ChristChurch Pre-school Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children really enjoy the time they spend at pre-school. They look forward to participating in a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities, and have built strong, meaningful relationships with their key persons. For instance, one child says 'Adios' to her key person, who is originally from Spain, before leaving. Children's behaviour is good, they are kind and thoughtful to their friends. For example, when a group of children were experimenting with light and dark, there were only four torches for the group of five children. The children were keen to ensure that no one was left out and problem solved among themselves, demonstrating consideration for one another.

Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children with SEND receive prompt, early support, and benefit from targeted interventions. For example, staff carefully select children for small group work to promote their social skills and help form relationships, alongside the main focus of the activities, such as, during small mathematics groups.

Staff share their deep understanding of what makes children unique, across the whole team. Staff use this shared understanding very well to plan for the particular needs of children. This helps ensure all children enjoy their learning and make good progress.

Staff sensitively adapt activities to ensure inclusion and celebrate the culture and heritage of the diverse community the pre-school serves. For example, parents come into the pre-school to read stories and sing songs, in Spanish, and share home-made Chinese dumplings. Children delight in the making of diyas, and enjoy learning about the Indian festival of light. Staff skilfully support them as they link the colours being used to the ones they have previously seen in fireworks.

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

• Children are provided access to a broad and rich curriculum. Children benefit from a range of outdoor and indoor learning opportunities, which promotes their physical and social development. For example, they enjoy spending time playing with their friends and make food and potions together in the outdoor kitchen area, from petals and resources gathered from their autumn walks.
• Staff know their key children extremely well, and those children that prefer outdoor learning are planned for accordingly, to ensure that all children's needs are met. Careful consideration is given to support children with SEND to enable access to the full curriculum.
• Children demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning, children are happy to leave their play outside to make a diya to take home. Staff then support children very effectively to focus and concentrate on completing this activity.
• Children are supported to develop good habits, that promote their personal development. They are encouraged and supported to eat healthy snacks and foods that they bring from home within the setting. However, children are not consistently encouraged to become independent, and not all staff support children to manage their own personal needs as well as they could.
• Children are provided with ample opportunity to access physical activity, and those children that prefer outdoor learning are able to direct their own play. Adults plan accordingly, to ensure that all children's needs are met, and that those children with SEND are able to access the full curriculum.
• Children's listening and attention skills are good. However, not all staff allow children the time they need to respond to questions or problem solve before moving on to to the next question, or carrying on the conversation. This limits some children's opportunities to use their developing vocabulary to express their thoughts and ideas.
• Parents speak very highly of the setting, stating that they are 'utterly delighted' with the pre-school and staff team, and that they are 'absolutely confident' in the knowledge, their children are happy, safe and well cared for.
• Staff work exceptionally well with partner agencies, to ensure that the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children receive early help and support for any additional needs that have been identified.
• The manager has good oversight of each staff member's areas of strength, and there are effective systems in place to closely monitor individuals' professional practice. This ensures the ongoing quality of teaching and learning and supports further improvement.
• Leaders and managers are passionate about the professional development and well-being of the staff team. As such, staff report to be happy, feel well supported, and to truly love working at the setting.
• Committee members understand that they are responsible for the support and guidance of the setting. In turn, staff and parents feel that they are able to raise issues and suggestions to help shape the organisation. This demonstrates effective partnership working, and a collaborative approach to planning the delivery of the curriculum.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently enable children to do things for themselves, to promote children's personal development further
• ensure that practitioners more consistently take opportunities to promote children's speaking skills.