Fledglings Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time in this calm, welcoming setting. Whether attending the out-of-school club or the pre-school, children come in eagerly and are confident, secure and settled. Children mirror the positive attitudes of staff. They set themselves challenges and persevere at these. For example, after noticing a ladybird, children decide to draw this. They persist until they are happy with the body shape and spots, eagerly celebrating their success and congratulating one another.

Daily discussions and child-friendly displays support children to gain an understanding of their emotions. They show kindness to one another, for example, as they pass each other resources and take turns. Children learn about safety and are starting to take responsibility for this and for their work, in preparation for starting school. For example, children know why they need to be careful when using metal tacks and hammers, carefully putting these into trays when not in use. Children gain a good knowledge of how to keep themselves healthy. For instance, they use dental equipment as part of role play and discuss going to the dentist. Staff understand the possible ongoing effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns. They offer children additional support to help them develop social skills.

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

• The management team acted effectively to address the action set at their last inspection. Leaders now ensure that Ofsted is informed of new committee members so that their suitability can be checked. Staff report that they are well supported and that managers offer them practical support in completing training and gaining qualifications.
• Secure monitoring procedures support the manager in ensuring that all children make good progress. She quickly responds to any weaker areas in their learning and helps staff to take action to address these and enable children to take the next step in their learning. The manager has a good knowledge of each child and uses additional funding effectively to promote their development.
• Staff work well with other professionals. They exchange information and ensure that children's needs are understood. This particularly aids children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Furthermore, staff know the children well and confidently adapt their practice to meet children's needs. For example, they use visual aids and picture prompt cards to support communication and help children participate in the daily routines and opportunities.
• Staff take great care in supporting children's communication skills. They know the children well and talk with them about recent events in their lives. They offer children opportunities to talk in small groups, building children's confidence and helping them to understand how to listen to others and take turns in discussions. This particularly supports children who speak English as an additional language, and they make good progress in learning English.
• Children demonstrate an enjoyment of books and reading. Staff read with enthusiasm and emphasis, capturing children's interest. For example, children giggle with delight when listening to a story about a queue for the bathroom. They eagerly anticipate the ending, gleefully explaining that the octopus has eight hands to wash.
• Children are gaining a good appreciation of differences. For instance, they play with small-world resources, talking about the possible different families and discussing why some people may need a frame to help them when walking.
• Parents think highly of the setting and praise the staff, stating that they are 'amazing' and 'always do all they can for children'. Parents report that staff communicate well and support them in building further on their children's learning.
• Staff interact well with children and generally build on their skills and knowledge. For example, children develop early mathematical skills as a staff member encourages them to count the bricks they have stacked. However, at times, staff do not fully extend children's learning to the optimum level and ensure that they offer sufficient challenge to the most able children.
• The routines for children during periods of transition, such as when washing hands before lunchtime, are not always well organised. At this time, children become restless and some are unsure. This makes it difficult for children to remain settled and engaged.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to build further on children's learning so that they consistently promote children's knowledge and development to the optimum level, particularly for the most able children
• aid staff in better managing children's needs during periods of transition, such as when preparing for mealtimes.