Bradworthy Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at the pre-school. They are motivated to learn and persist with activities they enjoy. Staff provide children with a challenging and enjoyable curriculum. Children develop control and coordination using their hands and learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, with support from staff, they learn to use a hammer with care to drive nails into wood. When their confidence increases and they begin to demonstrate skill using a hammer, staff teach them to use a screwdriver. Children concentrate well on these activities and return to them throughout the day.

Children develop an early love of books. They pay close attention when staff read to them and eagerly request that staff read another story as soon as they have finished one. Staff skilfully challenge them to recall stories and pre-school children excitedly call out what they remember and share their thoughts and ideas.

Children arrive calmly and cheerfully, showing a strong sense of security, and are greeted enthusiastically by the warm and caring staff. Children listen to staff and follow instructions well, such as hurrying excitedly to join in with group activities when staff call them.

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

• The manager has made significant improvements since the last inspection. She has strengthened her own knowledge of the curriculum and supported staff to ensure they all work together to plan ambitious learning experiences for children. Children make good progress in preparation for later learning, including school. The manager has also taken appropriate action to improve safeguarding arrangements and ensure staff establish ongoing links with other settings attended by children.
• The key-person system is effective. Staff are patient and sensitive, which helps quieter and shy children to settle in at their own pace. Children demonstrate high levels of self-confidence, such as when assuring staff that they can lift a heavy hammer by saying, 'it's okay, I'm strong'. Staff know the children well, assess their learning accurately and plan learning experiences that interest and engage children. At times, staff do not support and interact with the younger children as effectively as they could to extend their learning and encourage them to speak more frequently.
• The manager monitors staff's practice accurately and provides support and coaching to develop their skills successfully. She has strengthened their knowledge of how to extend children's communication and language. Staff use a broad vocabulary when speaking with children to teach them new words. For example, as children use play dough imaginatively to make chocolates and sweets, staff narrate what they are doing using words, such as smaller, squash, roll and flatten. Staff routinely repeat what children say to model sounds and sentences correctly, such as acknowledging 'yes, that is bigger' when children say 'more bigger'. Children communicate confidently and acquire good language skills.
• The manager and staff have developed strategies to support families who are facing additional pressures as a result of COVID-19. They have created a library to encourage parents to take books home to read with children. Parents are highly complimentary about their relationships with the team and comment that their children are always excited to attend. However, staff do not provide parents with detailed information to help them to build more specifically on children's next steps in learning at home.
• Staff support children effectively to understand the routines and expectations for their behaviour. For example, they inform children that it will soon be time to tidy up to give children time to finish their play in their own way before starting another activity. Children get along well and play cooperatively together.
• Staff routinely encourage children to take responsibility for their own self-care, to develop their independence. Children learn to wipe their nose, put on their coat and to wash and dry their hands. When children fall over, they immediately consider whether they are hurt and confidently announce 'I'm okay' before getting back up.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more support for the younger children to help engage them in their activities more fully and develop their speaking skills further
• share more detailed information with parents about the skills and knowledge their children need to learn next and support them to extend children's learning at home.