Barbican Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the pre-school joyfully and find their names for self-registration. Younger children use the picture next to their name to help them identify which one is theirs. Older children confidently recognise the letters from their name. Children settle quickly, and staff help them to find an activity that interests them.

The design and implementation of the curriculum is embedded well. Staff have high expectations of children and aspire for them to achieve. For example, staff have identified that children require additional support in strengthening their hand and finger muscles in preparation for early writing. For older children, staff show them how to use spray bottles where they can squeeze the spray bottle to release the water for instance. For younger children, staff teach children how to 'twist', 'mould' and 'squash' dough to help develop these skills.

The new leadership are committed to ensuring that all children make strong progress. They use funding effectively to help close gaps in children's learning. For instance, staff provide children with enhanced ratios and work efficiently to help meet their next steps. Children have a positive attitude to learning and show a willingness to engage to help them make strong progress.

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

• Staff recognise the importance of physical development for children. They ensure that children receive plenty of outdoor play, including opportunities to play on the climbing equipment and to ride bicycles. Younger children navigate how to climb in and out of the sandpit and enjoy making marks in the sand. Staff take children out in the local community. They walk to the nearby park and have strong relationships with neighbouring schools. Staff and children take part in a variety of activities together, such as nature and woodland activities, as well as play sessions in the community.
• Generally, staff apply daily routines to help children understand what will happen next. For example, they use a visual timetable for the events of the day. However, staff are not always consistent in their approach in meeting some children's needs. Staff, at times, provide children with mixed messages, such as placing children in their buggy too early or asking them to sit down when they should be outside. Occasionally, children become unsettled.
• Parents report positively on the welcoming and friendly pre-school. They comment on how their children have made progress since starting and how they receive regular updates on their child's development. Children can borrow books from the pre-school to share at home with their parents to provide a consistent approach to learning.
• Children enjoy singing and dancing activities. Younger children copy the actions to familiar rhymes while older children work out how many 'aliens' are left when one is taken away. All children enjoy using musical instruments such as maracas. Staff ask children to shake them 'up high', 'down low', to the 'side' and 'behind' their back. Children develop their coordination as well as their understanding by following instructions.
• Overall, staff liaise well with children to encourage their communication. They use clear sentences for younger children to understand and encourage them to repeat single words. Older children speak in sentences and can make their needs and wants known. However, at times, staff do not consistently build on children's speaking skills, such as during story times and outdoor play, to extend their vocabulary.
• Children develop their independence well. During snack, children turn a rotating tray and select which healthy foods they like. Younger children count the dots on a visual aid to indicate how many pieces of each food item they can have. Older children correctly identify the numeral and select two pieces of crumpet.
• Staff reflect on their practice and identify areas to develop. They attend frequent training to help keep their knowledge and skills updated and work closely with other professionals, particularly to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff use their new knowledge to help children understand and acknowledge their own emotions. They talk to them about how it is okay to feel sad and to talk about their feelings to promote positive mental well-being.
• Children are highly confident and develop good levels of self-esteem. Staff praise them regularly for their efforts and achievements. For example, when children independently complete a complex puzzle or work together as a team to build a wooden train track.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to implement a consistent approach to meet children's needs
• develop staff interactions with children, particularly during stories and outdoor play to further extend their vocabulary.