Buttsbury Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the pre-school happy and excited to learn. They are warmly greeted at the door by friendly staff who know them and their families well. Children are very familiar with the routines. They confidently recognise their own name when they hang their coats up and find their name card to register themselves.

Children have strong attachments with staff in the pre-school. They are happy and confident, and they generally behave well. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Children play together cooperatively, and staff support this positive behaviour. For example, staff gently encourage children to resolve problems for themselves. Children enjoy fresh air and exercise in the garden. They mix and dig in the sand, count dots on wooden slices and grow fruit and vegetables. Children use their imagination to pretend they are building a race car with toy tools and large construction blocks.

Children enjoy a varied curriculum that staff have designed to be flexible and accessible to all children. They use their knowledge of the children, their interests and observations of progress to plan and deliver exciting learning experiences. Leaders use thorough monitoring arrangements to make sure that staff continually adapt the curriculum to the needs of individual children. As a result, children are motivated to learn and make good progress.

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

• All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress. The procedures in place to support children with SEND are well established. Experienced staff promptly identify when children require additional assistance with their learning. They provide targeted support for these children. Leaders promptly refer to other services and provide support for children while they wait for their assessment. This has a positive impact on helping all children reach their full potential.
• Children have many opportunities to develop their independence throughout the day. Staff encourage them to wash their hands, serve themselves snack and clear the table away after they have finished. This supports children's confidence and gives them a sense of accomplishment.
• Staff have strong partnerships with parents. Parents highly appreciate how the pre-school takes the time to provide each child with a flexible and personalised settling-in schedule, helping them feel comfortable, settled and secure. As a result, staff meet the individual care and learning needs of children. Staff support children's learning at home. They loan families learning packs so that children's progress can be celebrated at home.
• Children benefit from consistent routines and know what to expect during their day. Sometimes, staff do not always recognise when children become unsettled during times when they move from one activity to another. This means children occasionally struggle to follow instructions and make the right choices about what to do next.
• Staff support the early mathematical development of children. Shapes and numbers are on display for children to see, and they play simple addition games in the garden. Staff encourage them to count their snack while serving themselves.
• Children are encouraged to remember what they have previously done and learned. For example, staff ask children if they remember what they saw the caterpillars doing in their garden at home. This builds on children's existing knowledge, supporting and enhancing their cognitive development.
• Leaders work closely with other settings that children attend. They make visits to these settings, exchange information with key staff and invite staff to visit them. As a result, there is a consistent approach to teaching and children's learning.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language development well. Staff have lovely conversations with children, which helps to improve their speaking skills, and targeted support is put in place to ensure that all children can communicate effectively and can participate in learning. On occasion, some staff do not challenge all children to expand their language to help them build on their growing communication skills.
• Leaders are dedicated and enthusiastic about the ongoing enhancement of the pre-school. They work alongside staff, monitoring and modelling effective practice. Leaders meet with staff regularly to discuss their well-being and development. Staff say that they feel well supported, and this contributes to the good-quality care and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to recognise when children need more support to regulate their behaviour
• support staff to develop a more consistent approach to extend and build on all children's language skills.