Farcet Village Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children make good progress and enjoy their time in the welcoming pre-school. They play with resources that reflect their interests but also introduce them to new ideas, and ways of life. Children learn about what it is like to be a child in a different country as they explore a story about a child who lives abroad. They investigate different types of food that people may eat in other countries as they put them in a basket and try to balance the basket on their heads as they act out the story. Staff use these interesting items to encourage children to explore new language. For example, children have lively conversations about green and white pumpkins they have at pre-school. They compare these to pumpkins they see in a book, noticing that those are orange. They use scales to weigh them and use words to describe them, such as 'heavy' and 'smooth'.

Children enjoy exploring the engaging outdoor space and share their knowledge about the natural world, such as that slugs leave trails. They show their ability to solve problems as they adapt the environment as they set up logs and planks for obstacle courses. They discuss what different creatures may like, such as worms liking dark spaces, and apply this knowledge to habitats they build with logs and bricks. The children know how to fetch umbrellas when it begins to rain and bring these outside to continue playing.

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

• The manager and staff have a robust understanding of children's home lives and prior experiences. They are vigilant about any issues that may affect children's safety, or change their needs. They work closely with parents to ensure that they respond to any changes in children's circumstances that may affect their well-being or their ability to engage in different activities. Relationships with parents are given high priority. Staff use a range of effective strategies to engage parents in their children's development and learning and parents have strong praise for the care and education their children receive.
• The manager has secure oversight of the pre-school. She uses an effective programme of staff support and supervision that helps her to identify areas for development and drive improvements in practice. While some changes are at an early stage, she is keen to enhance the quality of the pre-school over time. The manager is aware of variations in staff practice. She is using a programme of professional development and support to help raise all teaching to a higher standard but this is not fully embedded.
• Children have worthwhile learning opportunities that help them develop. They are acquiring a broad vocabulary, self-confidence and the ability to follow their own interests and ideas. The manager is beginning to implement a curriculum which is based on staff's knowledge of children's home lives, what they can already do and what they already know. Staff are beginning to establish what children need to do next but do not always shape learning experiences to support all children's next steps for learning.
• Children enjoy their time at pre-school. They play happily alongside and with each other and enjoy taking turns to explore different materials and resources. For example, they look at how different ingredients combine to make dough. They add different materials to their dough, such as herbs and lolly sticks, to make different creatures out of dough. The curriculum for communication and language promotes children's developing speaking and listening skills. Staff support children who have any delays in speech. They make sure that children hear lots of spoken language. Staff repeat children's speaking, gently correcting any mispronunciation. They successfully encourage the language development of any child who speaks English as an additional language.
• The manager has established close links with other professionals who may be involved in children's lives. She works closely with local schools to support children who move on from pre-school. Staff use a range of effective strategies to support parents to help get their children ready to move to school. For example, they share 'school readiness kits' that help parents focus on building skills to support their children to move on. Children are acquiring the skills and attitudes to be successful in future learning, including at school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to sharpen the focus of the curriculum to help refine opportunities for children to learn, to support their best progress
• help staff to more consistently deliver learning experiences that link specifically to children's individual learning needs.