Abbeytown Pre-School Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are safe and flourish in the care of the motivated staff team. They settle quickly as they arrive and are eager to talk to the staff before engaging with a variety of activities. Children play imaginatively in the role-play car, as they pretend to go on a trip to the shops. Staff support children's play by providing a commentary and offering ideas. For example, they say 'we will need to buy a ticket for the car once it is parked'. This extends children's vocabulary.

Children are developing a love for stories and access a wide range of books. Staff read stories with great enthusiasm. This helps children to develop a passion for reading. Outside, children act out events from their favourite stories, which helps to develop their imagination and language skills.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and attitudes towards each other. Children are taught to share and take turns during play. For example, when two children want the same toy, they are encouraged to use the sand timer to wait for their turn. This works very well in practice. Throughout the day, children recite the setting's motto, 'sharing is caring', as they play together with their friends. Children who need extra support are identified early. This helps children to make good progress from when they started at the setting.

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

• Staff show a good understanding of how children develop their language and communication skills. Their interactions with children help them to learn new words and develop their vocabulary. For example, children use new words, such as 'siren', as they learn about the police.
• Leaders and staff have created a curriculum that considers children's interests and builds upon what they know and can already do. For example, children's interest in superheroes is used to help develop their creativity by making superhero masks. They use different tools and materials. This helps develop their hand muscles in readiness for early writing.
• Children develop an understanding of mathematical concepts. Staff have a good knowledge of how to bring the teaching of mathematics into everyday routines. For example, during snacktime children count the bowls and cups. This supports their understanding of mathematics well.
• Leaders and staff have a strong partnership with local schools and other settings. When children attend another setting, staff share information with them. This helps to ensure consistency in children's learning and development. Staff and children are invited to the local school to attend events, such as play mornings. This means children can meet their future teachers, which contributes towards a smooth transition to school when the time comes.
• Children are confident as they explore the indoor and outdoor environments. For example, they demonstrate their physical ability as they manoeuvre the sit-on tractor and navigate around obstacles. Children approach staff freely. For example, they ask for the colour of paint they want. This shows children are confident and have developed positive relationships with the staff.
• Children learn about cultural differences and diversity. They have opportunities to share their differences during group time using stories and mirrors. For example, staff and children take it in turns to look in the mirror and talk about the colour of their eyes compared to the person sat next to them. This helps to extend their knowledge of diversity and the wider community. This also helps children understand what makes them unique.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents make positive comments about the care their children receive. They are pleased with the service provided and praise staff for their commitment to make sure every child feels valued. Parents receive information about what their children are doing, which keeps them up to date. However, the arrangements for supporting parents to extend children's learning at home are not yet embedded. This does not promote consistency in children's learning.
• Staff comment on the approachable nature of the management team and say they feel supported in their role. Managers carry out regular meetings with staff to support them and identify any areas of development. However, training to develop these areas is not always provided. This means staff do not further develop their teaching skills to raise the quality of education for all children in the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus professional development opportunities more precisely on supporting staff to raise the quality of their teaching to the highest level
• share ideas with parents to help extend children's learning at home.