Daisychain Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming pre-school. They eagerly hang their items on their pegs and find their name to self-register as they arrive. The children quickly settle into a range of activities, which they can freely choose from. This helps to build their independence and self-confidence. Children show they have formed secure attachments with staff, who know them very well. Their ideas and interests are taken into account when planning activities. For example, the home corner displays images of the children's families and encourages discussions about holidays and family members. This promotes a sense of belonging and helps develop an understanding of what makes them unique. Children's physical skills are developed by daily access to the local park. Staff ensure the safety of children is met and take a range of resources for the children to engage with. Children develop their large-muscle skills skills through activities, such as football and climbing through tunnels.

Children show good behaviour and follow the routines of the pre-school well. Staff use praise and encouragement to support the children. Children engage in conversations which makes them feel valued and welcomed. Children confidently ask staff to read their favourite stories and listen with interest, recalling their favourite parts of the story.

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

• The key-worker system is effective. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the needs of their key children well and work together to support all children in what they need to learn next. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development.
• Information is gathered from parents when children first start at the pre-school, which helps to begin a two-way flow of communication between parents and staff. Staff use this information to identify what children know and helps them to quickly settle into their new surroundings.
• Mathematical language is used in everyday activities to embed children's knowledge and understanding. For example, staff encourage children to count as they squeeze water into a pipette and identify if containers are empty or full.
• Mealtimes are managed well. Children build their independence as they collect their own water containers and lunchboxes. Children and staff sit together to eat and engage in meaningful conversations about healthy eating choices.
• Supervision arrangements for staff and the manager are good. The leadership team keeps staff's knowledge updated through meetings and newsletters. Staff are supported to gain their qualifications in early years. However, opportunities for all staff to take part in regular training to develop their practice is not always consistently implemented.
• The manager is knowledgeable and passionate. She is committed to the ongoing improvements of the pre-school and has effective systems in place to reflect upon and ensure continuous improvements are made. Additional funding is used effectively to support this. For example, the outdoor area has been recently improved to promote children's imaginative play with a mud kitchen.
• Partnership with parents is a key strength. Parents discuss positively how they receive regular feedback and updates on their children's learning and development. They discuss that they receive regular feedback from an online system and in person from the staff. Opportunities such as a Mother's Picnic and Father's Week give parents the opportunity to come into the pre-school and engage with their children.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language development well. They listen to children and repeat words and sentences correctly to help build their vocabulary knowledge. However, some staff, in their enthusiasm, use too much narrative talk in their conversations with children. This means, at times children do not get enough time to think and respond to conversations with staff.
• Leaders have good partnerships with other professionals, such as local support groups and schools that children will move to. Staff use advice and support offered to plan specific support for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This approach helps to support children in their development and ensures that children are well prepared for transitions in their next stage of education.
• Children make good progress in their learning, including those with additional funding and SEND.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• establish more effective systems to ensure that all staff take part in ongoing professional development to further enhance their skills and knowledge
• strengthen staff's skills of how to extend and maximise opportunities for children's communication and language skills to be extended more effectively.