Frisby Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the pre-school and confidently leave their parents at the gate. They show that they feel safe and secure. For instance, children select toys and resources that interest them and they settle quickly. Children show good hand and eye coordination when they pour water from a teapot into a cup and use paint and pencils to draw pictures. Children demonstrate positive relationships with staff. They snuggle on to staffs' knees to listen to a story and talk to staff about the images they see on the pages. Children behave well and learn to take turns. For instance, when children play with toys, they say to each other, 'That one is for you and that is for me.'

Children show a positive attitude to learning; they listen well to staff and follow instructions. For example, when staff ask them to, children find ingredients that are on a recipe card to make a pretend 'Pine Cone Pie'. Children look for pine cones, mud and water, add these to a saucepan and mix the ingredients together. Children are physically active and move their bodies in different ways. For instance, when staff ask them to pretend to be a tree, children show good balance, when they stand on one leg and put their arms in the air.

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

• Staff remind children of the rules and boundaries in the pre-school, for example staff ask children to use 'walking feet' indoors. Staff encourage children to use good manners and to be polite, such as saying please and thank you, when they receive food at snack time.
• The provider and staff plan and deliver the curriculum effectively to encourage children's development. One example of this is when staff support children to extend their vocabulary and to learn what words mean. Staff introduce new words, such as 'architect', and explain to children about what the occupation involves.
• Staff are enthusiastic and keen to engage and interact in children's play. However, on occasions, staff lead play too much and this does not allow children time to explore their own thoughts and ideas.
• The provider supports her staff through regular supervision meetings. This helps staff to reflect on their teaching practice and to identify professional development opportunities. Staff are in the process of completing Forest School Level 3 training. They say that this training gives them confidence to provide opportunities for children to use real woodworking tools, and to help children to learn how they can keep themselves safe when they use tools. For instance, staff supervise children closely and talk to them about how to use a hammer safely and how to identify the sharp blade on a hand saw.
• Children have experiences to learn about how fruit and vegetables grow. They help staff to plant and grow courgettes, strawberries and pumpkins in the pre-school garden. However, staff do not always give children consistent messages to help them to understand about healthy food choices and how this links to a nutritious diet.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff support parents to continue children's learning at home, to support them to be more independent. Staff have recently shown parents a way that they can use to support their children to put on their coats. Since doing this, staff have noticed an improvement in children's ability to do this on their own.
• When children first start, staff find out from parents about their home-life experiences. From this information, staff identified that some children had few opportunities to be involved in messy play activities at home. Because of this, staff provide these opportunities for children in the pre-school, for example children explore different textures and to talk about how they feel. Children put their hands in foam, mud and water. They say that the foam is 'very slippery'.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well in the pre-school. Staff work with parents and other professionals to promote children's individual needs, such as developing their speaking skills. The provider liaises with parents to discuss how additional funding can be used to support children's development. For some children, funding is used to provide extra sessions for them to attend, to promote consistency in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's ability to provide more time for children to think and to have their own ideas during play
• support staff to give children clear messages to help them develop an understanding of healthy food choices.