Sherwood Pre-School

Ofsted rating for Sherwood Pre-School

Last inspected 7 February 2023

What it's like to attend

• Children are secure and settle well, happily separating from parents on arrival and quickly settling into familiar routines.
• Children confidently find their picture and name to add to the self-registration board.
• Through a well-planned curriculum, children display high levels of concentration.
• Children show good levels of respect for their friends and their behaviour is good.
• Staff work closely with parents and know children well, providing one-to-one support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Children benefit from daily opportunities to play and exercise in the fresh air, practising their physical skills in well-resourced outdoor areas.
• Staff support children to become school ready, promoting independence skills in some areas like collecting coats and washing hands.
• Staff provide a broad range of activities to develop children's confidence and large-motor skills, with young and older children demonstrating good balance and coordination.
• Staff teach children about healthy eating, with children following instructions, showing good manners, and announcing "Sandwiches first!" at lunchtime.
• Children learn about the natural world, planting and harvesting fruit and vegetables, and exploring seasons during forest school trips.
• The manager and staff have a good understanding of safeguarding, knowing who to contact with concerns and their whistle-blowing policy.
• Staff are well-deployed to ensure continuous supervision, and help children learn to keep themselves safe with clear rules for garden and pre-school areas.

• 1The new managers and senior leadership team have made changes to the pre-school to help support staff. However, this is not yet fully embedded in practice. Senior leaders do not ensure that the staff induction process is robust.
• 2Staff plan interesting practical learning experiences to support children's mathematical awareness. For instance, during transitions, children put their hands in the air and count up to 10. However, at times, during adult-led group times, staff do not consider the aim of the activity. This means children do not always learn what the staff intend.
• 3Staff support children to become school ready. Children's independence skills are promoted well in some areas. For example, they collect their coats from the reception area and wash their hands when they arrive at the setting and before snack time. Children confidently use the toilet independently. However, at other times, staff do things for them, like wiping their nose, when they can do this for themselves. Children are served their breakfast and snack. They do not pour their own milk. This would help develop their small-motor and independence skills even further.