Bevois Town Community Pre-School (With extended Day Care Provisions)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they feel safe and secure in this friendly and welcoming pre-school. They form positive relationships with staff and demonstrate this as they seek them out for reassurance or a cuddle, if needed. Children that attend the setting come from a variety of cultural backgrounds. They have wonderful opportunities to share their home languages and celebrate their diverse festivals with their friends and staff. Children benefit from a dedicated staff team that embed their cultures within the setting. For example, children bring in photos and items from home and share these with others. This gives them a sense of belonging.

Children are happy and busy throughout the day. They make independent decisions in their play and show confidence as they access the well-resourced environment. For example, children know where to find paper, rollers and brushes and set up their own painting activity. Outside, children use equipment such as crates, tyres and planks of wood to create an obstacle course. They initiate their own games and show good problem-solving skills as they investigate how to connect the resources together. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress.

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

• Staff work closely with the manager, special educational needs coordinator and parents, to quickly identify any areas of concern in a child's learning. They ensure early interventions, including referrals to outside professionals, are put in place in a timely manner. This means children receive targeted support without delay. The manager uses additional funding well to ensure gaps in children's development close quickly. Those children with SEND that need a higher level of support, receive one-to-one care. This helps to ensure they reach their full potential.
• The manager understands that children's language and communication is a high priority in the local area. She ensures children benefit from a curriculum with a strong emphasis on developing their language and vocabulary skills. Staff make eye contact, sing songs and read books with the children. They use a variety of resources, such as sign language, picture cards and words in children's home languages, to help children communicate their needs. However, on occasion during some group activities, staff do not engage and challenge quieter children as well as they could.
• The manager is mindful that not all children can access outdoor play at home. Consequently, she ensures they can play outside every day. For example, children of different ages pretend to be lions and have a great deal of fun
• Inspection report: Bevois Town Community Pre-School (With extended Day Care Provisions) 2 16 March 2022 initiating their own play. They eagerly find their boots and build on their stamina as they jump in puddles. Children learn new skills and take part in team games on the school sports ground. However, at times, staff do not use learning opportunities as they arise, to challenge children to think about their own good health, such as to ask for some water if they need it.
• Children show respect for their friends and play together imaginatively. They listen to their ideas as they dress up in their favourite outfits and take on different roles. When small disputes occur, staff give children time to manage these on their own. This helps children learn important life skills, such as how to regulate their feelings and behaviour.
• Staff build on children's mathematical skills well. For example, children run diggers through the sand and talk about the patterns they make. They fill up pots with soil and use language in context, such as 'full' and 'empty'.
• The manager and staff have a strong vision for her setting. They continually evaluate the environment and make improvements to the provision. Staff say they feel supported well by the manager and benefit from professional development opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills.
• Parents are very complimentary about the kind and nurturing staff at the pre-school. They talk highly of the personalised approach to settling children in, and how happy and excited their children are to attend. Parents comment positively about the regular updates they receive about their children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider more closely how to adapt group activities to ensure all children are consistently challenged and benefit from the learning opportunities, in particular quieter children
• build on learning opportunities as they arise, to extend children's understanding of how to support their good health.
• Inspection report: Bevois Town Community Pre-School (With extended Day Care Provisions) 3 16 March 2022