Bexley Bears Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and eager to attend pre-school. All children settle quickly on arrival and develop strong attachments with their key person. They feel safe and secure and are well cared for, which supports their emotional well-being. Children have shown resilience to the changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have adapted to the pre-school closing and then moving to temporary premises before returning to the existing venue. Children have been supported by staff to build friendships with their peers, which has increased their confidence and social skills.

Children excitedly explore the broad range of activities on offer and show a positive attitude to their learning. For example, they skilfully use scissors to cut out shapes and identify other shapes in the environment. Children fill jugs with water to make pretend potions and count as they build. They are supported to increase their mathematical knowledge as they play. Children show determination and persevere with tasks like completing puzzles. They enjoy receiving praise for their achievements. Children understand the rules and know what is expected behaviour. Staff have high expectations and provide gentle reminders which help children to keep themselves safe. Children behave well. They share resources, take turns and use good manners.

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

• Staff plan and implement a broad curriculum which incorporates children's interests. Staff observe children and use assessments to monitor their development. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding, make good progress from their starting points.
• Children communicate confidently. Staff actively engage in conversations and introduce new vocabulary. They skilfully ask questions and give children time to answer. Children enjoy listening to stories and respond to what they see and hear. Staff regularly recap on previous learning, which helps children to talk about their experiences and increase their sentences.
• Parents talk highly about the pre-school and the staff. They appreciate the good progress their children are making, especially with their language development and confidence. Communication is usually good, and parents are updated regularly with their children's progress through an online journal. However, not all parents are aware of their children's next steps to continue supporting their learning at home.
• Children benefit from the large outside space and have opportunities to develop their physical skills. They practise riding bikes and steering scooters, and learn to balance and strengthen their large muscles on the tree swing. Staff talk to children about food and the importance of being healthy. Children wash their hands to promote good hygiene and clean their teeth to establish good oral health routines.
• Staff support children to develop their understanding of differences and what makes them unique. They engage children in discussions, share stories and promote the home languages of bilingual learners. Children celebrate festivals to increase their knowledge of diversity and other cultures. Visits from professionals in the community, such as the fire brigade, help children to learn respect for those who help us.
• New staff members complete a robust induction of the setting. As a result, all staff understand their roles and responsibilities well. The manager arranges supervision and identifies areas for continued professional development. However, the ongoing monitoring of staff practice is not fully embedded and, therefore, gaps in learning are not addressed quickly.
• The pre-school works in partnership with other professionals to support children in the setting. Development checks are completed for children between the ages of two and three years to share with health professionals. This ensures early help is identified and support is put in place for children to make good progress. The pre-school works with local primary schools to support children with a smooth transition to their next stage of learning.
• The manager and staff team meet regularly to evaluate the service they provide. They discuss activities and revisit learning to confirm children's understanding. Staff speak to children and seek feedback from parents. These views help the pre-school to make further improvements and raise the quality of teaching.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• embed systems for monitoring practice to ensure all staff access training to improve their knowledge and skills
• build on communication to enable all parents to know their children's next steps, to support continuity in learning.