Bircotes Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from the nurturing and caring relationships staff build with them. They settle quickly, as they receive a warm welcome from staff. Children demonstrate their understanding of the daily routine as they confidently explain to parents that they need to put their bottles on the table and their coats on a peg. Staff value children and listen to what they have to say. They recognise that children learn in different ways and provide them with choices, such as playing indoors or outside. Consequently, children become confident learners. They engage in their chosen activities for long periods and make good progress in their development.

Children receive individual and tailored support to help meet their learning needs. For example, staff slow the pace of their singing and use hand movements to accompany the words they sing. This support ensures children, including younger children and those who speak English as an additional language, join in and learn a range of new vocabulary. Children copy simple sign language and learn alternate ways to communicate, even before they speak. They learn about their emotions and feelings as staff recognise and name these before offering distractions to re-engage them in learning. Children watch and follow the staff's example as they notice when their friends are upset and offer them soft toys to make them feel better.

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

• Leaders, managers and staff gather information from parents and carers to help them understand children's needs. They use this information to plan and provide bespoke support for children, particularly for those with additional needs. For example, where early gaps in children's communication are identified, staff promptly engage speech and language therapists to determine the best programme of support. In a short space of time, parents and carers notice the progress children are supported to make.
• Overall, staff interact with children well. For example, while children paint, staff encourage them to notice how the colours change when mixed. Children experiment and learn how to combine different colours to make their favourites. However, staff's engagement is sometimes inconsistent, as they do not always support children to help them build on what they already know and can do.
• While children explore dinosaurs, staff skilfully extend children's thinking skills. They encourage children to look closely and discuss how they think their dinosaur compares to their friends'. Children begin to understand how to look for similarities and differences and point out which dinosaur has the same horns as theirs. Additionally, as children speculate on which foods dinosaurs might eat, staff prompt them to think where they could find this information if they are unsure of the answer. Children recall that they could research this information in books or on the internet.
• Staff support children's imaginative play. They show children how to take on different roles, for example as they pretend to be shopkeepers. Children learn how to use a till, scan items and check prices. They begin to understand that each item has a value and tell staff how much they owe them for their shopping. Staff encourage children to explore the role of a doctor. They model how to use a stethoscope and tell children it can be used to hear their heart. Children copy staff and begin to show their understanding of how to use different items.
• Overall, staff use clear strategies that help children learn how to take turns. For example, staff use a timer to support children to visualise how long they need to wait for a turn. Some children successfully wait and remind their friends when they can have a turn. However, staff do not use some behaviour management strategies consistently. Therefore, children do not always understand what staff expect of them and occasionally repeat unwanted behaviours.
• Staff encourage children to develop a range of physical skills. For example, staff support children to develop hand-eye coordination as they safely chop vegetables. They demonstrate how to hold the knife safely and encourage children to follow their instructions. Children show pride as they persist in tasks and call out, 'I did it!' Outside, staff provide children with activities to develop their large muscles. As children ride trikes, staff help them learn how to use the pedals to move the trike forward. Children listen and practise coordinating their movements.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's interactions with children to continually support them to build on what they already know and can do
• enhance staff's behaviour management to ensure consistency and help children understand what is expected of them.