Brighstone Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff welcome children and their families as they arrive at this welcoming setting. Children are ready to start their day and confidently say goodbye to their parents. They independently find their name on the self-registration board and put away their belongings. Staff build strong bonds with their key children and know them well. Staff are kind and attentive, which helps all children, including babies, to settle well and feel safe and secure. Staff are good role models and teach children how to be considerate and polite, such as waiting their turn for resources and using good manners. This helps children to behave well and develop respectful friendships.

Staff plan a range of activities and experiences to support children's interests and learning. Children are excited to join in with activities with enthusiasm. For instance, babies delight in banging and shaking tambourines with staff, exploring the different sounds they make. Toddlers enjoy singing familiar nursery rhymes and know the actions to the songs. Older children use pens and scissors with great skill and control, cutting out various shapes to create pictures. Staff adapt activities to take account of the age and abilities of the children taking part. This supports all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good progress.

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

• The provider and staff have worked hard to successfully address the actions raised at the last inspection. For example, recent changes to the leadership team have improved the overseeing of the day-to-day management of the provision. As a result, staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. In addition, staff benefit from regular supervision sessions and training to support their ongoing professional development. For instance, those working with babies receive dedicated training that specifically relates to that age group. The team works well together and is passionate about providing high-quality care and education for children.
• The provider has worked with the local authority to devise a well-sequenced curriculum, which all staff have been involved in. This has helped staff to have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn. Staff carefully plan activities and experiences that support the areas of learning, which they adapt to the age and stage of individual children. This supports children to develop a good range of skills to support their future learning and make good progress.
• Staff are kind and considerate of children. For example, staff recognise when children need reassurance and provide caring support. Staff have recently designed a 'calming corner' for children to go to if they need quiet time to reflect on their feelings. Staff use books and props to help children name the emotions they are experiencing. This supports children to express their feelings and regulate their behaviour effectively.
• Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. For instance, babies develop their core strength as they pull themselves up on low-level furniture. Toddlers use a range of tools to scoop sand into small containers, helping to strengthen their small hand muscles. Older children learn how to balance, climb and control their bodies as they move along balancing beams and climbing frames.
• Overall, staff manage daily routines well to support children's learning. For instance, children enjoy small-group times where they sing songs and read stories before the next part of their day. However, at times, some transitions are not as well organised. For example, when children are preparing to go outside, some staff do not deploy themselves to support children effectively. This results in some children becoming slightly unsettled and disengaged as they wait.
• Staff support children's communication, language and literacy development well. They introduce lots of new vocabulary in activities and engage children in back- and-forth conversations. Children gain a love of books from a young age. For example, babies and toddlers sit with nurturing staff and talk about what they see. They excitedly lift the flaps to see which animal is underneath. Staff read stories with plenty of enthusiasm to older children, who have immense fun as they re-enact the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Children develop their communication and imagination as they pretend to walk through the 'long, wavy grass'. Staff extend this by taking children on trips to the library to choose new books of interest.
• Overall, there are good relationships between staff and parents. Staff share information about children's progress through regular discussions and an online platform. However, a clear two-way flow of information with parents to support them to continue their children's learning at home is not yet fully embedded.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of daily routines and staff deployment to support children effectively as they wait
• build on the communication and support for parents to continue their child's learning at home.