Billericay Catholic Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have created a warm and welcoming environment where children make excellent progress. Staff are highly invested in giving children the best opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. Children arrive with enthusiasm and part quickly from parents and carers. Instantly they are absorbed in the range of fun and exciting learning experiences on offer. Staff use their expert knowledge of children and how they learn to provide tailored experiences for children. They play alongside children, providing commentary and sustaining children's interest in their chosen activity, such as when making 'tea' in the home corner. As a result, children become deeply engaged in their play and learning.

Children show impeccable behaviour. Staff set consistently clear expectations for children and act as positive role models. Children listen and respond to staff without any fuss. They tidy away their resources and follow directions to join staff for circle time. Relationships between staff and children are warm and respectful. There is a well-established key-person approach. New children who are settling are given the utmost attention from their key person. This helps children to feel safe at the pre-school. Consequently, they are emotionally secure and able to make the very best of the available opportunities to learn.

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

• Leaders have designed a broad curriculum that considers the skills and knowledge children need for the next stage of their education. Staff know and understand the curriculum, which means teaching is delivered consistently well. Staff have a secure knowledge of children, their starting points and how children learn and develop. Consequently, children make consistent progress across all seven areas of learning.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is excellent. Careful consideration goes into adapting the environment as well as the teaching that is offered. Effective partnership working means that children who require ongoing support for the next stage of their education have this in place before they go to school.
• Children benefit from high-quality storytelling. Staff skilfully engage children in much-loved stories. Children contribute ideas as they explore pictures with staff. They are invited to talk about what they see. Staff use questions, such as, 'What do you think?' and 'What might happen?', which build anticipation and excitement.
• Children are highly independent. They manage zips and buttons with skill. Children demonstrate good personal hygiene and manage their personal needs well, such as washing their hands. At snack time, they pour drinks, peel fruit and spread butter on crackers.
• Children are physically active both inside and outside. Outside, they run with great energy and enthusiasm navigating the garden and avoiding obstacles. They show good use of fine motor skills as they enjoy using dough, mark making and creative activities.
• Children are developing critical thinking skills. They learn about capacity as they fill and empty containers with water. They roll balls through chutes and count together to see how long the balls take to exit. On occasion, staff do not recognise when learning opportunities can be extended. For example, when making flower potions, staff do not extend and deepen learning to include the parts of the flower or connect the learning to the daffodils they have been growing.
• Children have rich experiences that help them learn about the community. They visit the church, fire station and post office. They learn about faith and religion. The local priest visits the pre-school, and children learn about a range of festivals, including Easter, Diwali and St. David's Day.
• Parent partnerships are excellent and have a positive impact on the progress children make. Parents feel confident that their children are making excellent progress from their time at the pre-school. Parents comment that staff are invested in the children and really want to make a difference for them.
• Leaders use meticulous self-evaluation to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Regular, high-quality supervision takes place with staff about their own knowledge and skills and continuing professional development. Staff feel valued and supported by leaders and understand the vision leaders have for excellence. There is a strong commitment from all team members to provide the best opportunities for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop ways that help children to deepen and consolidate learning through further opportunities to research, investigate and develop critical thinking skills.