Blean Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the pre-school with great enthusiasm, eager and confident to explore the exciting activities prepared by the highly skilled and competent staff, both indoors and outdoors. They enjoy a fully embedded routine that enhances their independence. For instance, on arrival, children take off their shoes and put on indoor slippers, either independently or with support from staff. The routine is so well established that children know either to change into their shoes or seek support from an adult when going outdoors.

All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a well-sequenced curriculum. Staff consider the children's needs and interests when planning activities. This enables children to make good progress. For example, children spend time exploring and talking about snails they find in the garden. Staff extend this interest by incorporating activities that feature the different components of snails into various areas in the pre-school. Children have opportunities to create snail-related drawings and engage in mark-making activities throughout the pre-school. They make imaginary spiral shapes in the space and use shaving foam, water and brushes to make marks. These activities enhance children's engagement and support their early writing skills.

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

• Leaders and staff have an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that considers the needs and interests of the children. They provide a wide range of activities that offer children opportunities to learn and develop. For instance, children spend extended periods exploring an activity sorting coloured balls in a tray. They use grabbers to pick up the coloured balls and drop them into matching bowls. This activity supports colour recognition and enhances children's fine motor skills.
• Staff provide children with opportunities to think critically and develop their problem-solving skills. For instance, while children transport coloured balls into matching coloured bowls, staff ask questions to support and extend their learning. They encourage children to count how many balls they have and to work out if they can fit any more in.
• Staff consistently create awareness of how children can keep themselves safe both in and beyond the pre-school. Children confidently respond that they 'need the hat on' when staff ask them what they need to put on when the weather is very hot. This ensures that children can safely access various activities, indoors and outdoors, throughout the day.
• Staff use various opportunities to extend children's learning. For instance, they offer suggestions to children when they are making a design with blocks, introducing words such as a 'beak'. However, at times, staff do not recognise opportunities to encourage two-way conversations and extend children's language skills further.
• Children are mostly well engaged. They settle well into the pre-school. They form secure bonds with their key persons and other staff. Children enjoy activities such as reading sessions to help prepare them for going to school. Most children sit for extended periods while listening to books being read in an engaging manner by adults. However, staff do not always adapt these sessions successfully to meet individual needs and encourage full engagement from all children. On occasion, some children lose interest and so do not benefit from the intended learning.
• Staff are skilful at managing children's behaviour, using every opportunity to model respect for each other and the natural world. They talk to the children about being kind to their friends and respecting what they find in the garden, such as snails, ants and spiders. This fosters a caring culture among all the children.
• All parents speak highly of the skill of the staff at the pre-school. Parents express the support staff give them, such as adapting settling-in sessions to meet the unique needs of children and their parents. This supports easier transitions for children, both new starters and pre-school leavers.
• Leaders work closely with other professionals. For example, they liaise with primary schools to arrange settling sessions for children, when necessary. This gives all children, including children with SEND, a smooth and successful transition.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's skills and understanding of when and how to further extend children's communication skills
• review and adapt the organisation of group sessions to meet children's individual needs and encourage full engagement from all children.