Foundations Community Pre-School Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, settled and show high levels of emotional well-being. Leaders and staff provide a wide range of activities to support children to understand and express their feelings. They quickly notice when children are struggling to regulate their emotions and offer support. For instance, they use comments such as 'I understand how you feel' and 'What can I do to help?' These positive interactions support children to develop the skills they need to manage their feelings and behaviours. Children are kind and caring. They notice when others may be feeling sad and often 'check in' to see if they are okay.

Children demonstrate a positive attitude to their learning. They are eager to explore and learn by trial and error as they seek out new challenges. For example, when using apparatus, they carefully position themselves safely and explore a variety of ways to move across these. Staff ensure they are close by for help if needed and frequently praise children for their efforts and achievements. These experiences help children to take age-appropriate risks and develop a 'can-do' attitude.

Children make good progress from their starting points. Leaders have constructed an ambitious curriculum to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop the skills they need for the future. Children successfully complete tasks independently, ask for help when needed and are enthusiastic to learn and find out new things.

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

• Leaders and staff are committed to providing high-quality, inclusive care and education for all children and their families. They collaborate closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children with SEND receive the targeted support they need to close any gaps in their learning.
• Leaders and staff place a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. They interact effectively with children, using simple words and sentences to support their understanding. Staff use repetition and clear pronunciation to help children to hear and learn the correct words. As a result, children with limited language skills are rapidly expanding their vocabulary. All children show a strong interest in stories, songs and rhymes and confidently express their needs through verbal and nonverbal communication.
• Overall, staff engage well with children, and teaching is effective. During activities, they ask children questions to check what they know, identify misconceptions and provide explanations. For instance, when children do not know why a spider spins a web, staff explain these are sticky and help the spiders to catch other insects. However, at times, staff do not notice when quiet and less-confident children need help to join in with activities. This means that occasionally these children do not fully benefit from the learning experiences provided.
• Leaders and staff promote children's health and well-being effectively. Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise as they play in the well-resourced outdoor environment. They understand the importance of following good hygiene routines and participate in activities to help them to keep themselves safe online. Parents are encouraged to provide healthy meals and snacks, and staff use mealtimes to talk to children about the importance of making healthy food choices. These positive experiences help to support children's physical and emotional health.
• Overall, children behave well. They demonstrate kindness and care towards others and engage in cooperative play. However, on occasion, staff do not always identify when some children become overly excited and adapt the routines in response to this. This results in brief periods of disruption, which impacts the learning environment for others.
• Leaders and staff have developed good relationships with parents. They ensure that they are included in all aspects of their children's care and learning. For example, through meetings and making suggestions on how learning can be supported at home. Parents express that they appreciate being kept informed about the various experiences their children enjoy. They comment on the significant progress their children have made since attending the pre-school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop their awareness and strategies for engaging quieter and less confident children during activities
• help staff to identify when children become overly excited and take timely action to adapt routines or provide calming strategies.