Droitwich Salvation Army Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently and independently enter the setting, eager to begin their day. They are warmly greeted and welcomed by smiling staff. Children know where to store their belongings and packed lunch before choosing what to play with and where to play. Children are encouraged to learn about the world around them and their local community through regular outings. They often visit the library, park and residents at the local nursing home.

All staff have a good knowledge of children's development and put in place early interventions to support children who may need additional support. There is an effective key-person system in place to allow children to build relationships within the setting. Staff work closely with multi-agency professionals to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities get the support from the correct agencies. Management and staff are all offered training from outside agencies and authorities to allow them to meet the needs of all children within the setting.

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

• Staff encourage children to make healthy choices. They provide them with a café style snack, which consists of fruit, crudites and toast. The younger children self-select what they would like, while older children are encouraged to use a knife to butter their own toast and cut it into four pieces. Staff talk children through the process of spreading the butter and help them to count how many pieces they can cut their toast into.
• Partnership with parents is an extremely important part of the setting. Staff work hard to build these relationships, offering parents support at monthly parent forums, with each meeting having a different topic of interest. The latest meeting discussed parents' mental health. The setting works closely with the local primary school, and together they have created a network of system for parents, offering the opportunity to have free counselling should they wish. However, staff do not always make parents aware of children's next steps or learning and development within the setting.
• Staff promote oral health well. A local dentist recently came into the setting to talk to children. Children interacted with different toys and toothbrushes. All children receive a toothbrush and a reward chart for brushing their teeth twice a day. Staff give parents an information pack on how to encourage children to brush their teeth and information on how to contact the local dentist to arrange regular check-ups for all children.
• Children behave well within the setting. Staff encourage children to share resources, take turns and welcome other children into their play. Children are polite to each other and use good manners when talking to staff. On the odd occasion they forget, staff gently remind them to say 'please' and 'thank you'.
• Staff plan the curriculum around the interests of the children and their next steps. However, at times, staff do not precisely plan activities around children's current abilities and individual skills to the highest level. For instance, group activities do not always target the learning needs of some children or challenge them appropriately.
• Communication and language are embedded through the curriculum. Children are keen to listen to stories and encouraged to join in with songs and rhymes. Staff constantly talk to children during activities, introducing new words and praising children when they repeat the word, giving the children a sense of achievement and pride in their abilities.
• Staff feel supported by leadership and management. Staff report that management support them with their well-being and that they feel really valued as part of the team. The open-door policy allows staff to feel supported within the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make parents aware of their children's next steps and learning opportunities
• encourage staff to plan activities more closely around children's current abilities, individual skills and their next steps, to provide them with more targeted challenge.