Exley Head Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The manager and staff provide a very nurturing and inclusive pre-school where children and families are at its heart. Consistent staff provide a wonderful welcome, nurturing care and a secure environment. Children enter pre-school eagerly and confidently post their individual name card in the box. They settle quickly, are happy and feel safe. Children are kind, take turns and behave well. They respond positively to the consistent boundaries that staff gently provide.

Staff provide plenty of uninterrupted time for children to play and explore. Children are confident and develop high levels of concentration. They make pictures using conkers and paint, and they delight in the patterns they make. Overall, staff have high expectations of children. They provide just enough support to help them succeed. Children display good recall skills as they enthusiastically sing songs and rhymes. Staff are ambitious for children. They teach children how to play traditional games such as 'The Farmer's in the Den'. Children wait patiently until it is their turn to be chosen.

Staff recognise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children who were born during this time. They ensure that any gaps in children's development are supported. Staff provide book bags for children to borrow. They include information to help parents support their child's early reading skills at home.

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

• Staff go above and beyond to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is a real strength of the pre-school. Staff are swift to identify any concerns in children's development. They provide one-to-one support to help children develop new skills. Staff work closely with a range of other professionals and implement planned programmes of support. They undertake training to administer the important medication that children need.
• Children are interested in books and know how to use them. They concentrate well as they use the pictures as prompts to retell stories. Staff support children's literacy skills extremely well. They use very expressive voices that bring stories to life. Staff capture children's interest and leave spaces for them to join in. Children listen intently. They correctly predict what happens next when listening to the story 'Dear Zoo'. Children are imaginative and use ideas from stories in their play. They delight in striding around outdoors pretending to be 'giants'.
• Staff use seasonal themes to plan and sequence what they want children to learn. Children enthusiastically explore the sand, sticks, pine cones and dinosaurs. They describe what the dinosaurs are doing. Staff reinforce what children say. However, they do not consistently build on children's existing understanding of the world. For example, they do not help children to know the names of the different dinosaurs or to understand that the sun dries the water pictures they paint outside.
• Parents speak highly of the pre-school and value the support they and their children receive. They are kept well informed about their children's learning through daily discussions and written records of learning. Parents describe how staff create a 'very welcoming atmosphere'. They are pleased with their children's progress. Parents state that 'staff genuinely care about the children and are really amazing'. Parents highly recommend the pre-school to others.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They are swift to identify and act on any concerns regarding children's speech and language development. Staff repeat what children say and gently reinforce their language by using the correct pronunciation. Children speak confidently and describe how the water is 'dripping off the step'. Staff spontaneously sing rhyming songs. Children are interested in words that rhyme and show their understanding of words that rhyme with 'gone'.
• Children are highly motivated and physically active. They energetically push ride-on cars around the garden and delight as they roll down the slope. Children also climb competently on the climbing frame. They display good spatial awareness and develop good balance, coordination and control of their bodies. Staff provide encouragement as children practise their physical skills, and they help them to succeed. They ensure that children have plenty of space to move and daily opportunities to challenge their physical capabilities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen teaching to ensure that all staff consistently build on children's existing knowledge to further extend their understanding of the world.