Devon Close Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a wonderfully welcoming and stimulating learning environment where children flourish. They are highly knowledgeable about how children learn and develop. They plan an exciting and interesting curriculum that supports children's learning exceptionally well. Children show high levels of emotional well-being. They are very curious learners and highly motivated to try new things. Staff have very high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. Staff make skilful adaptations to their teaching to tailor activities for children of different ages and abilities. All children are nurtured and staff show strong commitment to fostering their individual characters, interests and needs, to help them to reach their full potential.

Staff are incredibly positive role models. They have fun with the children and create a joyful atmosphere. This helps children to settle in well, feel secure and form excellent bonds with them. There is clear emphasis on teaching children about respect and kindness. A strong value at the pre-school is to create a sense of belonging and to build a collaborative and supportive community. Staff frequently help children to understand about the routines and expected behaviour. Children are highly responsive and behave extremely well.

Children highly engage as they experiment with 'frozen dinosaur eggs' in a 'jungle swamp'. Staff expertly encourage them to make predictions and discuss the differences between 'frozen' and 'melting'. Children hear a rich array of language that supports their understanding and knowledge extremely well.

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

• The inspiring manager and dedicated team are passionate about enhancing outcomes for all children and families. They regularly run different projects to support children's and parents' understanding of healthy lifestyles. For instance, children learn about the effects of different fizzy drinks and juice on their teeth. This learning was reinforced by a visit from a dentist to teach children about good toothbrushing practices. This supports children's oral health extremely well.
• Staff meticulously plan an extensive range of experiences to help children to learn new knowledge and skills. Children enjoy experimenting with magnets and learn about magnetic and non-magnetic objects in the environment. They also enjoy exploring rice and a rotation wheel. Furthermore, they have opportunities to paint, mould with play dough, draw and write. Whatever captures children's interests, there is an adult close by to skilfully extend their learning. Children are active and eager learners that evidently make strong progress in relation to their starting points. Children develop very positive attitudes towards learning.
• Children have excellent opportunities to develop their love of reading. Staff read stories with great animation and children participate with enthusiasm. Children discuss how snakes have fangs and long, slithery bodies. Staff ask individual children about their favourite animals and encourage them to recall different aspects of stories. This helps to build children's self-esteem, listening and language skills.
• Children have superb opportunities to learn and play outdoors in the very well-resourced and engaging garden. Children enjoy making 'soup' in the mud kitchen, digging collaboratively in the sand pit and dressing up as doctors and nurses. Staff fully immerse themselves in children's imaginative play. Children use words, such as 'stethoscope' and 'thermometer' and staff help them to understand how to use the different tools. This helps to extend their knowledge of the world, as well helping them to understand the meaning of new vocabulary.
• Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion is at the heart of everything staff do. Children have plenty of opportunities to learn about others' lives different to their own. Staff involve parents in celebrating different cultural events that are personal to their families. For instance, children enjoy making paper flowers to celebrate a popular Romanian tradition to welcome spring. This helps children to develop respect and show interest in others' backgrounds and beliefs.
• Partnerships with parents are a real strength. The manager and staff work very closely with parents and carers to nurture children's future learning. Several parents travel some distance due to the exceptional care their children receive. Parents are highly complimentary about the staff. They express that they are extremely supportive and have a positive influence on their children's lives.
• The manager and staff are very reflective. They frequently evaluate their practice and engage in lots of relevant training to be able to deliver the best possible early education to children.