Bolney Under Fives Pre-School Group

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited to arrive at the pre-school. Staff give a friendly and warm greeting as the children say goodbye to parents and run towards their friends who have been waiting for them. Children settle in well and develop trusting relationships with their key person and other staff. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging as they move confidently around the pre-school, seeking out a visitor to the setting and inviting her to play with them.

Staff have a deep understanding of children's needs and unique capabilities. They provide an ambitious curriculum that builds on children's existing knowledge and current interests. This ensures that children remain highly motivated in their learning, it strengthens their knowledge and enables them to make progress from their starting points. This includes those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff teach children about the rules in the nursery, which include walking indoors, taking turns and listening to what others have to say. They model respect and kindness which helps children to gain a good understanding of the importance of being kind and respectful to others. Children are confident, including the younger children. They select activities and resources independently and follow their own ideas in play.

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

• Children with SEND are well supported. Staff recognise the importance of working with parents and a range of external professionals. There are individualised programmes in place to meet the needs of children with SEND. As a result, children who need additional support make progress alongside their friends and are prepared for future learning.
• Generally, the organisation of routines works well, which helps children to understand what is happening next. However, there are times when the youngest children wait for prolonged periods of time to engage in other activities. For example, staff do not recognise when children have finished at an activity and become restless or and disengaged. This impacts on children's motivation and enjoyment as they wait to move onto the next activity.
• Overall, staff give careful consideration to further extend children's vocabulary, speech and language development. They engage children in discussions, use books and rhymes and promote a language rich environment. However, there are times when some staff do not fully extend younger children's communication skills. This means children do not receive consistent exposure to familiar words or new vocabulary. Despite this, younger children's enjoyment and engagement during activities is high.
• Staff plan a range of enjoyable and stimulating activities which meet the ages and stages of development of all children. For example, staff plan a malleable dough activity to music. Children are encouraged to sing along and use the muscles in their hands and fingers to push and press the dough into shape. This effectively supports the strengthening of muscles that later on are used for writing. Children demonstrate their delight as the sound of laughter echoes throughout the pre-school. They shout, 'Oh can we do that again?!'
• The staff team report high levels of well-being. They are encouraged to train further which positively impacts the children they care for. Families are encouraged to engage well with the local community. For example, children, staff and parents are invited to several well-organised fundraising events for the pre-school. Parents provide strong positive feedback on how well the pre-school is led, stating that staff 'go above and beyond'.
• Staff are committed to keeping children safe. They understand the importance of empowering children to take some responsibility for their own safety. Staff use resources, such as books, to have mature discussions about the parts of the body which are private. Consequently, children begin to develop an understanding of body autonomy in a age-appropriate and sensitive way.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the organisation of some routines so that children remain engaged and focused in their learning
• develop staff's understanding of how to adapt interactions to support younger children's vocabulary and acquisition of new words.