Crawshawbooth Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting eager to join their friends and start their day. Staff greet children with open arms and smiles while speaking with parents to share any updates. This ensures a smooth handover from home to pre-school. Children have close bonds with their key people, often checking in for comfort throughout the day. This helps children to feel safe and supports them in developing their emotional well-being.

All staff in the pre-school provide children with a range of opportunities to practise their skills within the classroom. For example, children engage in drawing and creative activities. This helps children to develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Children who are new to the setting settle with ease and learn the daily routine quickly. Staff build strong relationships with parents and gather information about the children before they start at the setting. This ensures staff know what children enjoy and how to engage them in their learning.

Children demonstrate high levels of engagement throughout their day. For example, children enjoy threading buttons onto laces. Staff support children and encourage them to get involved and have a go. This provides children with opportunities to practise their mathematical skills. All children interact with staff and their peers positively. For example, children happily share their toys and play collaboratively during role play. Overall, children's well-being is fostered within this setting through comforting interactions and reassurance throughout their day at pre-school.

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

• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. Additional funding is used to provide appropriate resources to ensure children's needs are met. For example, the team has purchased resources that focus on providing sensory input for children. This supports children's well-being and helps them to self-regulate.
• Leaders and managers have devised a curriculum that takes children's interests into account to ensure they are engaged in their learning. However, staff's interactions do not consistently build on what children know and can do. Staff do not consistently take advantage of children's prior knowledge and experiences. As a result, staff miss opportunities to extend children's learning and ensure they make the best possible progress.
• Children take pride in their achievements. For example, some children are excellent problem solvers. For instance, during spontaneous play, they independently use the environment to find sticky tape and piece together the correct parts to make a sphere shape. This demonstrates high levels of engagement and determination.
• Managers ensure that staff attend all mandatory training and are kept up to date with any changes. All staff are supported within their roles, and this is managed through regular supervisions and check-ins. As a result, staff are happy within their roles and aware of their duty to keep children safe.
• Parents are given support to help their children's development. Staff share useful strategies that have been working well at the nursery. This ensures that a consistent approach is used for children. Parents express their gratitude for the support they receive from the staff.
• Staff encourage children to understand healthy eating and how to make healthy choices. During lunchtime, they discuss the healthy foods available to the children. They have recently made changes to the pre-school menu to ensure they offer consistently healthy meals in line with government guidance.
• Children are learning to be independent. They pour their own water and milk during snack time. Children put on their own coats before going outside and wash their hands independently. This fosters children's self-confidence and supports them in developing the skills they will need for school.
• Children enjoy sharing stories with their key people, including books that promote equality and diversity. These experiences encourage children to reflect on their own lives, such as past holidays. Children begin to understand and appreciate differences, helping them to recognise what makes them and others unique.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to better respond and adapt their teaching so children make the best possible progress.