Bledlow Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident. They settle well and separate from their parents positively in this nurturing and exciting pre-school. Children thrive due to staff's high expectations for their learning and personal development. Staff plan an ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum. Children learn through a balance of adult-led activities and child-initiated play. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress. They are also ready for what comes next in their learning.

Children are curious and excited to learn. For instance, they are eager to explore the animals frozen in ice. They carefully use tools to free them and then talk about their discoveries and how the ice feels. Children behave extremely well. Staff support them to take turns and negotiate with their friends as they play. They also remind children of the expectations and reasons for good behaviour, such as the need to walk inside to remain safe. Children develop positive independence skills and can do things for themselves. They learn to manage their own hygiene in order to promote their good health. Staff help children to thoroughly wash their hands, blow their noses and throw away the tissues. Children understand that this is to minimise the risk of germs.

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

• Leadership and management is strong. The manager and committee work hard to make improvements in the setting. This helps them to develop an understanding of their different roles and responsibilities. The manager has sought effective support from the local authority team to ensure she is able to provide a high-quality provision. This helps them to meet children's needs and support their well-being effectively.
• Overall, staff promote children's communication skills well. They always speak clearly and pronounce new words carefully. Staff use a range of strategies, such as modelling language, to support children's pronunciation and speech. However, when staff ask children questions, they do not always give them time to think and respond. At times, they are too quick to provide an answer themselves or move on. This does not ensure that children have time to process new information and strengthen their knowledge.
• Staff know the children well. They gather a range of information from parents before children start. This supports them to consider children's needs and interests when they plan learning opportunities. Staff provide whole-group activities for children to participate in. Older children show focus and engage well at these times. However, some of the younger children struggle to concentrate and remain fully engaged. As a result, they begin to show a little frustration.
• Children's early mathematics skills are developing well. They can recognise numerals throughout the environment. Staff support children to learn the names of the numbers and to start counting effectively as they play. For instance, they count their friends when they arrive and the dots on dice in small groups. Children also use tape measures to determine how tall the towers are that they have made.
• Children learn about the world around them, linked to their interests and experiences at home. For example, staff plan an activity related to construction and building houses. Children extend their learning from the story of the 'Three Little Pigs' when considering how to build their own structures.
• Parents say that the staff at the setting support them and their children well. Staff keep parents informed about children's learning and progress. Parents share their delight that staff use interventions to support children who need a little more help. Staff encourage children to develop a love of books and reading. This means children are keen to share their favourite stories, songs and rhymes with their families at home.
• Children learn about healthy choices and lifestyles. They have the opportunity to be physical and delight in being able to explore the large garden. Children use their feet to propel bikes and they understand the need to wear a helmet to keep themselves safe. Staff provide resources, such as books and models, to help children understand about good oral health. Additionally, this supports children to view visiting the dentist as a positive experience.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff continually give children enough time to think and respond to any questions they ask, to allow them to develop their thoughts and ideas further
• review and strengthen the organisation of large-group times so that all children remain fully focused and engaged.