Fernlea Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate they feel happy and secure in this nurturing pre-school. They greet staff with a smile on arrival and confidently wave goodbye to their parents and carers. Children show strong relationships with their peers and quickly settle into activities alongside them. For example, they look through a book about reptiles and excitedly discuss the pictures they see. Staff show an interest in children's play and seize opportunities such as these to build on their existing knowledge. For example, children discuss why a chameleon changes colour and learn about different types of snakes.

Staff are positive role models and encourage children to think about their personal safety. For example, they calmly remind them not to run indoors and sensitively explain why. Children behave well, listen to staff and make their way outside to continue with their play.

Children confidently move between the indoor and outdoor play areas throughout the day. Older children show good independence skills. They put on their coats and change into their boots without support from staff. Those younger children new to the setting show high levels of self- assurance and ask for help when needed. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points.

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

• The manager regularly reflects on the provision to make improvements. Since the last inspection, she has worked closely with the committee to ensure all members are aware of their responsibility to carry out suitability checks, as required by Ofsted.
• The manager and staff know the children well. They plan a broad curriculum with experiences that focus on children's next steps and ongoing progress. For example, children enjoy games and activities that build on their understanding of number. However, children's mathematical development could be explored further, for example, by providing further learning experiences to help support their knowledge and understanding of shape, size and measure.
• Staff identify children who may need additional help or early intervention and agree support plans swiftly. They work closely with other professionals to ensure a collaborative approach to children's learning. The manager uses additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, appropriately.
• Children play cooperatively and show great imagination. For instance, they decide to make pretend soup and excitedly transport soil and natural resources from their mud kitchen into pots and pans. Children look through recipes and decide together what they will make. They willingly share utensils and follow picture instructions, which helps to build on their early reading skills.
• Parents speak well of the care that their children receive. They praise the manager's and staff's passion and high expectations for children. Parents comment positively on the progress their children have made and on the support they receive to continue their children's learning at home.
• Children gain good physical skills. They build on their stamina and show high levels of perseverance as they roll large tyres across the outdoor play area. They learn new skills as they use resources, such as balls and hoops, in diverse ways.
• Staff build on children's language and vocabulary well. For example, children learn new words, such as 'lighthouse,' as they read stories and play with related props. Where language barriers exist, staff use visual aids to support children's early communication skills. This includes children who speak English as an additional language.
• Staff promote children's health and well-being effectively. For instance, children delight in planting fruit and vegetable seeds, which helps to build on their understanding of where food comes from. They enjoy a variety of nutritious snacks and learn to make healthy choices.
• Staff work diligently to ensure children make good progress. They talk highly of the manager and say they feel valued. There are systems in place to monitor and discuss staff performance. However, there is less of a focus on identifying training needs, in order to develop staff's good knowledge, skills and practice further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the support for children to further develop their understanding of mathematics
• continue to build on the professional development and coaching of staff, to enhance their good practice and extend children's learning to the highest level.