Chirpy Chicks Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

When children arrive, they confidently say goodbye to their parents without hesitation and are excited to see what activities are available for them. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are supported exceptionally well by the staff. Children rapidly develop friendships and work extremely well together. They happily rise to the high expectations staff have for them, particularly regarding showing care and respect towards one another. For example, they help friends to use a glue stick, twisting the top for them, so the glue appears. They give it back to them saying, 'there you go, it will stick now'. Two-year-old children notice when their friend becomes upset because they cannot find their water bottle and eagerly help them to search the trolley.

Children benefit greatly from staff's highly positive, nurturing and encouraging involvement in their play. This results in children displaying exemplary behaviour. Children's thinking and problem-solving skills are developing exceptionally well. Staff plan activities around children's interests and encourage children to explore and experiment. Children mix cornflour with water during messy play. They observe that the mix is 'too runny and watery'. Staff help children think about what they can do to change this, and children come up with the solution of adding more flour. Staff extend the conversation and children talk about what they will do next time to achieve the correct consistency.

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

• The inspirational manager is very well supported by the company directors. In turn, she is extremely supportive, and effective, in leading the staff team, who show devotion to their role. Staff's ongoing professional development is consistently nurtured. Staff take part in regular training sessions and team meetings. They are encouraged to work towards higher level qualifications. Staff have regular individual supervision meetings, where they reflect on their work and identify their own targets for continuous improvement. This contributes to their exceptional understanding of the pre-school curriculum.
• The commitment to staff development has a highly positive impact on children's learning. Staff widen children's experiences and recognise that all children have different ways they prefer to learn. This results in staff being exceptionally sensitive when meeting individual children's needs. Recent training has extended staff's understanding of how to teach children about nature and sustainability. This led to an allotment area being established in the pre-school garden. Staff know how to support children to be confident to try new experiences. For example, children learn why they need to water the plants, and some are confident to fill the watering cans themselves. Children demonstrate their developing knowledge as they discuss the reasons why bees and butterflies come to the flowers to pollinate them.
• Children have a highly positive attitude to their learning. They show lengthy periods of concentration during their chosen activities. Staff provide children with a high-quality range of resources and plan well-extended activities. They are enthusiastic and motivate children to keep trying and persevere when they come across challenges. For example, children dig trenches in the sandpit, they collect water in jugs and try to fill their trench. They talk to staff about why the water disappears, and staff help them to think about what they could do to keep the water from disappearing. Children learn to problem solve as they decide to try lining their trenches. They show their delight as they use kitchen foil and identify this works effectively. Children repeat this numerous times to line other trenches, which consolidates their learning.
• Staff are highly successful in helping children to learn about their own feelings and well-being. Children take part in the 'sunshine circle' group activity. They talk together about being a team and about caring for themselves and each other. This fosters highly positive relationships between children and staff. The manager reports that this weekly group time has significant benefits on children's behaviour because they learn to be respectful and also to recognise the impact they can have on others.
• Parents and carers speak very highly about the pre-school. They comment about how much progress their children make in their confidence and independence. Parents of children who speak English as an additional language, and those whose children have SEND, value how staff give them detailed information about how they support and meet their child's specific needs.
• Staff know the children very well. They successfully adapt and differentiate activities and tailor individual support to meet the needs of each child. The curriculum is securely embedded and staff skilfully interact with children to help them build on their learning and further challenge their development. Staff encourage children to recall previous experiences, which helps them to remember and consolidate their learning. For example, children look at photos taken during a baking activity. They are encouraged to talk about what happened and work with staff to create their own story book. This includes children's own comments about their experience, so they can refer to these when they bake again. Staff expertly support children's communication and language. They speak to children clearly and show a genuine interest in what children have to say. Staff give children time to think and support them to make their own decisions, as they ask very well-placed questions.