2 To School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting happy and confident. The key-person approach is firmly embedded to help children settle in quickly. Children are very confident to approach their familiar adults for comfort and reassurance. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They respond well to staff's expectations and follow instructions without needing reminders. Children know how to share, wait their turn and have the upmost respect for each other. Children are kind to their friends; their manners are extremely good. For example, without prompting, children will say 'please' and 'thank you' to staff and each other.

Children enjoy a good range of toys, resources and activities that support their learning and development. They make choices about their play and activities. For instance, children enjoy a range of stories and actively seek out books to be read to them, either alone or in small groups. They enjoy the cosy area where they listen to their favourite stories with excitement. Children move freely around the setting and develop their imaginations successfully. For example, they engage with small-world figures promoting their language and communication skills.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Children have a variety of opportunities to support their physical development skills. For example, a sports coach delivers regular sessions of sports activities and yoga. Children learn how to move in a variety of ways, such as balancing in poses during a yoga session. This helps children show awareness of space, for themselves and others.
• Staff work effectively together to support children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They quickly identify any child who may need additional support. Staff are persistent and determined in engaging with specialist professionals and supporting parents. This means that children are assessed promptly and, where necessary, quickly benefit from the targeted support they need.
• Overall, staff promote children's language and communication well. Staff introduce new words to widen children's vocabulary, such as 'Taj Mahal'. They constantly speak to children, narrate what is going on, read stories and sing familiar songs. However, on occasion, staff do not fully enhance children's thinking and language skills. For example, they do not always give them enough time when responding to the questions they ask.
• Children thoroughly enjoy taking part in an activity to investigate a pumpkin. They learn new words, such as 'gooey' and 'slimy', as they scoop the seeds and count how many they have. They discuss what you can do with the seeds, for example, saying 'you can plant them to grow big pumpkins.' Children enjoy exploring the pumpkin using spoons to scoop the inside out into bowls to make
• Inspection report: 2 To School 11 October 2022 2 soup. Children use a wide range of vocabulary. This encourages them to make predictions in their play.
• Staff promote children's good health effectively and provide guidance for parents on issues, such as oral hygiene and healthy eating. Children are offered a nutritious breakfast when they arrive and enjoy healthy snacks during the morning. This helps children to learn the importance of making healthy choices.
• Children have some opportunities to be independent throughout the day. For example, children enjoy being the 'helper', to clear away after snack time. However, on occasions, staff are too quick to help children with their personal care needs, such as using a tissue. This reduces children's opportunities to gain skills in personal hygiene.
• Staff make the most of the great outdoor space they have recently renovated. Children learn about how to grow vegetables in the garden plot. This helps children to learn the key features of the life cycle of a plant through planting seeds and bulbs so that children can observe it growing.
• The manager supports staff and monitors their practice through continuous development. They plan as a team to ensure they are providing a curriculum that is balanced to meet all the needs of the children. Staff's well-being is consistently supported. This means that staff feel valued and enjoy their roles.
• The manager and staff team have worked hard to develop strong parent partnerships. Parents are extremely positive about the care and learning their children receive and they comment how happy they are with the pre-school. Staff share information with parents about their child's learning at the end of every day and share ideas to support home learning. This helps parents with ideas about how they can continue their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• allow children more time to think and respond during interactions, to extend their thinking and language skills
• strengthen children's opportunities to learn how to develop their personal
• Inspection report: 2 To School 11 October 2022 3 hygiene skills.
• Inspection report: 2 To School 11 October 2022 4