Durley Ladybirds Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settle quickly into this friendly and welcoming pre-school. They develop secure relationships with the caring and kind staff. Children are motivated learners and thrive within the stimulating learning environment. They feel valued by staff, who enthusiastically and purposefully interact with them. Children independently access a wide range of toys and resources, both indoors and outdoors. They show a good awareness of the daily routine. For example, they stop playing when they hear the 'Tidy-up' song and confidently work together to pack everything away.

Children benefit from a broad range of engaging learning opportunities. They demonstrate good imagination and teamwork skills. For example, children rearrange furniture to create a 'hospital'. They assign each other roles and work together to 'fix people'. Children encourage staff to join in with their play. They smile as supportive staff happily join in and take the role of a 'patient'. Children all show readiness for the next stages of learning.

Children behave well. They are polite, patient and learn skills to regulate their own behaviour and that of their friends. For instance, children hold up picture cards with desired behaviours on, such as 'no running indoors'. Other children understand what this means and adjust their behaviour accordingly.

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

• The enthusiastic manager leads her staff well. She supports staff in implementing a meaningful curriculum that focuses on children's independence and self-confidence. For example, children independently choose their favourite dressing-up costumes and wear them proudly around the pre-school. They make up their own stories and involve other children in their play, demonstrating friendly relationships.
• The quality of education for all groups of children is good. Children make steady progress in their learning and development, including those who need additional support. Staff know children well and accurately identify what children already know and what they need to learn next. They have a good understanding of children who may need extra help and support. Staff use their knowledge to plan activities and experiences that will help children to catch up in any areas that they are behind in.
• The manager and her staff place a strong emphasis on supporting children to develop good communication and self-help skills. Staff encourage children to join in with an activity which promotes the importance of toothbrushing. They model new vocabulary, such as 'cavities', and repeat words back to check that children understand their meaning. However, on occasion, staff do not give children enough time to consider and answer a question before they ask another. This does not fully support children to develop their language skills.
• Children demonstrate a love of books. They enthusiastically listen to a diverse range of stories read by staff and relate what they see to real-life experiences. For example, when listening to a book about a pancake, children excitedly recall the time they made pancakes at the pre-school. Staff ask children what toppings they had on their pancakes, and children talk about the 'yummy lemon'.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents talk about the 'warm and nurturing' environment and how staff have supported children to learn the importance of road safety. Parents share positive feedback about the range of ways staff share information with them. They are aware of what their children are learning and what children need to learn next. This allows parents to provide opportunities to further their children's learning at home.
• The manager is ambitious and strives to achieve continuous improvement. She holds regular meetings with staff to discuss the exciting pre-school development plans. For instance, the manager plans to redevelop parts of the outdoor environment. Staff are included in these plans and know that their views are recognised and respected.
• Staff supervision is effective. The manager accurately observes staff and ensures that they receive regular feedback to help them improve their already good practice. Frequent training opportunities allow individual staff to improve their skills and knowledge further. For instance, recent training on promoting children's welfare has allowed staff to reflect on how they can support children and their families even more effectively.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen communication and language strategies to support children's developing language skills.