Acorns Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to attend the pre-school. They form good relationships with staff and their peers. Staff offer children excellent settling-in procedures. They arrange the number of initial visits around each child's individual needs. As a result, even the newest children are very settled and secure in the pre-school. Staff know all children well and plan a curriculum around children's next steps for learning that also takes account of their interests. As a result, children are always fully engaged in and enjoy the learning experiences that are available. The curriculum is well implemented, and children make good progress in most areas of their learning. However, staff do not plan as effectively for children's literacy skills.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning and behaviour. Children are well behaved. Staff promote lots of fun and laughter during the day. Children giggle when staff ask questions around whether feet, with different colour socks, belong to the same person. Staff-to-child ratios are often above minimum recommendations. This results in children receiving very good adult support and attention. Children who require additional support have designated one-to-one and small-group times with their key person throughout the week. This helps children to make good progress, particularly in relation to their language skills.

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

• Staff place a strong focus on promoting children's language and communication skills and their personal, social and emotional development. Children enjoy small- and large-group activities, such as circle-time discussions and lots of singing and story times. However, staff do not consistently support children to choose books independently and do not present books in an inviting manner to encourage children's interest.
• Staff ensure that mealtimes and snack times are sociable occasions. They use these times effectively to extend children's learning about being healthy and caring for their bodies and their teeth. Children enjoy playing in the role-play area, pretending to be dentists. They also enthusiastically engage in other activities that help them to learn about oral hygiene. Children know what food and drinks are good or bad for their teeth and for their overall health.
• Staff help children to learn about the world around them. Children discuss the weather and know how this impacts on what they need to wear to play outdoors. Staff also promote children's independence throughout the daily routine. For instance, children dress themselves in appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear.
• Children's early mathematics skills are well promoted by staff. When choosing which boots to wear, children talk about size, numbers and the next size up or down. They also compare the soles of their boots with the sole of their feet.
• Staff ensure that they constantly promote children's large physical skills and fine motor skills with regular and different activities. For example, children build large constructions outdoors and use small magnetic sticks indoors, to make shapes and patterns. They also solve problems, such as how to make sure that the windows and doors in their constructions open and close.
• Although children are well behaved, staff also help them to learn about fairness, waiting and turn taking. They use a timer effectively so that children have a visual indicator that also helps them to learn about time. Children follow the rules in the pre-school well and tidy away together when requested.
• The pre-school works well in partnership with other professionals and settings. For example, speech and language therapists visit the pre-school to advise staff on how to support some children further. Staff also work closely with a local primary school and help children with their transitions on to school.
• Staff work well in partnership with parents and carers. However, the procedures for keeping parents informed about what children are learning and how they might support their child's learning at home are inconsistent.
• Leaders have ensured relevant improvements since the last inspection. They have improved the procedure and timeliness for obtaining suitability checks for all staff who work directly with children and relevant records are available for inspection. They now have effective and half-termly supervision procedures in place for staff. There is also a mentoring support programme for new staff. As a result, all staff feel well supported in their role.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• promote children's interest in choosing books independently, to support their early literacy skills further
• implement the procedure for informing parents about their child's development and progress and how they might extend their child's learning at home more consistently.