Brookside Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The pre-school is inclusive. Staff understand each child's background and needs and support them to be included. For example, children learn signs that they use alongside language. This helps children to learn how to communicate in a range of different ways. Staff create a welcoming environment for children. When children arrive at the pre-school, they are greeted warmly and change into slippers. This helps them to feel happy and comfortable throughout the day. Children competently manage their own care needs. For example, they look in the mirror while wiping their nose and then wash their hands afterwards. This helps children to develop their independence skills.

Staff have high expectations of children and implement measures to help them understand what is going to happen. They use pictures to show children what is happening now and what will happen next, and they ring a bell to give children notice that a change in the routine will take place soon. This supports children to understand what is expected of them, which aids their good behaviour. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. They are eager to join in with ballet, where they carefully follow instructions and concentrate on how to move their bodies. This helps to support children's physical development.

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

• The manager is passionate and committed. She works with a knowledgeable staff team. Together, they create clear intentions about what they want children to learn. The manager and staff implement a varied curriculum that gives children good opportunities for learning in all areas. This helps children to make consistently good progress in their learning and development.
• Staff participate in training and development opportunities. They are supported by a range of external organisations to help them reflect on and improve their practice. For example, speech and language therapists have helped them to develop strategies to improve children's listening and understanding skills. This supports all children's communication and language development.
• Children have a wealth of opportunities that help them to learn about the world around them. For instance, they grow fruit and vegetables in the allotment and go on nature walks in the woods. This helps children to learn about how to care for things in the natural world.
• Partnerships with parents are very strong. The pre-school is run by a parent committee that helps to shape the service offered to children and their families. Parents stay in the pre-school and play with the children, build relationships with staff and talk about how children learn and develop. This helps to create consistency for children in meeting their care and learning needs.
• Staff use many different situations to talk to children and extend their understanding. For example, they talk about spiky holly leaves and nocturnal animals. However, staff do not consistently use interactions to further extend opportunities where children can think critically for themselves. This means that children do not always explore their own ideas considering the range of possible solutions.
• Staff purposefully plan activities that help children to develop their social skills. For example, children work together to find items in the woods that are stripy or spiky. This helps children to explore the environment while interacting with others. Children are building relationships with others.
• Children's voices are important and staff value their opinions. For example, children vote on the story they would like to listen to after lunch, and the good range of books available teaches children about how everybody is different. This helps children to have a good sense of belonging and to recognise similarities and differences that distinguish them from others.
• The curriculum for physical development is effective in supporting children to develop their skills in moving and handling. For example, children engage in dance activities, where they pretend to be creatures and run fast on the spot and jump up and down. This supports children to have confidence in their bodies as they move in a range of ways.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend the opportunities available for children where they can explore their own ideas considering the range of possible solutions.