example, while making marks, older children are supported to trace around different shapes on laminated sheets, while younger children prefer to draw circles and lines. Where younger children struggle to use cloths to wipe their marks away so they can start again, staff pose questions helping children consider what may help. Children recall that water may help and they wet their cloth under the tap. Children proudly show staff their achievements and develop perseverance.

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

Children learn how to keep fit and healthy. Staff talk to children about healthy foods and how these support healthy bodies. Children stretch their muscles as they work with staff to do push ups, leg stretches and star jumps. All children thoroughly enjoy outdoor play and are safely supervised as they jump on mini-trampolines and climb steps to access a slide. Children work together, collecting colourful water from a variety of water dispensers. They carefully transport the water to the outdoor kitchen area to mix with fruit slices and create their own recipes. This helps children to work with others and build early friendships.

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Next steps

Leaders should further develop and implement consistent behaviour management strategies, which build on children's understanding of behavioural expectations. Leaders should strengthen the consistency of staff's practice to ensure high-quality interactions across the setting, helping children to make even more rapid progress. Leaders should strengthen the organisation of mealtimes, so that children are supported to build on their skills and further develop their early independence skills.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and and children 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

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Address:

Thorpe On The Hill Play Group School Lane, Thorpe-on-the-hill Lincoln LN6 9BN

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Thorpe-on-the-Hill Preschool

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 15:00

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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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2 to 4

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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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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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