Child's Play Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily enter this warm and welcoming pre-school. They are greeted by the nurturing staff, who know them well. Children take responsibility for their belongings. They put their lunch boxes and drink bottles away and quickly settle into their chosen play. They are confident and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.

The manager and staff plan a well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum. They place a high focus on personal, social and emotional development, which helps to prepare children for their transition to school. Staff use books effectively to support children's understanding of feelings and emotions. Children talk about the emotions of the different characters, such as 'happy' and 'sad'. This helps them to have an awareness of their own emotions, supporting them to build confidence and express how they are feeling. All children make good progress in their learning, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They are positive role models. Staff gently remind children to use their good manners and give children time to negotiate the sharing of resources. This helps children to manage their behaviour and develop kind friendships. Children's behaviour is good. They treat each other with consideration and respect.

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

• The manager and staff are clear about what children need to learn next to make good progress and gain skills to support their future learning. Staff provide children with ample opportunities to develop their small-muscle skills in readiness for early writing. For example, children use glue spreaders and scissors with precision as they stick and cut paper to create pictures. They eagerly show their achievements to staff, who praise them and talk about their creations. This develops children's self-esteem and positive attitudes to learning.
• Overall, staff develop children's communication and language skills well through daily discussions and adult-led activities. They introduce new vocabulary to the children, such as 'core' and 'pips', as they explore different varieties of apples. However, on occasion, during children's spontaneous play, staff do not give children the opportunity to share their own ideas and thoughts about the topics they are learning. This means that, at times, children do not have the chance to develop their thinking skills and vocabulary even further.
• Staff work very well together as part of a team to support children's behaviour. They use strategies that are individual to the child. They quickly identify children who struggle to self-regulate their behaviour and offer reassuring support. This helps children to understand their behaviour.
• Children learn how to keep themselves healthy, including looking after their oral hygiene. For example, before mealtimes, children know to wash their hands. Staff teach children about the different foods that are good for them. Children speak confidently about how many times a day they need to brush their teeth. This helps to promote children's good health.
• The daily routines are generally well planned. However, during some transitions, such as small-group times and lunchtimes, these are less well organised. On these occasions, staff do not give children clear messages about what is expected of them. This means that some children lose focus and are not sure what they should be doing. Learning is less effective at these times.
• The support for children with SEND is good. Staff work meticulously with parents and external agencies to ensure the best outcomes for all children. The manager acts with integrity to ensure that children with SEND receive the highest level of support. She works alongside the local authority to access additional funding for children who require individual support, to enable them to make the best possible progress in their development.
• Parents are happy with the care and education their children receive. They appreciate the information staff share about their children's needs and ideas for activities to do at home. This provides a consistent approach for children's development.
• The manager and staff carry out continuous evaluation and improvement of the pre-school. They review the pre-school's layout regularly. This has a positive impact on children's behaviour and attitudes to learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's interactions with children to offer them more support to think critically, share their own ideas and extend their learning
• support staff to make transitions between routines as smooth as possible, ensuring children have a clearer understanding of what is expected of them.