Castle Pre-School Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily come into the setting and quickly settle. They have strong bonds with staff and seek reassurance from them as and when needed. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They have created the rules of the setting with the children's input. For example, they have agreed that they will use their 'listening ears' and follow instructions. Children remember these rules as they confidently tidy up at the end of the session.

Staff develop children's love of books and read stories to children regularly. Children eagerly shout out familiar phrases they know from the story as the adults read to them. For example, they call out, ' It was just right', as they listen to the story of 'Goldilocks and The Three Bears'.

Staff develop children's physical skills in a range of ways. For example, children balance on blocks in the garden to develop their large-muscle skills. Staff provide activities, such as printing with teddy bear shaped cutters and fishing for magnetic fish, to develop their small-muscle skills.

Children learn about oral hygiene, as staff teach them about the importance of cleaning their teeth. Children enjoy practising brushing away the 'plaque' on pictures of teeth. Staff help them to understand how to brush their own teeth to keep them clean.

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

• Since the last inspection, the manager has created a curriculum that prepares children for the next stage in their learning. The primary focus is on ensuring that children are excited to learn and curious about the world around them. This helps all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, to make good progress in their learning and development.
• The manager uses supervision meetings with staff effectively to develop the quality of staff's practice. She provides support for staff who wish to undertake further qualifications and prioritises staff's well-being. For example, staff have started new qualifications since the last inspection to develop their skills and knowledge further. They have found this highly beneficial at improving their practice and confidently implement ideas they have learned. This has improved the quality of teaching within the setting.
• Staff encourage children to share their experiences with each other as they learn about the similarities and differences between themselves and their friends. For example, children excitedly discuss the films they watched over Christmas as they debate whether they are Christmas films or not. This helps children to learn and respect that sometimes they have differing views from their peers.
• Overall, children understand what is expected of their behaviour. However, at times, when children do have minor conflicts, such as over a toy, staff step in automatically and solve the conflict for the children. As a result, children do not consistently learn how to do this independently.
• Staff are keen to develop children's communication and language skills. They model vocabulary and introduce children to new language, such as 'reflection' and 'braces'. However, at times, staff interrupt children too frequently as they are playing, for instance by asking lots of questions. As a result, children become disengaged and move away.
• Staff act as advocates for children, particularly those with SEND. They help to ensure that children are receiving the support they need from other professionals. Staff implement different ways of supporting children with SEND through a variety of small-group activities. These activities help to develop children's attention span.
• Staff ensure that additional funding is spent appropriately to further support children's learning and development. For example, funding is used to help fund additional staff to enable them to work on a one-to-one basis with those who may need it. This enables staff to provide the interventions children may need.
• Parents speak highly of the pre-school and particularly of the kind and caring staff. Staff work in partnership with parents to continue to support children's learning at home. For example, staff share home-learning ideas with parents through regular posts on their online journal. This supports the continuity of children's learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's understanding of how to help children resolve conflicts
• support staff to recognise when to allow children to continue with their play without frequent interruption.