Fazeley Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are welcomed by the friendly staff and transition smoothly into their day. They find their name as they arrive and self-register confidently. Children smile and wave as they separate from their parents with ease. They independently remove their coats and shoes before exploring the pre-school. Children are highly respectful, and staff are effective role models. This helps children to behave well and engage politely with each other. Children are excited by the broad, challenging and inspiring curriculum that allows them to lead their own play with confidence. Children develop an interest in nature. Staff have created an exceptionally well-organised natural woodland environment for children to extend their physical development and learn to explore the outdoors.

Children's language and communication skills are supported well. Staff promote plenty of opportunities that allow children to look at books and listen to stories. They successfully capture children's interest during their daily book talk session, to help them learn about the story in more depth. Children take turns to describe the characters of the book. For example, they talk about the sheepdog using his nose to sniff things out, and the pig has a curly tail and a big tummy. This helps to develop children's enthusiasm for books and supports their early literacy skills.

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

• Leadership and management are strong. The manager has a well-established curriculum in place to ensure that staff can build on what children know and can do. The manager ensures that the curriculum is child-led with some adult direction to build on children's starting points.
• The manager ensures that staff's well-being and professional development are supported and monitored regularly. Staff benefit from regular supervision, appraisals and staff meetings. This supports staff to maintain good practice. Although the manager recognises that not all staff are confident in their teaching, she has not yet provided staff with targeted training or coaching to enhance their practice to an even higher level.
• Staff know the children well, and the key-person system is effective. They ensure that they focus on children's learning and prepare them well for school. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported extremely well by experienced staff.
• Staff work in partnership with other agencies to ensure that children get the best start in their learning, and they use funding to target areas of development. For example, the manager ensures that additional funding is used to purchase dance lessons to support children's physical skills and provide individual support to children who need it most. As a result, children with SEND and disadvantaged children make good progress.
• Children eat a wide variety of healthy, nutritious snacks and assist staff to prepare strawberries, bananas and watermelon. They learn how to be safe with utensils to chop the fruit ready for their friends.
• Children have opportunities to learn about the wider world through visits and outings in the community, such as to the local allotment and canal to feed the ducks. Staff help children to learn about equality and diversity through celebrations of festivals throughout the year. However, staff could do more to enhance opportunities for children to share their own cultures and traditions.
• The manager and staff have strong partnerships with parents. Parents value the support and work staff do with their children. They are regularly updated about their child's development and progress through regular parents' evenings and events. Parents report that communication is highly effective. Parents are appreciative of the fantastic and amazing staff for their love and care for every child.
• Staff have positive links with the local primary school. They meet with school staff to share relevant information. Staff visit school with children, attend school events and have effective systems in place to support children to transition on to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• explore ways to build on good practice, such as by focusing professional development opportunities to further enhance teaching skills to extend children's learning to the highest level
• increase opportunities for children to share their own cultures and backgrounds to help children develop a deeper understanding of other families, communities and traditions.