Christchurch Fledgelings Pre-School Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are incredibly welcoming. They enthusiastically greet children as they arrive, saying, 'Hello, it is lovely to see you'. This brings big smiles to children's faces and makes them happy. As a result, children separate easily from their parents and carers, and are eager to play. Staff teach children to behave well. They supervise children well to promote their safety. This is especially important when children play in the woodland area, where they practise their climbing skills and take age-appropriate risks. For example, children climb low-level trees, which helps to improve their balance and coordination skills.

Staff have high expectations for all children. They plan a rich and ambitious curriculum, with a strong focus on outdoor learning. This benefits children's education and physical health, especially since many lack access to green spaces. Children have positive attitudes towards their play. Staff promote children's communication and language skills effectively. They do this through storytelling and singing nursery rhymes. This captures children's attention and helps to expand their vocabulary. Additionally, staff create opportunities to teach children about different types of fruit. They introduce exotic fruits, such as papaya and mango, encouraging children to touch, smell and compare them. Children use words correctly, such as 'heavy' and 'heavier', which builds on their mathematical skills.

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

• The management team consists of highly dedicated professionals who are fully aware of children's needs who attend their pre-school. They use this information to help design their age-appropriate curriculum. For example, staff ensure that children develop their self-care and independence skills in preparation for school. All children make good progress from their starting points in development.
• Partnership with parents and carers is a strength in this pre-school. Parents express their delight with the support and care their children receive. They highlight the regular communication from staff, which provides them with reassurance. Parents are especially pleased with how staff ensure that their children have plenty of opportunities for fresh air and outdoor exercise. This strong partnership between parents and staff motivates children to come to pre-school regularly.
• Staff are highly satisfied with the support provided to them. They have opportunities to pursue higher qualifications to strengthen their understanding of child development. Additionally, staff have completed training aimed at improving their skills in enhancing children's listening and concentration. However, they have not fully considered how to organise group activities as effectively as possible. This limits staff's ability to help children to maximise their learning experiences.
• Staff carry out accurate assessments of children's abilities. This enables them to quickly identify any emerging gaps in children's learning or development. This, alongside their effective communication with parents, ensures that any additional support children need can be accessed promptly. This approach is particularly beneficial for children who experience speech delays.
• Children are curious learners who love playing, especially in the mud kitchen. They spend long periods exploring natural materials. These learning opportunities enhance children's creativity and spark their imaginations.
• Staff remind children gently about their rules and boundaries. They respond quickly to unwanted behaviour and encourage children to be 'kind'. This encourages children's good behaviour. However, there are instances when staff do not explain the impact of children's actions on others. As a result, children may repeat certain behaviours because they do not fully understand how their actions affect others' feelings.
• Staff organise various outings to enhance children's learning. For instance, they take children to parks and soft-play areas to help them to explore and learn about their surroundings. Additionally, staff arrange visits to a local care home, where children sing Christmas songs for the residents. This experience encourages children to engage with others in their community.
• The management team evaluates the quality of the pre-school's services to implement positive changes for children. For example, after observing children at play, staff have invested in climbing equipment to enhance children's physical skills. Additionally, the management team is currently reviewing how staff can better support children who may be shy or less confident, to encourage their full engagement.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of group activities to ensure that children fully benefit from the learning experiences
• adopt a consistent approach to helping children to understand how their actions may affect others.