Bubbles Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

In this highly inclusive environment, children are provided with exceptional care and education. Every child is valued and recognised. The manager and staff dedicate themselves to understanding the needs of each individual child. They plan, review, and assess children's progress effectively to provide challenge and have high expectation for what they believe all children can achieve.

The manager and staff work together to create a curriculum that is flawlessly sequenced and focused. The emphasis is placed on meaningful interactions between staff and children to enhance children's communication and language skills as well as their personal, social, and emotional development.

The children show great joy and excitement as staff welcome them with warm smiles and conversation about their plans for the day. Children settle quickly into their chosen activities. Staff are highly skilful in engaging and including children in planning activities. They talk with children about their interests and likes and bring together a range of challenging and interesting activities that children are excited to participate in. Children express their ideas and suggestions for activities and share how they can build on their ideas. Children build high levels of self confidence in developing their own ideas and leading their own play.

Staff develop excellent relationships with the children. They build strong bonds with the children based on mutual respect and consideration of others. Children behave exceptionally well and show positive attitudes to their learning. Staff engage with children and set excellent example of how to engage with their friends and adults who care for them. Children are quick to negotiate and compromise when wanting the same toy. They talk about taking turns and waiting for their friend to finish playing before they take their turn. They follow through with their compromise and both children play with their favourite toy.

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

• The manager goes above and beyond the expected. She is highly successful at giving children rich learning experiences that promotes their understanding and respect for others. She considers lived experiences to extend and challenge their skills and knowledge. Staff skilfully build on children's next steps to help them gain a deep understanding of the world around them and promote their sense of belonging within the community they live. Children visit the local residential home for the elderly where they engage in play and hold meaningful conversation and interactions with the residents. Children and adults build relationships that are caring and understanding of each other. Children are excited to share their time and learn new skills from the adults they visit.
• Children have a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Staff present information clearly to children. They engage and encourage discussion that is age and stage appropriate about what it is they are teaching the children. They communicate well to check children's understanding and talk about previous learning to build on children's next steps. They are consistent in their approach and adapt their teaching to meet the learning and development stages of individual children. For example, staff ask meaningful questions to develop children thinking skills to problem solve how to choose an appropriate item to use as a step to reach an activity.
• The manager and staff know the children exceptionally well. They ensure that they provide individualised support and guidance to each of the children. They know and understand the family dynamics at home. Staff provide support in how parents can help their children learning at home. Children play an active role also in sharing their learning at home. They create their own games with parents that reflect their time at pre-school. Parents and staff openly share activities children have enjoyed and how these are continued in the home.
• Children show consistently high levels of respect for each other and are socially confident. They demonstrate extremely positive behaviours and attitudes to their learning. Children understand the rules and expectations of their behaviour exceptionally well. This is modelled by staff in how they interact and engage positively with the children. Children know and understand how their actions have an impact on others. As a result children are caring and mindful of each other and work together well in their play and learning. They are highly motivated and are very eager to join in, share and cooperate with each other. Children demonstrate high levels of self-control and resilience to keep on trying. When children do struggle the staff team are quick to support them. Staff support and guide children in resolving small disagreements for themselves.
• Staff expertly support the communication and language development of the children they care for. They speak clearly and model a wide and rich vocabulary. Staff enthusiastically read books that link to what they are teaching and this helps children to develop a love for reading and also a deeper understanding of what is being taught.
• The manager provides excellent support, training and coaching for staff. She has developed a highly individual and effective programme of training for professional development. Staff have developed their expertise and skills in areas of particular interest. This help ensure that the provision continually improves and maintains their high quality of care and education.