Caterpillar Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff warmly welcome children when they arrive at the pre-school. Children form secure and trusting attachments with staff and each other. Children are eager to get into the pre-school and begin to explore the environment and reconnect with their friends. Staff encourage children to follow simple rules. For example, children recite the rules of group times, such as good sitting and good listening. Children are well behaved and use manners, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you'.

Staff encourage children to choose where they want to play. Children can explore indoors or go outdoors. In the outdoor space, children test their handling skills. They do this as they fill and empty buckets. They hide shapes in the sand and ask staff to guess which shape they have hidden. Indoors, staff sit with children as they develop role-play skills, imagination and social interactions in the pretend kitchen. Children of all ages and abilities show they have made good progress from their starting points. Children show especially good physical skills. For instance, children copy staff during a music-and-movement session. Outdoors, children take risks to practise their balancing. When they wobble very slightly, staff give them gentle support to keep them safe.

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

• Staff benefit from a supportive training programme and opportunities to develop their knowledge. For example, staff attended a course on physical development. They now talk confidently about how movement helps children's focus. This is seen in practice, when staff enthusiastically lead a music-and-movement session at the end of welcome time. This helps children to focus and be ready to learn. Staff feel enthusiastic, positive and valued. The manager is knowledgeable about her role, committed, and is an inspiring role model to her team.
• Staff provide an environment that sparks children's curiosity and imagination. Children are fully engaged in playing and exploring at all times. Although children spend long periods doing activities that interest them, such as making marks, staff do not always recognise when to join in and build on what children already know and can do.
• Staff act as good role models and reinforce their expectations of children's behaviour. They encourage children to listen to each other, take turns and share resources. Staff use praise and encouragement to support children's positive behaviour. Consequently, children display respect and kindness towards one another.
• There is a highly effective key-person system in place. This enables staff to have an in-depth knowledge of each child and how best to support them. The staff go above and beyond to build relationships with their key children, which is demonstrated in the excellent bonds they have. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure with a familiar adult there to guide and support them.
• The pre-school curriculum takes into account the skills children need by the time they go to school. For example, children sit in large and small groups and concentrate for long periods. They put on their own coats and peel their own fruit at snack time. Children are independent and confident.
• Staff provide children with opportunities to visit places in the local community, such as the library and the shops. These new experiences add to the children's learning. They also broaden their interests and support their sense of belonging in their community.
• The manager and staff value and treat every child and their family as individuals. Parents and carers cannot speak highly enough of the pre-school staff. They comment that their children have made 'impressive' progress and that they are given ideas for continuing learning at home with their children. This helps to promote a united approach to children's learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to use their interactions to build on what children already know and can do while children follow their own interests.