Broome and Ditchingham Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop high levels of confidence and thoroughly enjoy attending the inclusive pre-school. Staff get to know children before they start through a thorough settling-in process. They collect in-depth information from parents and from observing children at stay-and-play sessions. Staff use this information effectively to plan exciting activities. They consider children's interests and meet their learning needs well. Consequently, children are motivated, happy learners, who make good progress from their starting points. Staff understand what children need to learn next. They provide engaging learning experiences based around seasonal themes and books that ignite curiosity, wonder and a love of reading. Children also benefit from choosing books from a mobile library.

Staff are extremely caring and attentive to children's needs. For example, children demonstrate increasing confidence in their independence skills by pouring their own drink at snack time. This is because staff sit next to them and offer an appropriate level of support. Children beam with pride when staff praise them for their positive attitudes towards learning a new skill and for their efforts. This gives children the motivation to learn more and increases their self-confidence.

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

• Staff are clear about what they want children to learn. They use this knowledge to plan interesting and thought-provoking activities. For example, during an activity to promote healthy eating, children learn to cut apples safely and taste different varieties of apples. Children develop their speech and language as they share their thoughts and recall words they have learned, such as 'core' and 'stalk'. Staff instigate discussions with children about foods that are healthy. As a result, children begin to form healthy habits for life when they begin to ask for more fruit to try.
• Staff use assessment to inform targeted teaching, which supports children's development well. Leaders and staff work with parents and other professionals, such as speech and language therapists. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good progress and achieve positive outcomes.
• Children become deeply engrossed in their play and develop their attention skills in preparation for their move on to school. Outdoor learning is prioritised, and children enjoy the freedom of continual access to outdoor play. Children learn about the world around them as they find bugs in the wildlife garden. They practise their counting skills as they count how many legs a beetle has. However, staff do not always identify times in children's play when they could extend their learning further. This means that children are not consistently provided with opportunities to maximise their learning outcomes.
• Generally, staff support children to follow good hygiene practices. Older children independently wash their hands after using the toilet. However, at times staff do not give children consistent messages about hygiene. For example, although staff teach children to wash their hands before meals, they do not fully explain why this should be immediately before sitting down to eat to help prevent the spread of germs.
• Leaders support staff's professional development and well-being. Staff enjoy the training opportunities offered to them and explain how training supports their own areas of interest. They laugh alongside children, demonstrating that they enjoy their roles. Morale is high and children benefit from their enthusiasm.
• Children begin to understand the needs of others. For instance, they use timers in their play and are mindful of their friends waiting to take a turn. Staff model fair and appropriate ways to manage friendships and frustrations. They give meaningful praise for children's positive actions. As a result, children develop their abilities to build friendships and solve problems independently.
• Partnerships with parents are excellent. Leaders and staff provide parents with an abundance of support and guidance. For example, staff refer parents to other services and professionals for further support. Parents appreciate thorough daily communication and guidance on how to further support their children's progress at home. This promotes consistency in children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to enhance interactions with children to challenge and extend their learning even further
• reinforce children's growing awareness of the importance of good hygiene practices more consistently.