Cheylesmore Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at pre-school happy. They are greeted by familiar staff, who are kind and nurturing towards them. Children build close relationships with staff. They go to them for cuddles and comfort, which they receive in abundance. This helps children to feel safe in their care. Staff take time to get to know children's needs and interests. They arrange and amend the play environment specifically to engage them in play and learning. Staff include the learning that children need in their play interactions and during routine activities, such as dressing in their coats ready to play outside. Effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is sought and provided to ensure that children receive the help to engage in play alongside their peers.

Children behave well. They respond well to the guidance from staff to use 'kind hands', take turns and to use their good manners. Children gain the skills and understanding they need to prepare them for their next stage of learning and the eventual move on to school.

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

• The curriculum for children's learning is designed and adapted to meet the needs of the children. Staff use their knowledge of each child to help them decide what they need to teach them. They make plans which include the learning they need to build on what they already know and can do.
• Communication and language are promoted well. For example, children have fun while they engage in action songs, listening and discussions during stories. Staff model language well. They repeat back what children say and ask them questions, giving ample time for them to think and respond with their ideas. Staff use additional programmes to help focus their plans to support children's speaking skills. As a result, they make good progress from their starting points.
• Children have great fun in the well-equipped outdoor space. They develop their physical skills in a range of ways, such as using wheeled toys, scooping water and sand, and mixing them together with various utensils. They learn about words for volume and capacity, when they focus on carefully pouring water into containers of various sizes.
• Independence is promoted. For example, children make choices about what they play with and how. They practise the skills they have learned to lead their play and learning, such as using scissors to cut their paper. However, there is scope for children to develop their skills at the earliest they are capable of, particularly in their personal care routines.
• Children play well together. Younger children build towers with blocks, deciding where to place their pieces next. They giggle with excitement when their tall tower falls over. They are quick to rebuild it with enthusiasm. The oldest children take turns to knock balls down onto ramps with a hammer. They play a game to see who is the fastest. Children are animated and cheer for each other while they await their turn.
• Imaginative play is promoted well in pre-school. For example, children dress up and play a game to go on safari to see various animals. They seek to include staff in their game and are thrilled to find elephants and monkeys. Staff build on children's understanding of these animals and discuss the foods that children know these animals like to eat.
• The manager ensures that staff receive the support, guidance and training they need to fulfil their duties and continue their professional development. The manager and staff use self-evaluation to continue to enhance the provision for children, such as accessing specific training to develop staff skills in supporting speech and language in the setting.
• Parents speak highly of the pre-school and staff. They comment on how excited their children are to attend. They remark on the enjoyable activities their children access and how well they are developing. Parents say they are happy with the information they receive about their child's care and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• promote independence further, particularly for the youngest children to learn to manage their personal care needs at the earliest that they are capable.