Deux Chats Pre-School Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter happily and receive a warm welcome into the pre-school by the nurturing and kind staff team. They settle promptly and show independence and confidence as they access the variety of resources available, both inside and outdoors. For example, they access a range of sensory activities, including sand, water and play dough. They spend extended periods of time working together to transport water to the sand tray, and they enjoy using their gross motor skills to mix it altogether and scoop it into buckets. Children use their imaginations as they make bugs from the play dough. They choose which coloured legs they wish to use, squishing the dough to make the bodies.

Children show high levels of confidence when using large apparatus. Staff make the most of the available space inside. For example, they ensure that children have the opportunity to climb ladders, jump from blocks onto safety mats and ride bicycles and wheeled toys. These opportunities allow all children to take manageable risks in their play and tests their physical skills and abilities.

Staff have high expectations for all children. Children respond positively to both adults and each other. They listen well and follow the routines, understanding the boundaries for behaviour. Those with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive targeted support and intervention.

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

• The manager is committed in her approach in ensuring that children receive good quality care and education. Her vision is echoed by the dedicated staff team and, as a result, children benefit from a good introduction to their learning. They develop essential skills that are needed in readiness for school, and they make steady progress. This includes children with SEND.
• Children enjoy hunting for bugs in the outside area. They use photos of insects to identify what they are hoping to find and are helped by staff to search for a range of minibeasts. Staff ask the children where they think the bugs are hiding. Children know this is in 'dark' and 'damp' places. They hunt under the grass covering, pulling it back for a closer look. Children show extreme delight as they find woodlice and a millipede. They carefully collect what they find, placing them in a bucket and use magnifying glasses to look at them more closely. This supports children's natural curiosity about the world around them.
• Staff are clear about what they want children to know to prepare them for their next stage in learning. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how young children learn. They support children in their play and plan a range of fun and interesting activities. Most children show good levels of involvement in the resources on offer. However, at times, staff do not always identify that quieter and less confident children would benefit from their interactions to help extend their play and support their learning further. Consequently, these children move on from activities quickly with limited engagement.
• Staff work well with other professionals involved in children's care. They work together to plan for children with SEND. All children, including those in receipt of additional funding, make good progress in their learning and development.
• Staff provide exciting opportunities for physical development, early mathematical skills, reading and exploring the outdoor environment. However, they do not consistently provide engaging mark-making opportunities. Therefore, children do not have as many chances to engage in these activities to develop their early writing skills.
• Children learn how to keep themselves healthy. For example, before mealtimes and when they finish playing outside, children know to wash their hands. Staff teach children about the different foods that are good for them. This helps to promote children's good health.
• Parents speak positively of the pre-school. They feel well informed, and they are confident to ask for support and advice if needed. Parents agree that their children are making good progress. The pre-school provides information via daily conversations, as well as communication books, for those children who need a little extra support at home and in the pre-school. This provides a coherent continuity in children's learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise when to enhance and extend children's play, particularly for quieter children at the setting
• promote further opportunities for children to independently explore mark making and early writing throughout the day.