Early Steps Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from an ambitious curriculum that helps them to develop their independence. They make regular choices in their play and learn to do things for themselves. Children show an excellent awareness of the setting's routine. They arrive in the morning, eager to start their day, hang their coats and bags on the correct peg and put away their snack and lunch boxes. They learn to self-register and sit on the carpet area ready for their greeting time.

Children are confident and demonstrate good levels of self-esteem. They proudly show their artwork to others and show their good early literacy skills when drawing pictures using large chalks and paper in the outdoor area. They spend time combining real flowers, soil, stones and other materials together and pretend to make vanilla cakes. They re-enact real life scenarios during pretend play. For example, staff sit in a pretend hairdressing chair while children use accessories and brushes to style their hair. This demonstrates children's good imaginative skills.

Children benefit from physical play. They learn to move their bodies in different ways and show that they can stop and start when instructed. They climb on outdoor apparatus, such as large slides, and walk steadily over balancing beams. They jump through hoops and learn to throw and catch beanbags.

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

• The manager and her staff team are very caring in their approach. They continually model positive behaviours, and kneel down to children's level to talk to them in a sensitive and calm manner. They offer reassurance if children are upset and explain that it is important to share and take turns. Children behave well. They are kind to one another and form strong friendships. For instance, they seek each other out to share their experiences and invite others into their games. This shows children's good social skills.
• Children are excellent communicators. They join in with discussions and show a love of storybooks. Children listen attentively as staff read their favourite stories. They join in excitedly with repeated words and phrases as well as with familiar songs and rhymes. Staff talk to children as they play and ask well-timed questions. They give children time to think about their responses and engage them well in conversations. This helps to promote children's communication and language skills.
• Staff attend regular staff meetings and receive supervision sessions. The manager and deputy pre-school manager work alongside staff to offer support and are good role models. All staff are clear in their roles and responsibilities. However, staff do not receive more focused training to help enhance their skills and make further improvements in the teaching of the curriculum.
• Parents are complimentary about the care their children receive. They comment on the positive relationships their children form and talk positively about the storybooks they bring home to share. This helps to provide a consistent approach to children's learning. Parents talk about how staff support their children's learning, work closely with a range of professionals and help children to prepare well for future learning. They talk about how their children have developed since attending the setting. Parents feel involved in their children's learning and compliment staff on how approachable they are.
• The manager is aware of some of the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. However, she does not focus her evaluations on the overall quality of education to help to swiftly identify and address emerging weaknesses in practice.
• Children show a good understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. They join in with songs and rhymes about learning to wash their hands and using the toilet. Children bring in healthy packed lunches and snacks from home. They talk about foods that are good for them and how to wash their hands to make sure they get rid of germs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide focused training to help to enhance staff's skills and make further improvements in the teaching of the curriculum
• strengthen ways of evaluating the overall quality of education to help to swiftly identify and address emerging weaknesses in practice.