High Peak pre-school celebrates as Ofsted report goes from requires improvement to good
Previously the early years setting had been graded as requires improvement - now Manifold Pre-School is rated as good.
The youngsters were described in the report as arriving ‘each morning with a strong desire to learn’.
Inspector Beverley Devlin said: “The management team has worked hard since its last inspection to make the necessary improvements in the pre-school.
“The skilled and knowledgeable managers and staff provide an environment that is stimulating for children.
“They know children very well, and this enables them to plan an exciting curriculum to support their learning.” It was noted that ‘knowledgeable staff provide good support and timely intervention for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities’.
Ms Devlin said: “They work in partnership with parents and other agencies to ensure that children get the support they need.
“This has a positive impact on children's learning and progress.”
The report stated staff at the Warslow site use ‘every opportunity to introduce songs and stories into the daily routine, and they ensure that all children have access to books and have opportunities to share stories with adults’.
Ms Devlin explained: “Staff read stories with enthusiasm and use props to bring stories to life.
“Older children recite their favourite parts of stories from memory.
“Staff make good use of repeated stories through the 'book of the month' to introduce children to memorable words and phrases that enrich their learning experiences.”
Staff take children to use the host school's facilities, which the report says helps them to become familiar with the environment.
For example, children eat their lunch in the school dining hall and staff work closely with the host school to help children progress into school seamlessly.
Staff ensure that children have opportunities for problem-solving and persevere to get the results they want, the feedback states.
The inspector said that while the pre-school promotes independence from an early age, at times, staff do not always provide older children with opportunities to extend their independence skills further by letting them complete tasks for themselves - for example, staff do not always allow children to pour their own drinks or attempt to cut their own food at lunchtime - this was one of the areas the pre school could improve on as was strengthening staff's knowledge of the importance of modelling words correctly.