Chudleigh Knighton Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive very happy and eager to enter the pre-school. They show that they feel safe as they chat with staff while they walk up the path together. Children self-register on arrival and mark themselves present. They sing the days of the week and join in with action songs. Staff use hand signs with children to help to communicate with them. Children listen intently and follow instructions. Staff ask children to draw a circle on the floor with chalk. They sit in their circle and have a drink of water after their morning exercise. Children know the routines of the day. They respond positively to the kind and attentive staff.

There is an effective communication and language curriculum. Staff read the same storybook to the children for a week. This enables all children to hear and know the story. By the end of the week, children can retell the story, talk about the characters, and remember key events in the storyline. This develops their early literacy skills and helps them to learn and remember new vocabulary.

Parents comment that they are well informed of their children's progress. Staff share children's next steps in development with them regularly. This helps them to support their children's learning and development further at home.

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

• Children build on their physical development and learn new skills when outside. They strengthen their lower-body muscles. Children use their legs to propel themselves forward in the play cars and bicycles. They develop good core strength. For example, children proudly show that they can use the swing without needing to have a push.
• Children are curious about the natural world. After a deer runs through the field next door, children collect binoculars and a compass. They look through the lens and talk about where the deer may have gone and where it could be. Staff teach children about direction. They look at the compass and decide to walk 'north' together.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) very well. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and other professionals to help children to make progress. For example, she visits children with SEND at home before they start. This helps her to identify how best to support them and ease their transition into the setting.
• Children have positive attitudes to learning. They are kind and are learning to manage their emotions well. Staff show children how to overcome difficulty. For example, if a child struggles to share, staff model the words to help children find a solution together. Children follow the staff's lead, and this results in a positive outcome.
• Staff teach children independence skills very effectively. Children learn how to change out of their clothes if they get wet during play. They know how to dress themselves afterwards and where to place their wet clothes. Children know that they can ask for help if they need it. Children have high levels of self-esteem and take pride in their achievements.
• Children are highly motivated to play and experiment with cornflour, water and glitter. They mix and pour them together and enjoy watching the materials change. However, staff do not always play alongside children to offer challenge and develop their thinking further. For example, staff miss opportunities to question the children about what is happening to the materials and why.
• Children learn about the local community and where they live. They occasionally go on visits to a nearby church and village hall to sing songs. However, children do not always have the opportunity to learn about diversity. For example, staff do not routinely integrate learning about similarity and difference into children's play to better prepare them for life in modern Britain.
• Staff well-being is high. The committed and passionate manager ensures that staff receive training to improve their practice. For example, training on how to develop children's language and communication has improved children's expression and speech effectively.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more ways to offer children challenge in their learning, to develop their thinking further
• build on children's knowledge and understanding of similarity and difference so that they can learn more about diversity to better prepare them for life in modern Britain.