Frampton Community Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are sociable with their peers and show positive relationships with staff. These close attachments help to develop children's confidence and feelings of security. Staff introduce visitors to the children and explain that they have come to visit and are safe to speak with. This clarification results in children welcoming visitors and engaging positively with them.

Staff get to know children well from the start and build on their individual needs. Consequently, all children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress. Children learn through a balance of adult-led activities and child-initiated play. Staff have recognised from their assessments that children need help to develop their speaking skills. They offer group activities to target this learning. For example, children thoroughly enjoy taking it in turns to choose a toy related to a rhyme and then singing the rhyme.

Children behave well and show good social skills. Staff thank children for using good manners, helping them to understand what is expected of them. Children play exceptionally well alongside their friends. Children are keen to play and interact with the activities and resources staff offer them. This helps children to have a positive attitude to learning. Staff develop children's interest as they play. For example, they hide animals in the sand and children have to guess what the animal is from given clues.

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

• The manager has great respect for her staff team. She comments that they are a small team who get on well together and have the children's well-being at the heart of everything they do. As a consequence, they give outcomes for children a high priority.
• The manager knows children well and ensures that she uses any funding effectively to help children to make good progress. A recent example is the purchase of a book trolley. Staff encourage parents to take books from the trolley home to read with their children.
• Staff develop children's communication well. They use a variety of methods to interact with children. As staff play alongside children, they use a narrative to describe what they are doing as it is happening. Staff use sign language alongside the spoken word to include children who do not speak and children with limited language.
• Staff offer a well-planned environment with plenty of meaningful learning opportunities. Children readily welcome adults to play alongside them. However, occasionally, staff do not extend the most able children's learning. For example, staff drew a circle using water and told children that it would disappear in the sun, rather than challenging the children to draw on their own knowledge or think about what might happen.
• Staff plan a range of curriculum activities to help children to develop the skills they need for school, such as independence. For example, during the term before they go to school, children take part in physical education sessions, when staff teach them to dress and undress independently.
• Children's mathematical development is progressing very well. For example, children watch mesmerised as staff engage them in a whole-group activity to learn about shapes. Children anticipate what shape will appear out of the bucket next. They watch in awe and wonder when staff spark their interest. As staff magically make shapes appear using flour and a sieve, children shout, 'Again, again.'
• Staff help children to quickly learn about the expectations for behaviour. They follow a consistent approach and give children clear instructions, so that they know what to do. For example, during carpet time, staff reinforce the rules in a child-friendly way. They ask, 'Do we run at pre-school?' Children laugh and reply, 'No, we walk.'
• Respectful relationships between staff and children are evident; this is especially noticeable in children with SEND. For instance, staff adapt activities and ensure children with SEND are fully included in the pre-school session. This helps to positively build their self-confidence.
• Children learn about different festivals and celebrations, such as Easter and Chinese New Year. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff have not resumed their programme of education to support children to develop a strong awareness of people and communities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's teaching to ensure that children consistently benefit from challenging learning opportunities
• improve the programme of education for children to learn about people and communities beyond the pre-school.