Exton Road Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and have fun at the pre-school. This is evident when children settle quickly as soon as they arrive. Staff recognise that due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, some children have not socialised widely with others. To support children with their social skills, staff have changed routines to maximise the time children of all age groups can play together. Children are well behaved. They play with their friends cooperatively, interact well, share resources, and wait to take turns.

The managers and staff have high expectations for what all children can achieve, regardless of their individual circumstances. They work closely with other early years professionals and provide support to help close any gaps in children's learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from the calm and considered environment and staff support their individual needs closely. All children enjoy the wide variety of experiences on offer and make good progress from their developmental starting points.

Children play in a clean and safe environment. They follow regular personal hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before they eat and after playing outdoors. Staff have heightened this practice due to COVID-19.

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

• Children take part in a well-planned educational programme across all areas of learning. The managers identify that children enjoy a wide range of real-life resources and so this is a big focus of the pre-school. Staff work hard to create an exciting and stimulating environment, which children explore eagerly, demonstrating curiosity in their surroundings. For instance, children slice lemons and limes carefully, use tongs skilfully to put slices into glass jugs and scoop juice using spoons to add to their mixture.
• Staff support children's communication skills and speech well. Children listen as staff read aloud their favourite stories. They finish sentences and call out the different parts of a caterpillar, such as the 'abdomen'. Staff work effectively with outside agencies, such as speech and language therapists. This enables them to share helpful ideas and strategies with parents. Children develop good levels of vocabulary in the language rich environment.
• The managers work alongside staff, sharing their ambitious vision for children's learning. They observe staff's practice regularly to review the quality of teaching and provide general feedback. Overall, the quality of teaching is good, however, it is not always consistent. Sometimes staff do not adapt their teaching to offer more challenge for children, to build on what they already know and can do.
• Although parents now drop their children off outside due to the pandemic, staff still make sure they have time to talk and share information at the door. Parents provide positive comments about the pre-school. They appreciate the high levels of care and attention provided to children and the support given to develop children's social skills. Staff provide parents with detailed information regarding their children's progress.
• Staff give children lots of opportunities to practise new physical skills, such as yoga. Children experiment balancing on one leg by holding a nearby climbing frame and other similar stretching and balancing activities.
• Children enjoy working together to build towers from bricks. They develop early mathematical skills as they count how many bricks accurately. Staff encourage children to use a broad range of language in these activities, such as 'wide and high, sturdy and strong'.
• The managers ensures that children receive any additional funding they are entitled to. Staff target spending to meet children's individual learning needs. For example, they purchase equipment so that children can practise and strengthen their physical skills. However, they are not regularly reviewing the effectiveness of how this money is used, to successfully close any gaps in learning.
• The managers are passionate about staff and parents' well-being. For example, they provide packs that give out tips for positive well-being. This helps staff feel valued and part of the team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase the focus on staff's professional development to help to raise the quality of teaching even higher
• improve monitoring of additional funding that children receive, to help them make the best possible progress in their learning.