Falconwood Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop strong relationships with staff. They greet each other with smiles and talk about their day. Children behave well. They understand the boundaries that are in place to keep them safe and listen well to instructions. Staff give gentle reminders of manners to children when they forget.

Children enjoy opportunities to improve their physical development. They learn to control their vehicles as they race around the outdoor area. They pretend to put out a fire by scooping water out of the tray and excitedly throwing it at the fence. They participate in regular sessions with a football coach and enjoy the opportunity to try horse riding at the end of each term.

Children have lots of opportunities to be creative. For example, they use the resources in the role-play area to make ice creams. They politely offer an ice cream to visitors and ask about their favourite flavour. Children move chairs to make a 'train' and chat about the journey they are going to take to the beach. The train driver collects tickets the children make using the different resources on offer. Children enjoy decorating biscuits using inspiration from the 'Gruffalo' story. They talk about his 'purple prickles' and 'poisonous wart' as they choose from a range of materials for decoration.

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

• Staff consistently remind children of the expectations of the pre-school, such as 'kind hands, walking feet' and 'listening ears'. They regularly praise children for their achievements. This helps to create a positive learning environment, where children are keen to have a go at a variety of activities.
• Staff know what the children can do and what they need to learn next. Managers ensure that additional funding for children is used well to target their specific needs. All children make good progress in relation to their individual starting points.
• Managers and staff successfully work in partnerships with parents. Parents say that they receive information about their children's progress, which helps them to support their children at home. They feel welcome at the pre-school and their children return home with lots of stories about their day. Staff have further supported parents by inviting them to a parenting workshop at the pre-school. The pre-school staff work closely with local schools and nurseries to ensure a smooth transition when the children move on.
• Staff plan the environment, so that children have opportunities to engage in an interesting range of learning experiences. They model, question and provide a narrative as they join children in their play. This provides challenge and creates purposeful learning experiences. Staff use stories about people from different backgrounds to ensure the children understand and respect that people have similarities and differences. This helps to build their own self-esteem.
• Generally, children develop their independence skills. For example, children open their own packed lunches and spread butter onto their toast at snack time. However, staff do not always plan activities to enable children to be more independent or encourage children to try to achieve something without support. As a result, children do not have the opportunity to consistently practise skills for independence throughout the day.
• Staff introduce mathematical vocabulary to children as they play. They encourage children to count fish as they find them buried in the sand. They describe shapes and count the number of sides together to make sure they have used the correct name. The children make tickets for their train journey, writing the numbers carefully and talking about which ticket is more expensive.
• There is a strong focus on improving children's language and communication across the pre-school. For example, the role-play area is set up to create opportunities for communication and to develop children's social skills. Staff focus on children's speech and language through songs and stories at group times. Children are confident communicators. They regularly join in with conversations and show good listening and attention skills.
• The manager values her team and gives them support and guidance. She utilises their strengths and identifies training to enhance their knowledge and skills. As a result, staff feel more confident in identifying areas where children may need additional help.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve consistency in how practitioners support children to develop their independence and self-help skills.