Brize Norton Village Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have a strong awareness of being independent and a determination to learn new skills to help themselves. They confidently ask for help when they are unsure about their own competencies. Staff support this well by encouraging children to listen carefully to instructions and follow demonstrations. This helps to support the skills they need in readiness for school. For example, they put on shoes themselves and learn to cut out their chosen complex shapes in craft activities to match their own designs.

Children are eager to learn and are constantly asking questions, showing an interest in gaining new information, especially about the world around them. They show curiosity through all their learning experiences. Staff use simple explanations and use different resources to help children find out information. Children openly share their new knowledge with others, showing a clear understanding of how and why things happen.

Children make close and secure friendships. They learn to work as a team, helping each other and supporting each other's learning. Staff act as extremely positive role models, working closely together and supporting each other in their roles. This helps children to see how supportive they can be in their play. Staff use their knowledge of children's social skills well, to support further friendships and develop children's confidence to develop relationships with others.

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

• Staff use a specific language development programme to evaluate children's communication. Children sign on a daily basis to complement other forms of communication. Staff introduce this to support children's confidence to express their needs and feelings. Children continuously increase their vocabulary. Staff introduce new words to develop speech and understanding. Children practise the new words, such as 'construction', 'stronger', 'ramps', and 'building', during their play.
• Staff provide a very positive experience for children's learning in the outdoor environment. They experiment with their senses. In the allotment, children use pestle and mortars to grind herbs to smell and feel the texture of the mixture. They grow vegetables and fruit from seed, learning about the cycle of growth. They complete this by picking, cooking and eating their produce. They develop skills they learn from watching others to carry out independent tasks. For example, young children use the water butts to fill up watering cans themselves, to water the growing plants. Children explore the sand with bare feet, feeling it between their toes and fingers.
• Staff have a very clear understanding of children's progress. Staff know what interests them and what they want them to learn next. Staff recognise where children like to play and how they prefer to explore and experiment. Staff liaise with the local primary school to support those who are transitioning there to understand about the next place for their learning. However, children do not receive a consistent approach to help them to identify the next stages in their learning experiences. For example, when children observe the tadpoles at the allotment, staff do not actively support children's immediate curiosity as to what happens next to the tadpoles. In addition, some children are not helped to be familiar with their next learning environments, such as the school they are going to.
• Children behave well. They learn to share and cooperate in their play, taking turns and sharing equipment. They are happy, content and feel secure in their play environments. Young children take comfort from familiar staff who know their families well, providing comfort and reassurance when children settle.
• Parents make very positive comments about their children's learning and care. They appreciate the staff, who work tirelessly to support children's development. Parents receive a good range of information about events, experiences and learning opportunities. Staff share activities to help support children's learning at home. However, staff do not provide consistent information as to how these activities fully support individual children's learning.
• Staff have close links with other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work alongside parents to provide a cohesive approach to children's healthcare needs. Children experience an inclusive environment, which supports their needs and adapted situations to help children feel completely involved in all learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve teaching experiences to help children learn the sequence of events and what happens next more clearly
• support parents to help them extend children's learning at home.