Calvary Poplar Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff work well as a team and provide a welcoming environment. Children are happy and hurry in excitedly to join their friends and explore. Staff provide warm and nurturing interactions and offer cuddles and reassurance to children when they need it. Children develop trusting relationships with staff, supporting their emotional well-being and helping them to settle quickly. Staff provide a wide range of engaging activities to promote children's learning. For example, children enjoy rolling and manipulating dough using a variety of tools. Staff celebrate children's achievements by praising and encouraging them. This helps to build children's confidence.

Children make good progress. The setting delivers a balanced curriculum reflecting children's individual needs and interests. Staff know children well and understand what they need to learn next. Staff identify when children need extra support and implement effective interventions to close any gaps. Staff prioritise children's emotional well-being and support them to make friends and to play well with their peers. Staff set clear expectations for children, including for their behaviour. As a result, children behave well. Children have a secure understanding of rules and follow instructions well. For instance, older children wait their turn to get their coats from their pegs before going into the garden. Younger children help to tidy up by sweeping and wiping the tables.

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

• Partnerships with parents are supportive. Staff share information through daily conversations, supporting parents to continue their children's learning at home. Parents speak positively about the welcoming staff. They value the progress their children make in developing the skills they need as they prepare for school.
• Children have daily access to outdoor areas, where they enjoy fresh air and active play. Staff provide a variety of opportunities for physical activity. They support children as they strengthen their core muscles by climbing on play equipment, for instance. Children explore water by pouring, filling and emptying containers. Staff offer reassurance and guidance. These rich experiences contribute positively to children's physical development.
• Children choose from healthy snacks, including fruits and vegetables. Leaders encourage parents to provide nutritious and balanced packed lunches. This supports children's awareness of healthy eating. Staff encourage good hygiene as children wash their hands before eating. Consistent routines help children to feel secure and to understand what will happen next in their day.
• Staff promote a love of books through sharing stories with children. They check children's understanding by asking them to point out objects and images in the book, for instance. Staff support younger children to turn the pages. Children learn how to handle books with care and begin to understand how the books and stories have meaning. This supports the development of children's early language and literacy skills.
• Staff help children to develop their independence skills. They put on their coats, clear away their plates and put toys back in boxes with confidence. They also make independent choices by accessing resources and activities that interest them. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work with parents and monitor children's learning. They identify areas for early intervention and share information with other professionals. Staff implement suggested strategies to support children's learning and development. This helps all children to make progress from their individual starting points.
• Children explore a variety of cultural events. Staff support them to learn about the local community. They learn about the similarities and differences between themselves and others. Staff and children celebrate festivals that are meaningful to them and to their friends. Staff invite parents to share and celebrate their cultural backgrounds. These experiences help children to feel valued, respected and included.
• Leaders strive to provide all children with the best environment and learning experiences they can. Staff feel valued and empowered to contribute their ideas. Leaders offer support to staff to develop their knowledge and skills. However, this is not incisively targeted to the areas they need to develop most, such as the skills they need to enhance their interactions with children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen professional development arrangements to further improve staff's teaching skills to help all children to make even better progress.