Bouncy Bears Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate that they feel safe and are happy at the pre-school. They enter the main play area with confidence and enjoy a wide range of toys and activities readily available to them. Children have positive attitudes to their learning and demonstrate good curiosity and concentration as they play. For example, they use tools and cutters when exploring with the dough and pasta to help them create sculptures and use items for transporting. Children are developing some close friendships. They are seen to excitedly welcome each other as they enter the pre-school and are heard calling out their friend's names to get them to join in with their play. This shows that they enjoy each other's company.

Children benefit from an inclusive and fun curriculum, which is supportive of helping them achieve in their learning and development. Staff are on hand to support children and engage and play with them well, overall. Children enjoy being physically active. They have fun as they enthusiastically shake and play musical instruments during a singing session. Outside, the children show they enjoy taking risks as they negotiate steps to the climbing frames and use free space to run when playing a chase game. This helps develop children's muscles and coordination. Children's communication and language is well supported by staff, who read stories enchantingly to them during the session.

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

• Staff provide a welcoming and exciting learning environment. They have a good knowledge and understanding of the children's needs and what they want them to learn. Staff deliver the curriculum well. They support all children and provide good opportunities to help them move on and that will eventually enhance their future learning.
• The manager deploys the staff well and staff are good at giving children time to do things for themselves. For example, children choose what they would like to do and are given time to self-register, and independently take off and hang up their coats. This supports their independence skills.
• Children have good opportunities to develop their understanding of the wider world. For instance, staff take children out in the community to experience the world around them. Children benefit from outings, such as travelling on public transport, visiting the pet store and the local library, to help broaden their experiences.
• Staff are effective in supporting children's speaking and listening skills well, overall. For example, they provide a narrative of what the children are doing and tactfully correct mispronunciation. Children demonstrate that the staff are important to them as they interact with them and include them in their play. However, at times, staff do not give children enough time to think and respond to questions. This somewhat hinders children's ability to consider their thoughts and express their own ideas.
• Staff remind children of the boundaries that keep them safe, and children behave well. Children benefit from the praise and encouragement that they receive from the staff, which helps to support their self-confidence.
• Children follow and staff maintain good hygiene practices. The pre-school is safe and secure. Children enjoy social mealtimes, where staff are on hand to offer support and guidance, such as how to use the tongs to select the fruit they would like. Although staff provide nutritious snacks to children, they do not use opportunities to support children to see how healthy eating contributes to their overall health and fitness.
• Partnerships with parents are positive. Parents speak highly about their children's care. They comment that they receive consistent information and feedback about their children and that they are very happy with the care they receive. Partnerships with other professionals involved in children's care, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are well maintained.
• The management team support the staff well. Staff are well qualified and have regular team meetings, supervision, and good access to training to help advance their professional development. Recent training has included yoga and behaviour management techniques. This means staff are being supported to enhance their practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• create more opportunities to challenge children's thinking, and encourage them to solve problems and come up with their own ideas
• extend ways to help children understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.