Blakeney Under Fives

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and eager to learn at this welcoming pre-school. Children who are new to the pre-school, or those finding it harder to settle, value the reassurance and comfort their key person gives them. Staff plan a range of purposeful and fun activities that support children's individual learning in all aspects of their development. Children make choices from the range of activities and resources available. For example, older children use wooden sticks to build bridges and play imaginatively with them, retelling the story of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'. Younger children engage in arts and crafts that spark their creativity. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of additional funding, are well supported by staff and make good progress in their learning. Staff recognise the benefits and importance of working in partnership with parents and other professionals. For example, children with SEND have plans in place that include specific strategies and teaching techniques that therapists advise staff to use to best meet children's needs.

Staff regularly celebrate children's achievements; this raises children's self-esteem. Staff are consistent in their approach to behaviour management. They role model the behaviour they expect and provide children with regular reminders about the pre-school rules. This contributes to children's good behaviour and positive social skills. Partnerships with parents are good. Parents are well informed about their children's learning, and they recognise their children's good progress.

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

• Children develop good language and communication skills and are confident communicators. Staff promote this area of development well. For instance, they use simple sign language and visual aids to help children with SEND follow routines and make choices about what they want to do. On arrival each day at welcome time, all children are encouraged to take turns in conversation, and staff encourage children to listen to adults and their peers. For example, staff encourage children to talk about their likes, individual experiences and lives outside of pre-school, and acknowledge their contributions.
• Mathematical development is good. Staff include counting and number recognition opportunities as part of the daily routines. For example, when children serve themselves fruit at snack time they read number cards to see how many pieces of fruit they should take, and carefully count them into their bowl.
• Staff encourage children's literacy skills well. They offer children opportunities to draw and make purposeful marks. Children sit together drawing pictures. They talk to one another about their drawings, sharing their thoughts and ideas. Children enjoy listening to stories and staff plan opportunities throughout the day for them to explore and engage with books. However, sometimes staff do not consider the physical environment for group storytelling or organise this well enough to limit distractions. At these times, some children find it hard to focus, hear and respond.
• Staff have clear focus and intent in the curriculum. They interact well with children and have a good awareness of their interests, of what they already know and can do and what they need to learn next. They plan for children's next steps well to help them achieve their individual goals. However, on occasion, during free play sessions, staff do not consistently interact with and extend the learning of the two-year-old children successfully. This means, at times, some children spend periods of time without high-quality interaction from adults and experience less variety in their play.
• Staff teach children about nature and living things. For example, children grow their own fruit and vegetables, which they enjoy tasting. Children are curious about worms and enjoy looking for their hiding places in the garden. Staff promote physical development and healthy lifestyles well and ensure children are active. They provide all children with a healthy breakfast at the start of the day to help ensure children have eaten well and are ready to learn.
• The pre-school has recently linked with an inner-city early years setting in the north of England so that children can widen their knowledge of diversity. This helps children learn about communities beyond their own.
• Staff morale is high. Staff have good professional development opportunities. Self-evaluation is effective. Parents and staff contribute their views and leaders continually strive to improve.
• Leaders and staff have undertaken safeguarding training to understand how to keep children safe. They demonstrate a good understanding of their safeguarding procedures and regularly share information with external agencies to promote the welfare of children in their care.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider the use of the physical environment for group storytelling to help all children fully participate, develop a love of literacy through books and enhance their listening and attention skills
• enhance staff's interactions during free play sessions to extend the learning of the two year olds and to help them to learn new things beyond what they already know.