Fylingdales Pre-School Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

A calm and nurturing environment awaits children at this pre-school. Children show emotional security as they confidently interact with others. Older children enter, barely having time to say 'goodbye' to their parents in their eagerness to join their friends. Younger children approach staff for cuddles and reassurance when needed.

Children show sustained interest in their play and have positive attitudes towards their learning. This helps children to make good progress from their starting points. Staff plan enjoyable activities that help children to develop their coordination and physical strength. For example, outside, children use trigger spray bottles filled with coloured water to make marks on paper. Inside, children make their own play dough, kneading all the ingredients together.

Meaningful relationships and bonds are built between staff and children. Staff are good role models, which helps children to have a good understanding of the pre-school's expectations. For instance, children play cooperatively with each other, share and take turns with minimal support. Staff encourage children to say 'please' and 'thank you' during snack time as they pass the prepared fruit to their friends and ask for some milk.

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

• Staff and leaders focus on the development of children's communication and language skills. They give children the time to think and answer questions. Children learn new vocabulary linked to the themes and topics they are exploring. For example, staff include the words 'incubator' and 'hatching' when talking about the chicken eggs that are coming to the setting soon. When children are developmentally ready, staff introduce children to letters and sounds that are familiar to them. However, on occasion, staff do not use correct strategies, particularly when they are introducing the letter sounds in children's names.
• Children develop a secure understanding of numbers and shapes. For instance, staff choose a number and shape of the week. Children confidently count from zero to ten and match numbers to the number line. Staff skilfully extend children's learning by asking questions or setting challenges. For example, they encourage children to count the picture of the blocks to help them understand the value of numbers. This helps children to develop a positive attitude to mathematics and problem solving.
• Staff use children's interests to build on the skills they already have and help them to develop further. For example, children use bucket scales to explore weight. Staff build on children's understanding of 'full' and 'empty' by introducing the concept of 'balance'. A stone is placed on one side and children are asked to add grain until the scales balance. Staff explain that this means 'the same' and 'equal'.
• Independence is promoted. Children put on their coats and are encouraged to wipe their own noses. They show pride in using tongs to self-serve during snack and mealtimes. Older children develop independence in their self-care skills. They learn to wash their hands before eating and use the toilet independently. However, at times, toddlers who have just started toilet training are not offered enough privacy as they use the potty within the main room.
• Staff engage and interact with children well. They capture and maintain children's attention during group activities. For example, toddlers are encouraged to take part in a colour matching activity. Staff and children discuss the different colours and are offered lots of praise when they successfully pick up objects with tweezers. Children smile and clap, showing that they are proud of their own achievements.
• Dedicated leaders continually reflect on practice to improve the quality of provision across all areas of learning. They have reviewed the curriculum and reconsidered the knowledge and skills they want children to have. For instance, staff are in the process of developing a vegetable patch to promote healthy lifestyles and to help children to understand where food comes from. A calming sensory room has been created with additional funds to support children's emotional needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the monitoring of staff's practice to evaluate their teaching skills when supporting children's communication skills
• provide the youngest children with privacy when using the potty to ensure children feel respected as they develop self-awareness of their bodies.