East Didsbury Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and well cared for at this safe and homely pre-school. Leaders give high priority to children's personal and social development. For example, staff support children to hang up their coat and put their lunch box in the designated area. Staff focus on getting to know children well and forming strong relationships with them. They spend time getting to know parents as well as their child. Staff provide a reassuring, and inclusive environment that helps children to settle quickly. Their interactions with children are nurturing and supportive. Staff help all children to achieve as much as they can. Children learn to follow instructions and the daily routine well. They know what is expected of them and their behaviour is good.

Children enjoy looking at books with staff. Staff read stories with enthusiasm. They use puppets and props which bring stories to life. Children listen and join in with excitement. This helps to foster a love of reading. Children enthusiastically play alongside staff, who extend their learning. For example, children explore as they make pretend pancakes by mixing sand and pouring water. Staff support children in their thinking. They ask questions to find out what children already know and praise children for their efforts. Children are confident to test out their ideas. These attitudes and behaviours equip them well for the next stage in their learning.

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

• Leaders prioritise the development of children's communication and language within the curriculum. Staff support children to be good communicators. They sing rhymes and link physical movements to vocabulary, such as when children jump during the 'jumping bean' song. Children delight in singing and moving. Their speaking skills are developing well.
• Assessment for all children is robust. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a secure knowledge of how best to support children, parents and staff. She uses effective strategies to identify emerging gaps in learning . The SENCo helps staff to support individual children's learning while seeking additional support from other professionals when necessary. This helps all children to receive the support they need.
• Staff promote children's physical development well. For example, during a yoga session, children demonstrate good listening skills and coordination. Staff encourage children to balance as they move their bodies into animal poses. This helps to build their strength and physical skills. Staff encourage children to follow good hygiene procedures, such as handwashing before mealtimes. Children are learning what contributes to their good health.
• Staff provide lots of good opportunities for children to learn about nature, growth and lifecycles. For instance, they enjoy digging in the soil and use their senses to explore the vegetables they find. This helps to support children to find out about where their food comes from.
• Staff are good role models. They encourage children to share resources and use their manners. They gently remind children of safety rules. For example, when children use the indoor climbing frame, staff explain to them that only four at a time can climb. Children are learning how to help themselves stay safe.
• At the end of each day, staff share information with parents about activities their children took part in and enjoyed. However, staff do not help all parents understand how they intend to build on their children's individual learning and how parents can contribute to this at home. This hinders the continuity in children's learning and progress.
• Staff broaden children's experiences. For instance, children enjoy lots of trips into the community, including to the library and local town centre. Staff take children to visit the local laundrette and shops, where they speak with shop owners and librarians. They also take children to visit the farm on a coach. Children are learning about the wider world as well as the community in which they live.
• Leaders and the staff team work well together. Staff have regular supervision meetings. They access professional development opportunities that directly benefit children, such as training in speech and language. However, leaders do not always provide individual staff with the precise feedback needed to help them implement the curriculum intentions as consistently as possible. Occasionally, some staff do not deliver activities in a way which builds on children's existing knowledge.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the information provided for parents, to help build on children's individual learning and involve all parents in children's continued learning at home
• build upon the systems for monitoring the quality of staff interactions with children, so that they receive more precise feedback which helps them strengthen the delivery of a well-sequenced curriculum.