Broadhill Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy and settled. They delight in the warm welcome they receive from staff. Children come in confidently, making careful choices about what they would like to do. They find the activities on offer attractive and fascinating. This helps them settle quickly to meaningful play. Their interest and concentration is maintained because staff are very skilled at joining in their play and moulding this play into meaningful learning. They do this without in any way interrupting children's fun.

Children benefit from a carefully planned curriculum, with a strong and successfully delivered focus on developing their speaking and listening skills. Children hear rich and relevant language throughout the day, clearly modelled by staff who adapt their interactions with each child to meet their individual stage of development. This good quality teaching results in children who are developing well into confident communicators. Over time, children learn and use lots of new words and phrases. Alongside this, children also have ample opportunities to develop across all areas of learning.

Children behave very well. They receive clear and consistent messages about acceptable behaviour. They respond by cooperating quickly with requests from staff and showing care and consideration towards each other. This all adds to the happy, calm and productive atmosphere at pre-school.

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

• Children with additional needs and/or disabilities make very good progress. Managers ensure additional funding is used effectively to help children enjoy pre-school, join in with their friends and benefit from the wide range of learning opportunities on offer. Staff who provide specific support for specific children have the skills and knowledge they need to do so very effectively.
• Managers ensure all staff have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn next. This helps ensure there is a consistent focus from staff on the concepts, skills and ideas they are teaching children. For example, all staff understand the specific mathematical skills they are wanting children to learn next.
• The carefully planned learning environment helps children develop well into curious and independent learners. This is especially evident when children are learning outside. For example, children work together for prolonged periods to use resources to build a pretend fire station. Staff make good choices about when to stand back and when to join in. They allow children to work things out for themselves , but remain nearby to introduce new words that will help children further extend their game.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are offered a warm welcome and receive effective support to learn words in English. Some children also have opportunities to hear and use their home language to ensure they feel included and valued. However, these opportunities are not consistent for all children.
• Overall, staff offer resources that are highly inviting. Occasionally, resources are not as closely matched to the developmental stages of children. This leads to some occasions when it is harder to engage some children in more focused learning.
• Staff use the key-person system very effectively to help children feel safe and secure. Care needs are met by consistent staff, who meet these needs with dignity and respect. Staff are deployed well to ensure key persons can spend time helping children new to pre-school to settle. The effectiveness of these arrangements is seen in the warm relationships between children and key staff.
• Children are strongly encouraged and supported to follow an active lifestyle. Staff ensure that outside there is plenty of space to run and play energetically. They are very good role models, joining in children's chasing games and showing how much they enjoy being outside in the fresh air. This good practice supports children's health and well-being very effectively.
• Parents speak very highly of the staff and their children's experience of pre-school. Staff use these positive partnerships well to support further learning at home. For example, parents and children make regular use of the 'borrow a book for bedtime' scheme.
• The joint managers form a very effective team. Staff report they feel valued and supported. Staff have access to training that helps them build further on their existing good skills. For example, staff now feel more confident to support children to regulate their own behaviour and to deliver high-quality story times.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and refine the use of some resources, to ensure they are used to the very best effect to support the identified learning aims
• enhance opportunities for children who speak English as an additional language to hear and use their home language at pre-school, to further support their well-being and overall language development.