Billy & Boo Windsor

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children eagerly arrive at the pre-school and demonstrate that they feel safe, happy and emotionally secure. They form close bonds with all staff, including their key person, and make friends with others. Children are enthusiastic learners and become quickly absorbed in their play.

Staff actively encourage children to develop their independence and sense of responsibility. Children behave well and learn the importance of being respectful to others, sharing and taking turns. Children receive praise for their efforts and achievements. This develops their self-esteem and motivates them to continue to persevere at their chosen task. Children proudly share their seaside pictures, and talk about the marks they would make as sharks and jellyfish. Older children enjoy number hunts. They count with confidence, and recognise numbers up to 12.

Staff promote children's physical skills well through the wide variety of exciting opportunities that they offer in the curriculum. For instance, children strengthen their hand muscles as they use tools, such as spoons, to tap ice and break it into smaller pieces to reveal sea creatures. Children show good levels of engagement in imaginary play. For example, they make pretend pots of tea, before serving this to their friends.

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

• Staff ensure that the pre-school atmosphere is welcoming and friendly. This helps children and their families to settle quickly and feel secure. Partnerships with parents are good. Parents comment very positively about their children's experiences at the pre-school. They value the information that staff share about their children's learning. Parents admire staff's commitment to ensuring that children achieve a good level of development. They comment on their children's good progress since attending pre-school and the sound contribution staff have made to this.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding make good progress in their learning. There is a strong commitment to working with external agencies. Staff swiftly act on the advice given to them to provide purposeful activities to enhance children's learning. For instance, staff build in activities involving malleable dough and disco music, to strengthen children's fine motor skills needed for holding a pencil in preparation for school.
• Staff know the children well and recognise how they can be supported to develop their learning further. Children have opportunities to visit quieter spaces. This gives them opportunities to be supported with their emotions and regulate their feelings. For example, staff support children with calm voices, pictures and discussions to positively manage their behaviour and what is expected of them.
• Staff support children's coordination and fine motor skills well. For instance, they enjoy making cards and drawing pictures for their families. Older children enjoy moving in a variety of ways around an obstacle course and learn how to jump, shake and dribble balls during physical sessions.
• Children follow daily routines with confidence and show good levels of independence. For example, young children feed themselves independently. Older children collect their own drinks and skilfully open their own lunch boxes. However, sometimes the organisation of group sessions, for example during snack and carpet times, means that younger children are not fully engaged, as they wait for too long for activities to begin and end.
• Staff promote children's interest in books and familiar stories. Children readily choose their own book and share it with adults. Children have the opportunity to learn about British values and vote to have their favourite book read at group story time.
• Children receive good support as they get ready to move on to the next stages in their lives and school. Staff share detailed reports with parents, meet teachers and support children in their school visits by attending meetings and being involved in settling-in sessions. This helps children feel very secure and ready for the next stage of their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to enhance the organisation of larger-group activities, to help enrich younger children's learning opportunities.