Carrington Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are keen to play and learn. They make their own choices from the activities and resources on offer and engage effectively with these. Children develop good concentration skills and maintain their interest well during activities. For example, children enjoy the mud kitchen and role-play farm shop, where they handle and explore real vegetables. They use their physical skills as they pour items from one container to another and use tools to stir these.

Children develop a good awareness of how to take care of themselves. For example, they use tissues to clean their noses and wash their hands afterwards. Children develop their independence effectively. They skilfully learn how to pour their own drinks. Children follow simple instructions well. For instance, older children find and put on their own coats. They zip up their coats themselves before they line up to go outside. This helps them to develop skills for the future.

Overall, the learning environment and the support children receive from staff are good. Staff engage in children's play and activities, which helps to build on their learning well. Children's individual learning needs are quickly identified by staff. When needed, guidance and support are sought from outside professionals. This helps staff to provide learning experiences that are tailored to children's needs, such as focused activities. This promotes all children's good progress.

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

• The managers and leaders monitor the quality of the provision and staff practice well. There is a clear focus on improvement. Staff receive ongoing feedback to help guide them in their work. In addition, training is identified to help staff to support children's individual needs. Staff speak very positively about how their professional development and well-being are supported.
• The managers and staff implement a clear curriculum with learning intentions which carefully consider children's unique starting points. Staff have an effective understanding of each child's individual learning needs. They quickly identify gaps in children's learning and development and provide support to help close these. Staff use additional funding for children well, such as to provide resources to support children's learning at home as well as at the pre-school.
• Staff provide good-quality teaching. They skilfully support children during their play as well as during focused activities. For example, individual and small-group activities promote children's language and social skills effectively. Children learn about mathematical concepts and letters and their sounds, such as those linked to their name. At times, the noise level rises and the environment, although happy, becomes quite noisy. This does not fully support all children's needs. However, despite this, children engage in activities positively and enjoy their time at the pre-school. They learn to listen and concentrate and share their ideas and thoughts with staff and each other.
• Children behave well and develop their confidence and self-esteem securely. On occasion, staff do not fully consider how to support some children's needs, such as during changes of routine. For instance, some children started to become overwhelmed when more than one staff member tried to help them and when different strategies were used.
• The staff make good use of available facilities within the host school premises and the local community. This provides children with a range of different learning experiences, such as forest school activities, where children explore and learn about the natural world and develop their physical skills. Children also benefit from visits to the library to choose books. This helps to promote children's strong interest in early reading. In addition, staff provide their own lending library, which encourages children to continue to enjoy books at home.
• The managers and staff form strong partnerships with parents and others involved in children's care and learning. Information is regularly exchanged to meet children's care and educational needs. Parents and staff at other settings that share the care of children with the pre-school speak very positively about their experiences. This includes how they and the staff work together effectively. Staff provide parents with guidance and useful information to support them in helping their children to progress. They offer ideas about activities, such as those provided locally during holiday times. This helps parents to continue their child's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the support for children's individual needs to help engage them effectively, such as during routines, so that children receive consistently sensitive support
• take steps to reduce the noise level, to help support children's needs and promote their learning further.