Earlybirds Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident and spend their time busily engaged in meaningful play. Staff provide children with lots of praise, which helps them to take pride in their achievements. For example, children proudly show staff a 'bridge' they created from planks of wood. Staff take time to marvel at the structure, making children feel good about themselves.

Children form firm friendships and enjoy the time they spend with their peers. For instance, young children work together to create a farm and gather food to feed their animals. Children show respect as they listen and test out each other's ideas. This helps children start to recognise the benefits of teamwork as they watch their farm grow quickly.

Children learn about the wider world and their place within it. For example, during an activity about space and time, children learn that planet Earth moves around the sun, and this takes one year. Children act out the role of Earth and the sun. Those who are in the role of 'Earth' walk slowly around the 'sun' as staff sing the months of the year. Children learn that their age represents the number of times they have been around the sun. This helps children make deep connections with the world.

Staff provide children with the support and resources they need as they learn to regulate their own behaviour. For example, staff create cosy spaces 'for one', recognising that some children require a quiet space away from the hustle and bustle to calm or rest. This helps children manage their emotions.

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

• Leadership and management is effective. Leaders and staff share a clear vision of what they want children to learn during their time at the pre-school and why this is important. Leaders provide staff with good-quality support and development opportunities, using staff supervision and professional development opportunities well. Leaders and staff establish secure partnerships with parents and other professionals who are involved in children's learning and care. This includes making regular contact with other settings that children attend and creating a two-way flow of information. This provides children with a consistent approach to their learning.
• Staff prioritise and promote children's developing communication and language skills well, understanding the benefit this has on all other aspects of children's learning. As a result, children become confident and enthusiastic communicators. Staff engage children in regular conversation and discussion. This helps younger children gain confidence as they practise stringing words together to form sentences. Staff provide cosy spaces with open-ended resources that encourage children to chat together. Children thoroughly enjoy taking time out with a friend as they lay under a canopy, sharing their ideas and catching up on life outside of pre-school.
• Children have regular opportunities to develop their understanding of new concepts such as mathematics. Staff provide engaging and interesting activities that promote children's next steps in learning. For instance, young children who are just starting to recognise number have great fun extending their skills in the garden. Children pull foam numbers out of water and show excitement when these stick to the wall. Staff cheer as children guess the number correctly. Staff use objects to help children connect number with value. This helps prepare children well for their future learning.
• Children become confident movers. Staff provide a wide range of activities that promote children's physical development. For example, children develop their core strength, balance and coordination as they enthusiastically participate in yoga. They follow instructions, stretching and moving their bodies to create different poses. Children learn why exercise and rest are both important in keeping themselves healthy. Staff help children understand their bodies, as they encourage children to observe their heartbeat at rest and compare this with their heartbeat after exercise. Children learn that they can slow their heartbeat with their breathing.
• Overall, staff support and promote children's growing independence well. Children learn to wash up their own plates, use cutlery and attend to their own personal care needs. However, not all activities encourage children to carry out tasks they can do for themselves. For example, during mealtimes, staff pour children's drinks, peel their fruit, serve their meals and open packets. This reduces the opportunities children have to practise their independence.
• Children develop positive attitudes towards their learning. They are confident, curious and eager to learn. Staff capture and build on children's curiosity through their skilful interactions and well-planned activities. For example, staff present children with play dough mixture that is very runny and use this as an opportunity to teach children about cause and effect. Children consider possible solutions such as adding more flour to make the mixture more dough-like. Staff encourage children to test out their ideas and explore their findings.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the variety of opportunities children have to develop their growing independence, particularly during mealtimes.