Bear and Bunny at Charlwood School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and very settled at this pre-school. Staff greet children and parents at the gate and walk them into the main room. On arrival, children find their photo and choose a peg to hang their coats and bags on. Staff encourage children to do things for themselves and offer support where needed. For example, children are learning ways to help them to put on their coats. Staff praise children for their efforts while offering help to do up their zips. This helps to promote children's independence.

Children behave very well and engage in activities that staff have thoughtfully organised. For example, children spend long periods of time at activities of their choosing, such as the role-play area. Children engage in pretend play as they feed the dolls and put them down to sleep. A range of books are available for children to freely access to aid children's learning further, such as books about the body. Staff deploy themselves well and respond promptly to children's needs. For instance, when children become overwhelmed, staff quickly provide comfort and reassurance to children.

Staff promote an inclusive pre-school and provide effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They actively engage with other professionals to ensure that children receive additional support promptly. Staff show genuine pride at children's achievements and celebrate all children's efforts.

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

• Leaders are extremely passionate about providing inclusive care and education for all children. They act with integrity to ensure that all children make the best possible progress. Leaders are dedicated to providing a service that serves the local community well. They engage effectively with the local school and other settings children attend.
• Staff receive regular supervision sessions where they discuss children's targets and any concerns they may have. Leaders offer opportunities for staff to extend their skills and knowledge further. For example, staff who are interested in outdoor learning are given support and training opportunities to gain new skills. Staff report they feel well supported.
• Children with SEND make good progress. Staff regularly monitor children's development to ensure that they are achieving the best possible outcomes. Children benefit from targeted support that is tailored to their individual needs. Skilled staff deliver activities in small groups to encourage children's attention and focus. Funding is used to ensure that children have access to specialist equipment and resources that meet their individual needs. Staff receive training to enhance their practice to support children with SEND. For example, staff use Makaton to help them to communicate with children. As a result, children with SEND do very well.
• Children enjoy a healthy snack at the pre-school. They know to wash their hands before sitting down to eat and help each other with these tasks. For example, children push the tap on for each other and share out the paper towels. They line up and choose their snack before carrying their plate to the table. This helps children to learn basic independence skills in preparation for school.
• Parents are extremely happy with the care their children receive. They know who their child's key person is and what their children are learning about. The setting shares information about the activities children take part in via an online platform. However, information to help parents know how to promote their children's oral health and healthy lifestyle choices is not regularly shared.
• Staff gather information about children when they start, including the languages they speak at home. They find out about children's cultural backgrounds and beliefs. At times, staff naturally extend children's knowledge of the world while playing alongside them. For example, when children play with small-world animals, staff comment on the Siberian tiger and ask children if they remember any other animals from Siberia. However, staff have not fully explored ways to promote all children's differences within their planned curriculum so that children's sense of self is fully promoted.
• Staff engage well in conversations with children. For example, they listen intently when children talk about things that happen at home, such as when their builders jacket ripped. Staff suggest they bring it to pre-school so that they can sew it back together. These back-and-forth interactions support children to develop conversational skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen further how information is shared with parents, particularly relating to promoting healthy lifestyles and oral hygiene
• enhance the curriculum to better promote children's individual differences and uniqueness and help staff understand how to further develop children's awareness of others.