Adel Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy cold winter days at the pre-school. They explore blocks of ice they froze overnight and, when they have melted, pour each other water into china cups. Children are wrapped up warm and love being physical. For example, they ride their bikes and build bridges with planks of wood to balance on. Staff support children to think and understand by asking, 'is it slippy?' Children enjoy reading stories with a member of staff. They love changing the books from the library area into the shed outside. Children enjoy making pretend soup in the mud kitchen. They chop up fruit and vegetables and stir in the water before asking staff to 'try it'. Their love for the outdoors is evident, as the children do not spend long indoors before wanting to be outside. They run outside and roll their bikes down the ramp.

Younger children also like to play inside, reading books with the staff. They make connections to their own home life and their pets. Other children enjoy painting and exploring the dinosaurs. For instance, they put the dinosaurs' feet into the paint. Children look for shapes in the sand area and balance these on the shelf above, working out how to make them all fit.

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

• Children enjoy lots of physical activity. For instance, they climb ladders and use tweezers to pick up ice. This supports children's gross and fine motor development.
• A love of stories is evident. Children access a range of books and proudly shout, 'going to the library', when they change books. This encourages communication and language. Staff build on the vocabulary and extend children's understanding by using effective questions.
• Children behave very well, and they are respected and nurtured by all staff. This means that they are willing to try new activities, such as balancing on the beams. Staff suggest new ways of moving, such as sideways like a crab, and children have a go.
• Staff provide a range of outdoor activities, such as painting and exploring mud. Children make shapes with their shadows as the sun shines and bang hammers on ice that has frozen overnight. This develops their understanding of the world.
• Leaders have a clear vision and plan for the future. They are supportive to staff and hold regular supervision meetings with them. Staff meetings are used to evaluate practice.
• Leaders adapt practices and gain advice to support all children's needs. They have a good understanding of how to use funding to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Leaders know children well, including what they are working on and how to implement this. For instance, they encourage children to butter the toast themselves. Children understand how to progress further. For example, during nappy changing, staff show and talk about the use of the potty and the toilet.
• Children's independence skills are developing very well. They choose toys, and staff support their thought processes. Children are confident and interested in the world around them.
• Partnerships with parents are very good. They are very complimentary about the friendly and welcoming staff. They love taking part in fundraising and comment on how well they are communicated with. However, home learning is not yet embedded, to continue children's development at home.
• Children enjoy singing nursery rhymes and taking part in action songs. Staff use signing, and some children are learning to copy these signs too, to support their language development.
• Children are very comfortable with staff and enjoy relationships with them all. This helps children to settle easier and engage with learning.
• Staff help children to learn about festivals and cultures by, for example, displaying an object of interest and a book. However, further development is needed to ensure children develop a deeper understanding of cultures and home languages.
• Staff are happy and feel they have a great team around them. They love learning and training. They make connections about the children in their care and put this information into practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to embed home learning practices, to enable parents to fully support their children's learning at home
• develop further exploration regarding cultures and home languages, to enable children to learn that they are unique and help them to understand diversity.