Charlton with Cropthorne Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming pre-school. They benefit from a well-planned curriculum which helps them to immerse themselves in their play. Staff plan enjoyable activities that capture children's curiosity. In turn, children are engaged, attentive and listen to the staff. The pre-school promotes a love of reading. Children spontaneously sit with a book and turn the pages to follow along when a member of staff is reading. Children happily join in with rhymes and songs and repeat familiar phrases.

Children enjoy a wide range of resources, both indoors and outdoors, that motivate them to explore. Parents value the fact that their children have access to a well-resourced outdoor environment which engages children in physical and environmental activities. There are established links with the local primary school that children are due to attend. The manager places a high emphasis on promoting school readiness. Children take part in taster sessions and planned activities at their local school. For example, older children visit their local primary school to take part in a 'Superheroes' focus day. They are also involved in other events with the school, such as using the forest school and going to theatre performances. This helps children to become familiar with the new environment in readiness for the next stage in their education.

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

• Each half term, staff set out specific texts and songs to support the chosen topic. Children borrow books about the topic to read with their family, which helps to support their continued learning. Staff plan activities to develop children's knowledge of a variety of festivals and celebrations, building their knowledge of a range of cultures.
• Staff create an inclusive environment that accommodates all children. Children's additional needs are identified early and support is given to parents to seek external support. Additional funding is used well to meet children's specific needs. For example, funding is used for external speech and language support and ballet sessions to support physical development.
• Regular assessment of the children's development ensures staff know children's next steps. However, staff do not always incorporate children's next steps into child-initiated play to ensure children consistently make the best progress they are capable of.
• Outside play is encouraged. There are a range of activities available outside, such as a small climbing frame, a reading area and areas to explore sand and water. Children enjoy digging in the garden area and investigating the parts of the plant they discovered. They are very knowledgeable about the different plant parts, as well as the types of flowers they can see in the garden.
• Routines, such as handwashing, are well embedded and children understand clearly how to keep themselves healthy. Staff plan activities to encourage good oral hygiene and this is supported by parents at home. Staff talk to children about the importance of healthy eating as part of a healthy lifestyle. For example, they encourage children to make healthy choices at mealtimes.
• Children behave well. Clear expectations ensure children know how they should behave. Children who struggle controlling their feelings are supported to make the right choices by using the 'colour monster' as a visual aid to explain how they are feeling.
• Children show high levels of focus when accessing activities. They are resilient when facing challenges such as using scissors with increasing control to cut tape into pieces to make musical shakers or opening their snacks at lunchtime. This enables children to develop their independence and not be highly reliant on staff to complete tasks for them.
• Staff treat each child as a unique individual. Their 'All About Me' journal contains the journey each child takes from when they start pre-school to when they leave. This also supports consistency between pre-school and home, as it helps children to share important moments with adults at home as well as home events with the pre-school staff.
• Parents speak highly of the pre-school and it is clear there are strong relationships between home and pre-school. Parents say, 'This pre-school is a special find,' and, 'This pre-school is like the child's family and second home.' They say they are 'proud to be part of the pre-school family'. Parents enjoy getting daily electronic communication about their child's learning as well as other updates from staff when they collect their children.
• Staff attend training to ensure they are accessing up-to-date professional development. However, the manager does not consistently monitor staff practice to identify areas where practice can improve.
• Children hear a wide variety of vocabulary, which helps them to extend their knowledge through play. However, staff often use closed questions, especially during group times, which do not require children to think about or extend on their prior knowledge to answer. As a result, children's thinking skills are not consistently enhanced.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to strengthen their use of effective questioning skills to ensure that children are sufficiently challenged in their thinking during group activities
• encourage staff to build on children's identified next steps in child-initiated play, as well as planned activities
• undertake more regular monitoring of staff practice in order to identify areas for professional development to improve practice even further.