Brayton Headstart Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter this extremely welcoming pre-school in the morning, full of enthusiasm and anticipation about the day ahead. The exceptional staff team create a nurturing and inclusive environment for children. Children feel safe and form secure attachments with the inspirational staff who promote a strong sense of belonging to each child. This helps children to settle quickly and with ease.

Children are eager to play and highly motivated to learn. The highly dedicated leaders and passionate staff team carefully plan and implement a superbly ambitious curriculum. Children experience a varied range of exciting, fun and innovative activities tailored to their individual learning needs and interests. For example, children strengthen their core muscles, balance and coordination as they engage in regular yoga sessions. Children flourish in this highly engaging pre-school.

Children demonstrate superb behaviour and have a deep understanding of the rules and expectations. They share, take turns, play collaboratively and listen to their peers and staff. Staff act as excellent role models and have high expectations for children's behaviour. They speak to children in a respectful and gentle manner. Children display impressive levels of confidence as they interact positively with visitors and invite them to join their play.

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

• Staff show an impressive knowledge of child development and what they want children to learn. They make regular and precise assessments of what children know and can do to identify what they need to learn next. Staff carefully consider how they develop the environment to support and sequence children's learning. For example, children learn about sea animals as they play with water. Staff extend learning and teach children about aquariums in an age-appropriate way. This helps to shape children's learning and prepare them well for their next stage and eventual move to school.
• Staff provide children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with a highly inclusive learning environment. Leaders are experienced and passionate about their role. Early intervention, targeted strategies and partnership work with other professionals ensure that there is a joint approach to supporting children's development. A recently developed sensory area provides children with a calm and nurturing space. Children with SEND make excellent progress.
• Partnership with parents is a strength of the pre-school. Parents say that staff are extremely caring and nurturing, which enables their children to flourish. Staff share lots of information about children's progress. For instance, through daily conversations, online photos, stay and play sessions and termly assessment reports. Staff provide support and advice for parents to enhance and continue their children's learning at home.
• Staff place a strong focus on supporting children to develop excellent communication and language skills. They ensure children are immersed in a consistent language-rich environment and encourage them to express their own thoughts and ideas. Staff make wonderful use of group time to challenge children's imagination through skilful questioning. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well. Staff use strategies, including Makaton, body language and facial expressions to understand each child's cues to communicate their needs and wants.
• Staff place an exceptional focus on promoting children's early mathematical skills. They weave number and mathematical thinking throughout all interactions with children. For instance, staff play a card game with the children using giant cards. They use mathematical language such as 'higher' and 'lower' as they turn each card over and encourage the children to guess. This sparks children's excitement and fosters their early mathematical and problem-solving skills.
• Staff encourage children to develop active and healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from lots of outdoor learning and physical play. They have regular opportunities to run, climb and balance in the outdoor area. Children bring their own packed lunches and staff offer guidance to families in how to provide healthy and nutritious food for them to eat. Leaders share oral health information with parents and encourage them to register with a dentist.
• Leadership and management are excellent. Leaders are passionate about the pre-school and strive to provide the very best for children. Staff morale is exceptionally high and they feel very well supported. Leaders are extremely proactive and hold frequent meetings with staff to discuss their professional development and best practice. Tailored training is exceptional and enhances the learning experience for all children. For example, autism training has enhanced staff knowledge and enabled them to support SEND children to access the pre-school.
• Staff value and respect children's views and ensure that they have a strong voice within the pre-school. They support children to learn about democracy and contribute their ideas. For example, children take pride in being part of the children's council and suggest changes they want in their environment and new resources. This supports children to feel valued and empowered.