Burford Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted by staff with enthusiasm as they arrive, and staff take a genuine interest in the children and their families. Staff create a safe and nurturing environment where children are happy to explore and have fun. Effective key-person arrangements ensure that children receive personalised support. Children show growing confidence as they invite visitors to join in with their play. They feel emotionally safe and secure. Overall, children behave well.

Staff make sure that reading books are an important part of the daily routine. Children listen to stories enthusiastically and recognise the familiar lines when staff read with them. Children act out actions to a favourite story and build on prior knowledge. For example, when reading a book about a bear hunt, children talk about polar bears. Staff discuss with children where polar bears live in comparison to the bear in the book. This promotes children's development of a love of books and literacy, as well as an understanding of the world.

Children's physical development is promoted well. Children have opportunities to climb, balance and run freely in the outdoor area. This helps to develop children's large-muscle movements. Inside, children have opportunities to practise their fine motor skills. For example, older children design their pirate treasure maps and some children are able to write and recognise letters in their names. All children enjoy kneading the dough and making pretend cupcakes. This supports early writing skills in preparation for the eventual move to school.

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

• Leaders provide effective support for their newly established staff team. They encourage staff to continually build on their skills and knowledge, such as through training. Staff report high levels of well-being and enjoyment in their roles. Leaders are dedicated and strive for continual improvement.
• Although leaders have a clear vision for the intent of their curriculum, during adult-led activities, staff do not implement this as successfully as they could. For example, staff do not fully consider how to make the best use of the environment they have created. For instance, staff plan enjoyable experiences, such as construction, sand and water activities. However, children do not always participate in purposeful learning as staff do not always engage children with the planned learning activities on offer.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make good progress. Leaders are good role models and support staff to plan and implement effective intervention activities that target children's individual needs. Staff work effectively in partnership with external agencies and professionals, which helps children to get the support they need to thrive. Any additional funding the pre-school receives is used to support children's individual needs.
• Children are motivated to explore and investigate and, overall, show good levels of curiosity and concentration. However, sometimes, during group activities, some children find it difficult to maintain their interest. The organisation of these activities does not consistently support the different ages and needs of children at these times.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents and carers speak highly of the setting. Staff communicate regularly through the digital application and involve families in home learning activities, such as story sacks and the weekend bear. This shared approach supports children's development well.
• Staff teach children about the nutritional benefits of food. For example, staff encourage children to try new fruits that they may not have experienced before. However, hygiene practices are not always consistent. For example, while staff encourage handwashing before eating, they do not always consider the hygienic handling of foods at snack time. For instance, children take too much fruit with their hands and then return it to the shared plate. In addition, on occasions, staff do not always encourage children to wash their hands after sneezing, increasing the risk of infections spreading. Therefore, staff do not consistently support children to develop healthy lifestyle habits.
• Children generally behave well. Staff are good role models. They remind children of the pre-school's rules and model respectful behaviour well. Staff help children understand how their actions affect others or support them to resolve conflicts independently. As a result, children are learning how to manage their behaviour effectively.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine the planning of adult-led activities and ensure that the intent for the curriculum is consistently implemented in practice
• review and improve the organisation and timings of group activities to ensure all children are supported to remain engaged in learning
• ensure that staff give clear messages to children about the importance of adopting healthy lifestyle habits.