Barn Owl Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter this stimulating play environment eager to learn. They seek out their friends and immerse themselves in their chosen play. The friendly and nurturing staff greet the children with a warm smile. They strive to ensure every child feels safe and secure within their care. The staff work hard to build strong relationships with the children and their families. They celebrate children's 'wow' moments at circle time, which helps build children's confidence and develops high self-esteem.

Staff have clear expectations for children's learning. They focus on strengthening children's personal, social, and emotional skills. The staff read children stories about different emotions and have open discussions about ways to manage these feelings. When children feel sad, staff reassure them and validate them through open discussions. Children begin to understand their emotions and how to manage them positively. They develop strong social skills which enable them to grow close friendships. Staff aid the children in resolving conflicts effectively. They get down to the children's level and demonstrate what they need to say to their peers. Staff support the children in waiting their turn and sharing the resources. They have clear expectations for behaviour and provide gentle reminders to help reinforce the golden rules of the preschool.

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

• The leadership and staff team have created an effective curriculum. They plan activities based on loose themes and children's next stages of learning. Staff ensure children have access to a range of materials and resources to extend their play and learning. They engage with the children during their play to extend their knowledge past what they already know. All children make clear progress from their starting points.
• Children enjoy exploring and learning about the world around them. They go on a nature walk with the staff around the local school field. The children find some sticks and staff encourage them to compare sizes to see who can find the biggest ones. The children find out key facts about Owls. They use string to see how long the wingspan of an owl might be. The children and staff measure the string against a ruler. They identify numbers by name and use a wide range of mathematical language, which boosts children's early mathematical knowledge.
• Parent partnerships are strong. The leadership team gains feedback from parents on ways to enhance their provision. Staff collaborate closely with parents to ensure a consistent approach to children's learning. They provide parents with ideas to support learning at home. Children and their families have access to a lending library to encourage a love of books and reading. Parents praise the knowledgeable staff team. They receive detailed feedback on their child's progress and development. This creates a trusting relationship between parents and staff.
• Overall, staff promote children's growing independence well. Children serve themselves snacks using tongs. They freely select resources to extend their play. Children tidy away their toys and follow good hygiene practices. However, at times, children's growing skills are not promoted as effectively as they could be. For example, staff prepare snacks for children and spend time carrying out routine tasks that children could be involved with, such as clearing and cleaning the tables.
• Staff provide children with a wide range of activities aimed at enhancing their literacy skills. Children make marks on whiteboards and notice letters within the play environment. Children explore play dough. They utilise their finger muscles as they mould and sculpt play dough in their hands. The children scoop out recycled materials from the water tray using fishing nets, which strengthens the muscles needed for later writing skills.
• The staff continuously talk to the children and ask open-ended questions to spark discussions. They encourage the children to share their thoughts and ideas with others, which builds their confidence in communicating in larger groups. Staff use visual aids and hand signals to further support those children who learn English as an additional language. At times, staff introduce new words and their meanings to the children. However, they do not consistently repeat the word back to the children using the correct name for objects. This means that children do not hear or learn to use the correct pronunciation of words.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend opportunities for children to develop their independence, particularly around meal times
• ensure staff always use the correct words and pronunciation when speaking to children, to further enhance children's vocabulary and language development.