Bright Futures Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the pre-school with enthusiasm. They separate from parents with ease. Staff support children to settle well and place a strong emphasis on children's happiness and safety. For example, staff monitor the entrance on arrival and greet children and families warmly. Children understand rules and procedures. Staff encourage children to hang up their coats on entry to the pre-school and follow the setting's 'Golden Rules'. Children curiously explore the exciting resources and adult-led activities on offer, which staff have thoughtfully planned based on children's interests. For instance, children recently found a caterpillar outside. Staff cleverly incorporated the story of 'The Hungry Caterpillar' into their learning and helped children to grow butterflies from caterpillars. This ended with the butterflies being released back into nature. This helps to engage children and motivates them to learn.

Children have plenty of opportunities to freely access fresh air and exercise. They wait patiently and take turns to be spun around on the spinner by staff. Children are taught to manage risks when using the climbing frame and slide. Staff encourage children's imagination and creativity. For example, children enjoy making mud 'ice creams' and serve them to staff and friends. Children have good manners and behave well. For example, during ball games, children invite others to play and collect additional balls for their friends.

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

• Staff skilfully introduce children to a rich variety of language. They learn new words, such as 'cocoon' and 'antennae', during adult-led activities and repeat phrases during story time. Children benefit from singing lots of songs during group time. This helps to support further their skills in communication and language.
• The manager has worked hard to develop an ambitious curriculum and has developed an approach which centres on children's interests. Staff know children well. They know what they want children to learn and the progress they have made. However, although staff incorporate children's interests as a basis for the activities, they are occasionally unsure of how to extend an activity to enrich the learning and help children to develop a deeper understanding. This means that children do not always have secure knowledge of what has been taught.
• The manager and staff work in partnership with parents to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They make referrals to speech and language therapists and signpost parents to support from other professionals. Staff implement recommended strategies to support children at the setting. Consequently, children benefit from effective support tailored to their individual needs.
• Staff are good role models. They have established positive relationships with each other and children. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Staff teach children about celebrations, such as Christmas and Easter. Staff provide opportunities for children to gain a sense of community through sports day activities. However, there are fewer opportunities for them to gain an awareness of cultural diversity between themselves, the community and the wider world.
• Partnership with parents is good. Parents highly praise the dedicated team. They comment that they feel supported by staff and that children are 'happy, safe and make good progress'. The manager regularly invites parents to participate in pre-school celebrations. This helps parents to feel included in their children's experiences.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, children learn about good oral hygiene and discuss healthy and unhealthy foods during snack routines. Staff encourage children to wash and dry their hands before meals and to use tongs when selecting foods.
• Staff work in partnership with the schools that children will move on to. They provide schools with transition documents to share what children know and can do. Teachers visit the provision, which enables them to gain a holistic view of children. This provides continuity for children.
• Overall, the quality of education is good. Children have access to a rich variety of interesting resources and activities, which inspires them to be curious. Leaders establish what children know and can do when they start. They tailor children's learning to their ages and stages of development. However, staff do not always allow children time to process what is being asked before moving on to the next question. This means that children do not always have opportunities to share their thoughts.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff even further to strengthen the way in which they use opportunities during activities to extend and challenge children's learning and development, to raise their practice to the highest possible level
• build on opportunities for children to learn about differences in people and the community beyond their immediate experiences, to extend their understanding of the wider world
• extend the support for children to share their own knowledge, think their ideas through, and respond to questions they are asked, to maximise their learning.