Cygnets Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and quickly settle. They are greeted by friendly staff who have suitably high expectations for children's learning. Pre-school children learn about mathematics through games and puzzles, while toddlers develop communication and social skills when they join in with songs and stories. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, are learning to communicate well. Staff use picture cards to encourage children to talk. Children's vocabulary is supported through a variety of activities. They grow caterpillars and release butterflies, and play shopping and construction games.

Children develop physical skills indoors and outdoors. For example, the under twos use tweezers to sort objects. This develops their finger and hand skills. Pre-school children use their whole bodies to build with large blocks. Children enjoy learning outdoors. They share stories in the storytelling corner, explore the mud kitchen and ride bicycles and scooters. Children learn to be kind to their friends. Staff support them through discussion, which results in children showing a positive attitude to their play and learning.

Staff skilfully use spontaneous activities to support children to extend their mathematical knowledge and develop social skills. For example, a small group of children use buckets and balls to sort, count and colour match.

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

• Staff provide a varied and stimulating curriculum for children where they can make choices and explore their environment. Children are welcomed and valued as individuals. Parents know who their child's key person is and report that they receive regular information about their child's progress. Parents clearly attribute their child's learning to the time they spend at the pre-school. They value the guidance they receive to support their child. The manager and staff build exceptionally good relationships with parents, which supports positive partnerships.
• Children make good progress and are well supported for their next stage of learning, whether that be school or moving between pre-school rooms. Staff plan effectively for all children, including those with additional needs. However, sometimes, staff do not use opportunities to extend or build on children's skills to ensure that they make sustained progress.
• Staff have clear expectations of children's behaviour. They have some set routines, which children clearly understand. For example, when children arrive, they hang up their coat and wash their hands before starting to play. Handwashing happens regularly and all children, even the youngest, are taught to manage this independently.
• Children develop a sense of themselves as individuals through carefully arranged play opportunities. Staff support children by planning activities to broaden their experiences around measuring and numbers. During a construction game, two children learn that they can be the number 'four' because they are four years old, but they can also be '48' and '36' because they are 48 and 36 inches tall. They understand their differences and similarities.
• The outdoor environment is zoned to promote children's safety. Different areas provide children with opportunities to encounter risks and challenge. For example, the bicycle track is on a slope and children learn to manage the speed of their bicycles with care and consideration. However, staff do not always make the most of the available outdoor area to enable children to explore the natural world.
• Staff help children to make healthy choices and develop a healthy lifestyle. They pick strawberries from the garden and share them at snack time. Children enjoy football club, where they develop social skills and respectful behaviours through games with rules.
• Additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, is used appropriately to meet children's needs. For example, staff buy and use specific resources which are focused on children's interests.
• The manager has a clear focus on professional development. Staff undertake mandatory training, including paediatric first aid and safeguarding, and are encouraged to identify individual training interests. Staff comment that they feel valued and supported. The manager understands the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic on children, families and staff. She uses online sources to provide support, such as an electronic app to communicate with parents and online training for staff to access.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's understanding of how to challenge and extend children's learning, to support them to make the best possible progress
• enhance opportunities for all children to have further access to the wider outdoor area.