Brant Broughton Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show they feel secure and happy to attend the pre-school as they smile as staff welcome them with a 'good morning'. Children understand what staff expect of them as they place their belongings safely on their pegs and in their boxes and enter the pre-school. Children develop a sense of self and begin to recognise letters. They find their name card with encouragement from staff and put it on the self-registration board.

Children develop social skills and learn to take turns. For example, they sit together with their legs outstretched and feet touching. Staff tell children when it is their turn to roll the balls to each other. Children point to their friends when it is their turn to make sure they are ready, then roll the ball to them. Children learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff remind children to put on safety helmets before they ride bicycles and scooters. Children notice when their friends fall over; they look up from what they are playing with and check if their friend is okay. Children develop care and empathy for others.

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

• Staff gather information from parents before children attend the pre-school. This information helps staff understand children's interests and identify any development needs that require meeting. Staff also use this information to work with other services, such as to support children's speech and language.
• Staff use what they know about children, such as their knowledge of child development and understanding of what they want children to learn, to plan the experiences they offer to them. For example, children are allocated 'jobs' by staff, such as lunchtime monitors. Children proudly position themselves to keep an eye on their friends lining up. They understand their role and enjoy the responsibility of saying when it is their friend's turn to wash their hands for lunch.
• Staff skilfully incorporate mathematics through everyday experiences. As children use diggers to move sand into containers, staff introduce language such as 'full' and 'empty'. Children are encouraged to count how many bottle tops they have. Children learn how to use mathematics purposefully. For example, they count how many pieces of fruit they have and staff discuss how many more they would need to have the same as their friends.
• Staff describe how to use small hand-held tools to develop children's hand and finger strength. Staff tell children to hold tweezers between their fingers and press them together firmly. Staff increase their support and model what to do. Children copy and learn to coordinate their hand movements and successfully pick up items with tweezers. Outside, staff encourage children to move their bodies to develop their upper and lower body strength. Staff show children how to climb onto tyres, and staff comment on where children need to put their hands and feet. Children giggle and clap as they learn to reach across and jump to the next tyre.
• Managers prioritise staff well-being. Staff feel valued and appreciated by managers. They feel confident to speak to the managers and regularly reflect together to improve their skills and knowledge. Staff participate in training. For example, how to use communication assessment tools, which has helped them to identify specific areas of focus to support children's language development. Staff take great pride in their job and enjoy helping children grow and develop. They work well together as a team and this creates a warm and comfortable environment for children to learn in.
• Parents comment on the time staff take to get to know their children and the daily feedback staff provide, which enables them to work closely to support their child's development. For example, staff provide books to take home to support children's communication. Parents say staff are approachable, this supports them to talk to staff about their personal circumstances. Because of this, staff have offered support and this has had a positive impact on their family.
• Staff engage with children within activities that they set up. They ensure children acquire the knowledge and skills they plan and skilfully extend children's knowledge or skills within these interactions. However, on occasions, when quieter children go to play with items of their choice, staff do not engage them as consistently as they do during planned activities. Therefore, quieter children do not fully benefit from the high-quality interaction their more confident peers receive.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the consistency of staff interactions to ensure quieter children experience the same high-quality interactions as confident children.