Angelface Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this nurturing setting. Key staff know the children very well and help them feel safe and comfortable. Children follow established routines well. Children settle to activities with engaging staff playing alongside them. This shows children feel a sense of belonging and develop essential skills for their eventual move to school.

Staff plan and implement a broad curriculum for children, focusing on developing children's communication and language skills. Staff tailor support for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff provide children with a range of stimulating activities. For example, younger children are engrossed as they enjoy sensory experiences with paint. Older children practice building their small hand muscles as they use tweezers to search for objects in the foam. Children are curious and demonstrate a positive attitude to learning.

Staff take children on various outings within the local community. They go to the local parks to collect natural resources which they use back at the setting. They enjoy activities at the library and local soft play to develop their large muscles further. Staff create a positive atmosphere for children to feel self-assured and develop their self-esteem.

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

• Leaders have worked hard to build a settled staff team since the last inspection and have developed a more consistent approach to children's learning, care and behaviour management. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and are supported well by leaders.
• Leaders create a broad and balanced curriculum that focuses on developing children's communication and language skills. They plan activities that build on children's prior knowledge. Staff sequence children's learning effectively and know the next steps in their development. Children make good progress in their learning.
• Overall, children's communication and language are supported well. Younger children develop their communication skills as they join in with actions to different songs and rhymes. Older children are exposed to a wide vocabulary as staff share new words. They develop their conversation skills during group time, where they listen to their friends and wait for their turn to talk. However, staff use questions in quick succession or with very young children, rather than commenting on what is happening. This limits children's language development.
• Children have opportunities to develop their mathematical skills. Children eagerly count how many objects they have in the bowls ensuring there are equal amounts in each bowl. Staff encourage mathematical language as they talk to children about shape and size as children sort objects. This supports children to develop their mathematical awareness.
• Staff are good role models and generally children are engaged in activities throughout. However, there is an exception to this during groups activities with younger children. During these times, children lose interest in the activity, which is not recognised by staff. Therefore, staff do not consistently organise and manage these group activities to ensure that all children remain engaged in their learning opportunities throughout.
• Leaders and staff support children with SEND well. They liaise closely with outside agencies to implement effective strategies to support children's development. This includes using visual cues to help children's communication and to understand changes in the day.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff support parents to be fully involved in their children's learning and development. The setting shares information with parents through an online app that parents like. Staff hold regular meetings with parents to share children's progress. Parents value how books are shared weekly at home and value suggestions to support children's learning at home.
• Leaders and staff are reflective. They work as a team to improve the care and education the setting offers. Leaders provide support for staff based on their individual needs. Leaders monitor practice with regular staff meetings and supervisions and support staff's ongoing professional development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's skills in understanding how children's language develops to support their continued success
• review and improve the organisation of group activities with younger children to ensure all children remain fully engaged throughout.