Aktiva Elmhurst Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel safe and secure in this nurturing environment. They have formed strong bonds with the staff and their peers. Children are confident and gain the skills they need for the next stage in their learning. Their behaviour is good and appropriate to their stage of development. They are kind to their friends and willing to share resources. For instance, they pass their friends some play dough so that they can join in with the activity.

Children develop a love of stories and songs. There are many times throughout the day when children have these opportunities. They join in with songs at circle time, saying good morning to each other, and show their excitement as they sing along. Smaller groups of children listen carefully to staff who read books to them. Children are happy and engage in the activities on offer, which often trigger their curiosity, such as finding woodlice outside in the soil. Children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding, benefit from the personalised support for their learning and development. This has a positive impact on the progress they make from their starting points.

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

• The manager is enthusiastic and dedicated to her role. She uses her wealth of experience to lead her staff team well. The pre-school has staff completing childcare qualifications, who are developing their own knowledge and skills in teaching to embed their practice. The manager provides effective coaching, supervision and support. Staff say that they enjoy their roles and feel valued and supported.
• Parents speak very highly of the pre-school. They say that the regular updates and assessments they receive about their child's learning and development help them know how they can continue to support learning at home. All children, including those with additional needs, make good progress at the pre-school.
• Overall, the manager and staff implement an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum. However, sometimes, staff do not identify opportunities in children's play when they can take their learning to the next level. For instance, staff do not consistently challenge children's learning to build on what they know and can already do. In this way, children are not consistently provided with high levels of challenge.
• Outside play is important to the staff at the nursery. The children have extensive opportunities to develop their gross motor skills. For instance, they walk across balance beams, either independently or supported by staff. The children especially enjoy using large brushes to dip into water, painting large surfaces as they build their muscle strength.
• Children are proud of their achievements. Work on display around the pre-school is clearly that of the children. Staff encourage children to be creative and follow their own ideas. They regularly praise children. They support children to discuss their feelings and manage their emotions. This builds children's sense of pride and self-esteem.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to strengthen their teaching strategies to consistently challenge and extend children's learning.