Downham Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy at this warm and welcoming nursery. Staff greet them with smiles and enthusiastically engage them in activities straight away. Children are happy to separate from their parents and carers and are keen to join their friends. Staff form good relationships with children and their families. They get to know children's interests and fascinations and use this information to plan enjoyable activities for them.

Children exhibit wonderful relationships with their peers. They learn to be respectful of others as staff remind them to use their manners at mealtimes. Children take turns with the equipment available to them. They show an awareness of others and take interest in what their friends are doing. Staff praise children for their achievements, and children show a great sense of pride in themselves.

Staff plan a curriculum with engaging activities that capture children's interests. For example, children confidently use pegs to squeeze and hold items in paint, before printing them onto Easter eggs. Staff place a strong focus on children's independence. For instance, they encourage older children to find and put on their belongings and develop self-care skills. Staff give children clear directions and support them to understand positive and age-appropriate rules, such as being kind and sitting sensibly at the table for meals.

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

• Staff take responsibility for planning what their key children will learn each term. They use information gathered from observations of children to identify the skills that children need to learn next. Staff then plan activities and experiences to support children to develop these skills. They sequence learning effectively and adapt their planning to support those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This ensures that all children receive a broad and enjoyable curriculum that meets their development needs.
• All children develop a range of skills that prepare them for the next stage in their learning. Ahead of going to school, older children learn to put on items of clothing such as coats and shoes. Children show their independence skills at mealtimes and when completing hygiene practices such as toileting. To further promote their understanding of good oral health, children learn about dentists and practise their brushing technique on laminated teeth.
• The nursery offers opportunities for professional development, but these are not sharply focused enough for all staff to raise the quality of education even further. For instance, leaders observe and monitor staff's practice and discuss training needs at supervision meetings but do not use this information to inform training for staff to extend children's learning further.
• Children with SEND are supported well. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to make certain that children receive the targeted support they need in a timely manner. This well-embedded practice ensures that information is shared and implemented to provide a consistent approach. This good practice creates the best possible outcomes for children with SEND.
• Staff actively engage with children in meaningful interactions, helping to foster their intrigue and thinking skills. For example, they use skilful questioning and listening strategies during activities to provoke a thoughtful response from children. Children feel their reply is valued and take pride in the praise received. This supports early language development.
• The setting operates a strong key-person system. This allows staff to build close relationships with children, build their confidence and support their emotional well-being very effectively. Staff support parents and families with advice and resources to help extend learning at home. Children feel confident in the setting and are keen to engage in the activities on offer. As a result, children are happy and settle quickly.
• Staff well-being is a big focus for leaders, and all staff report feeling valued and well supported. Leaders are proud of the staff team and the working environment they have created. In turn, staff have an ethos that helps children feel safe and valued. Children approach staff for support when needed and receive comfort from them. Children's emotional development is well nurtured.
• Parents report that staff work very effectively in partnership with them. They recognise the progress made by children and feel well informed about their children's progress. Parents note that staff working proactively with other professionals has helped to close any gaps that staff identified in children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support the professional development of all staff to continually raise the quality of education for children across the nursery and extend learning experiences further.