Brierley Playmates Pre-School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this pleasant pre-school. Welcoming staff warmly greet the children as they enter the setting, eager to start their day. Children show how they feel safe as they settle quickly. They explore the activities on offer in the well organised and inviting environment.

Leaders have developed a curriculum that helps children to make good progress in their learning and development. The enthusiastic staff team plan a range of engaging activities and experiences, which the children thoroughly enjoy. For example, children use a range of brushes and rollers to paint a large cardboard box. Children explain that this will be the 'dragon's head' for their upcoming dragon dance. They talk about how they will perform this to celebrate Chinese New Year.

With staff encouragement, children learn important independence skills, which they practise frequently. For example, children serve their own snack, pour their own drinks and put on their own coats. Children behave well. They follow the group agreements that they decide on together and staff gently remind them of the rules. Children follow the well-embedded routines. For instance, when the bell rings, children quickly work together to tidy the room ready to go outside.

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

• Leaders have developed a strong curriculum. They talk confidently about what skills and knowledge they want children to learn. Leaders use weekly topics to offer new and interesting experiences and build on children's prior learning. For example, children learn about scientific concepts through melting ice eggs and making dough. Children have good opportunities to consolidate and secure their learning over time.
• Staff know children well. They use regular assessments of children's development to help them understand what children know and can do. Staff take steps to help children meet developmental milestones. For example, they put individual plans in place for children when they are at risk of falling behind. Staff also seek support from external agencies to best support children's individual needs. Children make timely progress from their starting points.
• Overall, children are motivated and engaged in their learning. However, some children who are new to the setting do not yet have a key person. This means that they have not developed a strong attachment with an adult. These children sometimes become unsettled throughout the session. Consequently, they do not always feel secure enough to fully engage in activities and benefit from all the learning opportunities available to them.
• Leaders recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on children's development, particularly their communication and language skills. They have put in place plans to help children close any gaps in their learning. For instance, children play 'sound bingo' to practise their listening skills. Staff use signs and actions with words to develop children's understanding skills and introduce key vocabulary booklets to help children learn new words.. This helps children to develop the early language skills they need to become effective communicators.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents speak positively about the setting and staff. They describe the setting as being 'like a family.' Staff hold regular parent consultations and offer advice to help parents support their children's learning at home. Parents believe that this has a significant, positive impact on their children's development.
• Staff model positive and respectful relationships. They use good manners and are consistent in their expectations of children. Staff encourage children to take turns and to manage minor conflicts independently when they arise. Democracy is promoted through a daily vote on which book will be read at story time. Children learn the skills that they need to become good citizens.
• Staff provide children with a range of challenging activities to promote their physical development. Children squeeze dough, use chopsticks to pick up grains of rice, balance on an obstacle course and negotiate spaces while riding on balance bikes. This helps them to develop the muscle strength in their hands and bodies, needed for future success.
• Staff promote children's learning and thinking skills well during group-time activities. They provide children with clear, developmentally appropriate information and ask open questions. Staff ask children for their ideas and to recall past experiences. However, at times, the group size is too big for all children to fully participate in discussions. This means that not all children benefit from the interactions and learning that takes place.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• assign a key person to new children in a timely way, especially those who struggle to settle and feel emotionally secure
• review the size of group-time activities to allow all children to participate and fully benefit from the good learning that takes place.