Cherry Tree Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this small pre-school, where there are high expectations for all children. They receive a warm welcome from staff, which helps them to settle quickly. Leaders identify that prioritising children's personal, social and emotional development is especially important following the COVID-19 pandemic. Children behave well and show high levels of engagement.

Children demonstrate that they feel safe at the pre-school. They approach staff readily for reassurance and comfort, knowing that they will meet their individual needs. Children develop good self-care skills. They learn to change their boots and shoes when they arrive in the morning and pour their own milk at snack time. Children move around the pre-school and outdoor area confidently. Staff prepare them well for changes and new routines through visual prompts. They praise children and celebrate achievements. Staff write these on 'leaves' and hang them on the celebration tree for everyone to read.

All children make good progress in their learning and development. They access a wide range of activities. For example, they use their imaginations and creative skills as they build 'windmills', using construction toys. Children listen to well-loved stories and explore a range of mark-making resources.

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

• The manager has a clear curriculum approach and is ambitious for children. Staff know what the children can do and what they need to learn next. Staff plan the environment so that children have opportunities to engage in an interesting range of learning experiences inside and outdoors. The manager ensures that additional funding for children targets their specific needs. All children make good progress in relation to their individual starting points.
• The manager has successful strategies in place that promote partnerships with parents, local schools and other professionals. However, staff recognise that they can do more to broaden the children's understanding of cultural diversity and differences between themselves and others in the wider world they live in.
• Children enjoy a range of experiences that support their physical skills. They ride scooters and 'tractors', climb the slope to the top of slide and balance on planks of wood that are set between tyres. Children develop strong levels of coordination and stamina. Staff use these everyday activities to support children in their understanding of keeping themselves and others safe. Staff guide children to change direction and move around their friends. Children hold out their arms to help themselves balance, and they remind their friends not to wait at the bottom of the slide in case they get bumped.
• Staff support children to build a love of stories and books. They build literacy into everyday routines. For instance, children enjoy looking at books independently and listening to stories with staff throughout the day.
• A wide range of resources are available that children can access independently. This allows them to lead their own learning. Staff enjoy playing with the children. They understand when to join in play and when to allow children to explore independently. However, sometimes, staff ask too many questions and do not give children enough time to respond. This does not consistently support children to develop their critical-thinking skills.
• Children enjoy using the attractive range of resources on offer. These have been carefully considered by staff to provide children with real objects and open opportunities to learn and explore. For example, they use a china tea set when making 'tea' for each other in the mud kitchen.
• The manager provides staff with regular professional development opportunities online and face to face. For example, staff attend training that gives them a greater understanding of how to keep children safe while they are online. The manager carries out regular supervision sessions with staff. This gives staff the opportunity to discuss their professional development and receive feedback and enables the manager to check on their well-being. The manager invites teachers in from local schools to meet the children and to share information with them. This helps to prepare children for their next stage in education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen opportunities for children to learn about cultural diversity outside of their own community
• raise staff's understanding of the importance of effective questioning to help children to further enhance their critical-thinking skills.