Chatterbox Pre-School Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are keen to arrive at this inviting and well-resourced pre-school. Toys and activities are attractively arranged to entice and motivate children to learn. For example, when children roll toy cars in sand, staff show them the marks they make. Children show positive relationships with staff when they snuggle into them and sit on their knee to listen to a story. Staff extend children's understanding of the stories they hear. For example, they introduce new words, such as anchor and explain what this is used for. This helps children to hear and understand the meaning of new words.

Children are very keen to play outdoors where they are physically active. Younger children smile and laugh when they reach up high to pop bubbles that float in the air. Older children wait patiently for their turn to go on obstacle courses. They show good balance and coordination when they go down slides, walk across stepping stones and move under and over tables safely. Children show a great sense of achievement when they reach the end and celebrate, putting their hands in the air. Children understand the need to follow personal hygiene routines. For example, after their friends use the potty, they remind them to wash their hands.

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

• The manager is aware that some children do not have as many books as others at home. Because of this she has introduced a 'Book Share' scheme where children can take books home for parents to read to them. This encourages children to develop a love of books and helps to provide a united approach to supporting children's learning.
• The manager and staff reflect on their practice. They review any accidents and incidents that happen in the pre-school. This helps them to identify improvements, for instance, to the garden to promote children's safety. The garden is now divided in two, allocating one area where children can be more physically active, such as to ride on tricycles and scooters. The other areas is allocated for other activities, such as storytelling and imaginative play.
• Parents highly value the conversations they have with staff to help them to support their children's development. This is especially so for parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work with parents and other professionals to set targets to help children with SEND to progress. For example, children are helped to join other children when they play. Additional funding is used effectively to provide one-to-one support from staff to support children's individual needs.
• The manager and staff focus their curriculum on supporting children's communication and language skills. They provide 'fun time' activities where children are encouraged to develop their listening and speaking skills. For example, staff give children instructions and ask them to say their friends' names. This is particularly beneficial for children who speak English as an additional language to help support their language development.
• Children learn skills to help them in the future, such as to be independent. They hang their bags on pegs when they arrive and are encouraged to open food packaging themselves. However, at times, the noise in the older children's room is exceptionally high, which means that children are unable to hear what is happening around them. When children's voices raise, staff's voices copy, therefore, creating a very loud environment.
• During planned group times for older children, staff talk to them about the rules and boundaries. This includes reminding children to sit, look, listen and to put up their hands up if they would like to answer questions. However, not all these rules are reinforced consistently to help children to understand what is expected of them.
• The manager supports staff's practice. She offers them supervision and appraisals meetings to discuss how they can develop their teaching practice. Staff attend training courses and in-house training to extend their understanding of how to communicate with children. For example, they use sign language to help children to understand what they say.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to adapt their interactions with older children to manage the noise level, so that children can consistently hear what is happening around them
• support staff to be consistent in reinforcing rules and boundaries with older children during planned group times.