A VILLAGE pre-school near Worcester has been judged satisfactory' by Ofsted inspectors.

Whittington Pre-School Group, based in the Village Hall, was praised by the education watchdog in its latest report.

The inspectors said: "Children benefit from being cared for in friendly and welcoming environment.

"Activities are well organised each morning to provide children with an appropriate range of easily accessible toys and resources that are rotated on a daily basis."

Pre-school manager Julie Morgan said: "We are fairly pleased with the report.

"We work very hard at the pre-school to give the children a good start. I just want to thank all the staff and parents for their support."

The pre-school opened in 1985 and has 34 children on roll at present.

The inspectors said staff care for the children well and help them to learn. They said: "Staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and the early learning goals.

"They provide a broad range of interesting and stimulating activities for children, and use planning systems to ensure that children experience a balance of activities across the six areas of learning."

However, the inspectors said outcomes for children were not always fully maximised.

"This is because formal observations and assessments are not used to identify children's starting points or next steps in learning," they added.

"Therefore, planning systems do not include experiences and appropriate challenges to help children to move on to their next steps in learning and development."

The report also highlighted the good partnership with parents and carers.

They said: "Children are happy and confident because staff work closely with parents and carers to meet children's needs and to ensure that they are fully included in the life of the setting.

"Staff have a lovely rapport with parents and they develop positive relationships that are further developed through regular family events that take place throughout the year."

What the pre-school does well: l Children's safety is promoted through the use of basic risk assessments and the deployment of staff who ensure that children are accompanied to and from the toilets.

l Children are happy and settled in the pre-school. They enjoy a relaxed start to the day during which they quickly become engaged in the activities that are set out around the room for them.

l Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They are well behaved and they benefit from the calm and supportive approach of staff.

l Staff get to know children well through actively engaging with them in their play and through discussions with their parents.

l Games such as sound lotto help children to begin to develop their listening skills and ability to discriminate between different sounds.

l Staff have a lovely rapport with parents and they develop positive relationships that are further developed through regular family events that take place throughout the year.

l Children are forming close friendships with staff and with one another.

What could be improved: l Update child protection procedures to reflect current practice, in accordance with the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures and ensure that all staff are fully aware of the new requirements.

l Ensure that written parental permission is requested, at the time of placement, to the seeking of necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future.

l Ensure that risk assessments are reviewed to ensure that action is taken to minimise any potential hazards and that procedures for ensuring that children do not access specified areas where they are not permitted are effectively and consistently implemented.

l Ensure that drinking water is available to children at all times.

l Continue to develop observation, assessment and planning systems in order ensure that children's individual next steps in learning and development are effectively supported.

l Review the organisation of activities and resources in order to extend opportunities for children to make decisions and solve problems as they select appropriate tools, resources and materials that include a wide variety of print, numbers, mark making and natural materials that children can incorporate into and extend through their play.

l Develop systems for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the provision.