Butterflies Pre-School Didcot

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders put children's interests first. They ensure a safe, welcoming and stimulating learning environment for all children. Leaders and staff get to know children and their families really well. They are aware of any specific needs children may have, or challenges they may face. They put in place any extra support children may need to achieve well or feel safe. As a result, the pre-school is full of children who are happy, confident and learning. Under the clear and consistent guidance of kind and patient staff, children learn to manage their emotions and be polite and helpful.

Leaders plan a curriculum that is ambitious, and based on the needs of the children who attend. They carefully consider what children most need to learn next, and any gaps children may have in their knowledge or experiences. For example, alongside focusing on children's social, language and physical development, staff plan a wide range of experiences that introduce children to lots of people from the local community who are there to help them. For example, children get to meet dental nurses and librarians. Through these experiences children learn about the opportunities available to them to stay healthy and develop new interests.

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

• Leaders are equally ambitious for all children. The way they use additional funding to meet children's individual needs is exemplary. For example, funding is used to provide extra sessions, support toilet training and ensure children with complex needs can join in safely with all that is on offer. Staff ensure this funding is used as intended; that is, to significantly enhance these children's learning and progress.
• Staff understand just how important language development is to children's overall learning. They help children who speak English as an additional language learn the words and phrases they need to make their needs known. Staff regularly assess children's language development and put in place highly effective, targeted support when needed. This approach is very successful in helping close gaps in learning. Children rapidly catch up with their peers.
• Staff plan extremely well to ensure children gain a love of books, which enhances their early literacy skills. Each day, staff encourage children to look at books independently. They remain close by, ready to show children how to handle them carefully. Group story times are delivered exceptionally well. Staff read clearly to children and plan carefully to enable children to listen regularly to the same stories. Through this approach children learn how stories are structured. They join in with repeated refrains and anticipate what is going to happen next.
• Staff are full of praise for leaders. They appreciate their support, guidance and the sheer hard work they put into making the pre-school what it is. Staff recognise the impact that staffing challenges have on leaders and appreciate how they focus on minimising the impact on children and other staff. However, challenges have meant that leaders have less time than they really need to observe staff and support them to improve further on their teaching skills. Some staff remain more confident in some aspects of their roles than others. For example, when outside, although staff keep children safe, they are not consistent in interacting in ways that ensure children are learning as well as having fun.
• Staff foster children's natural curiosity. They encourage children to persevere and keep trying, such as when they are counting or trying to complete puzzles. Staff offer the encouragement and help children need to succeed, feel good about themselves and be confident to keep trying to gain new skills.
• Leaders recognise the increasing role that technology plays in children's lives. If using technology with children they supervise them closely to keep them safe. However, when planning experiences to help children learn about their own personal safety they focus on other aspects , such as road safety. Staff have not considered how to ensure children also learn the skills they need to stay safe online, to best prepare them for the world in which they live.
• Staff are extremely successful at engaging parents in their children's learning and time at nursery. Parents have lots of opportunities to take part in activities with staff and children and through these find out about their children's learning. Resources are sent home to help parents foster a love of books with their children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor staff practice more closely, so support for staff can more precisely target any inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, to further enhance existing teaching skills
• help children gain an early understanding of online safety, to develop their understanding of their own personal safety.