Denbigh Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have good relationships with all staff in this friendly and welcoming setting. All staff are aware of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss the particular focus on children's personal, social and emotional development within the setting. Children have extended time to settle and staff sensitively support each child's individual needs. Key persons spend time getting to know their children well. They use children's interests to support planning for the next steps in children's learning.

Children demonstrate that they are happy as they explore the setting and become engaged in activities. They spend long periods in the sandpit. They work together to fill their buckets with sand to make sandcastles. Children seek each other out to play with, developing their social skills further. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and, in general, children behave well. While playing, children remind each other to share toys and take turns. This helps to develop their personal skills.

Activities in the garden support children to develop their physical skills. Children ride bikes and climb on the climbing frame. The range of difficulty of the bikes allows all children to join in. Large mark-making opportunities, such as water painting, support children to develop their shoulder muscles ready for early writing.

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

• All children make good progress at the setting. Staff are highly skilled in early intervention and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work with a large array of professionals. They provide effective and up-to-date information on each child as necessary. Staff communicate effectively to ensure all staff are aware of children's individual needs and how to support them in the setting. This ensures that all children have access to the same opportunities in their learning.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, the local community was highly affected. Staff went over and above to support the children and families who attend the setting. They created home learning packs for all children and delivered these as required. The manager and her team allowed children to return to the setting at their own pace, ensuring the impact on their emotional well-being was minimal.
• A wide range of resources are available that children can access independently. This allows them to lead their own learning. Staff enjoy playing with the children. They understand when to join in play and when to allow children to explore independently. However, this play does now always allow children to develop their critical thinking skills.
• Staff have a good knowledge of their key children. They have a clear understanding of children's development levels and use assessments effectively to monitor these. Daily reflection time for the staff allows information to be shared with all key persons. This enables all children to be supported by all staff. Staff adapt activities to suit children. For example, children make fish for the aquarium. Different scissors are introduced to suit the needs of each child. However, challenge is not always offered to the most able children.
• Staff share children's development information with parents, which allows parents to support home learning. Parents praise the setting and the progress their children make. They enjoy the real sense of community at the setting. Parents are very appreciative of the bilingual support the staff can offer. This goes over and above supporting their children and their learning. Staff offer translation for letters and support with doctors' appointments and accessing the dentist. This supports children holistically.
• Staff develop children's language well. They use home languages effectively to support those children who speak English as an additional language. Staff repeat sentences in English once children understand the instruction. This process continues to support children's English language development.
• The manager and leadership team have a clear vision for the setting. Staff supervisions support the team and their mental well-being effectively. The manager offers all staff plenty of opportunities to complete training. This ensures teaching and learning remain at a high level. The manager is part of the team and spends time in the setting with children. This ensures that her knowledge and ability to provide support to staff remain effective.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with time to express their own thoughts and enhance their critical thinking skills
• provide consistent challenges to extend learning opportunities for the most able children.