Barnhill Preschool Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have strong, close relationships with children. They take time to get to know children well. Staff find out about children's likes and dislikes, and provide activities linked to their interests. Children enjoy their time in the nursery and settle well. They are happy and confident. Children take part in wide range of stimulating activities. For example, staff teach children about cause and effect, as they play with a range of wind-up toys. This helps to support children's understanding of simple technology. Children develop an understanding of the world. For instance, staff read books to children about dinosaurs to teach them about how they lived. They talk to children about different features as they play with toy dinosaurs in make-believe jungles.

Children have good mathematical skills. For example, they learn to recognise numbers and count securely, as they step on numbered tree stumps outdoors. Staff teach children about different shapes during group discussion times. Staff have high expectations of children. They manage children's behaviour well. Staff share group rules with children and explain why certain behaviour is not acceptable. Children behave well. The curriculum is interesting and varied. Children learn useful skills in preparation for school.

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

• Staff provide a rich range of activities that challenge children well and build on their skills. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress.
• Children have good physical skills. For example, they balance across crates and tyres, and climb along frames. Children steer wheeled toys skilfully around the garden. Staff support children's physical coordination skills well. For instance, they play throwing and catching games with children.
• Staff help children to develop good listening and musical skills. For example, they encourage children to bang a drum together to create different rhythms. Staff teach children about loud and soft sounds, and sing songs with them.
• Staff provide good support to children who speak English as an additional language. For example, they focus group sessions to help children learn English words in interesting ways.
• Staff support children with SEND successfully. They meet with parents and health professionals to share information. Staff use this information to devise comprehensive plans for children. This close partnership working with parents and health professionals successfully promotes the best outcomes for children.
• Staff help children to gain an understanding of difference. For example, they talk to children about special events in different cultures and religions, such as Chinese New Year and Diwali. Staff provide opportunities for children to take part in creative activities to learn about these occasions. Children learn to accept and respect diversity.
• Staff work with parents effectively. They ensure that parents have regular updates about their children's progress. Staff help parents to support their children's learning. For instance, they provide parents with ideas about activities for their children to do at home.
• The manager provides good support to staff. She discusses their workloads and well-being during regular one-to-one meetings. The manager offers ways to help staff, if needed. She talks to them about their training needs. Staff have attended several courses, including a course on early language development which has led to some improvements in this area.
• Overall, staff provide good levels of support to children to develop their communication, language and literacy skills. For example, staff read stories to children and question them effectively. They give children time to think and respond. Staff sing action rhymes and songs with children where they learn new words. However, staff do not think about how they can enhance the most-able children's vocabularies.
• Generally, staff help children to learn to do things for themselves. For instance, some children help to set the table at snack time and some put on their coats. However, opportunities for all children to learn self-care skills are not fully developed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop more ways to introduce the most-able children to ambitious vocabulary, to support their language skills further
• continue to develop children's ability to do things for themselves, particularly at snack time.