Childville Preschool@Catterall Hall

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff support children to settle in swiftly. They remind children of the high expectations for their behaviour and independence. This helps children to confidently and calmly put their coats and bags away and engage in the activities on offer. Staff are kind and nurturing. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Children enjoy playing and learning with their friends as they choose from the wide range of activities on offer. Staff take account of children's interests and next steps in development when they plan different learning experiences and activities. This helps children to develop positive attitudes towards their learning and stay engaged. Staff use a visual timetable to support children's transitions to go smoothly and prepare them for the next activity.

Staff plan a rich and broad curriculum. They know their key children well. Children enjoy singing and stories with staff. They join in with familiar words and actions. Staff promote discussions and develop children's vocabulary through daily activities. Children are well behaved and confident. Staff support children to learn to manage their emotions and read stories linked to managing their different feelings. This supports children to regulate their emotions well. Staff frequently offer praise, which helps children to develop their self-confidence and self-esteem well. Children make good progress at this friendly pre-school setting.

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

• Leaders and staff are committed to promoting inclusion and equality throughout the pre-school. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the targeted support they require to learn and play alongside their peers.
• Leaders work with staff to plan how to use funding to drive forward progress for the most disadvantaged children. They evaluate the impact of the funding to ensure that it is used effectively to improve children's outcomes. There are strong partnerships with external agencies, which enable children to benefit from purposeful interventions.
• Leaders and staff possess a suitable knowledge of child development. They understand how to work in partnership with parents to promote children's progress. Staff frequently review children's progress to identify and address any gaps in their skills and knowledge. This helps all children, including those with SEND, to achieve positive outcomes and be prepared for their future learning.
• Overall, staff interact well with children. They introduce children to new vocabulary and encourage them to use these words in their play. This supports children's language comprehension well. Staff plan activities, such as a 'what is in the bag' game, to promote children's communication and language development. They also ask children questions to check their understanding.
• However, at times, staff do not always allow sufficient time for children to process and respond to some questions.
• Staff support children to develop their mathematical skills well. They encourage young children to explore size as they build towers with blocks. Staff model mathematical language, such as 'tall' and 'short'. Pre-school children learn about number and quantity. They enjoy exploring the meaning of different numbers, such as 'five', and match objects to different numerals. Staff skilfully extend children's learning. For example, they discuss what will happen if they add different numbers together.
• At times, staff plan ambitious group activities to develop children's social skills. However, the length of these sessions is not matched well to the ability of younger children, particularly as they are unable to maintain attention and concentration for long periods. This means that younger children become disengaged and disrupt the learning of the older children.
• Leaders and staff work well together. Staff benefit from accessing regular training and observations of their practice. Leaders provide targeted coaching and mentoring to each staff member. This helps staff to improve their personal effectiveness and has a positive impact on children's learning.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff keep parents informed of what children do during their day and about their progress. Parents are extremely pleased with the progress their children make.
• Staff support children to manage their self-care well. They encourage younger children to learn to pour their own drinks and then allow them to have a go. Staff skilfully plan opportunities through daily routines to support children's growing independence.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• allow children sufficient time to think and respond to questions asked
• organise group activities to meet the needs and abilities of all groups of children, particular the younger children, to keep them engaged at all times.