Galmpton Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and demonstrate they feel safe and secure at the preschool. They arrive eager to play and happily leave their parents at the gate outside. Staff carefully plan the environment and children enjoy an interesting curriculum.

Children are relaxed and move confidently around the preschool. They make independent choices about their play. They are curious and investigate the wide range of resources available to them. For example, children explore natural materials such as straw and use a magnifying glass to search for pretend insects. Children develop early social skills as they engage in conversations with those around them. They are proud of their achievements and hold up a spider to show their friends what they found in the sensory tray.

Children's behaviour is good. They have a good understanding of what staff say and follow instructions well. Each morning, children come together for group registration. Staff encourage children to join in and praise their efforts as children confidently sing their favourite song to the group. Children are beginning to recognise their names and those of their friends as they self-register each morning. Some children are beginning to distinguish the sounds of different letters. These opportunities help to prepare children for the eventual move to school.

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

• The manager and staff provide a well-thought-out curriculum for all children. It is carefully planned and structured to build on what children already know and can do. Staff support children to consistently build a depth of knowledge over time.
• Staff provide a broad range of experiences for children to learn about the natural world and living things. For example, children are currently learning about the life cycle of a frog. They investigate how frogspawn become tadpoles before growing into frogs. Staff support children to make links to the growth of different living things, such as humans and plants.
• Staff quickly identify any children who may benefit from additional support. They monitor children's progress, and action plans with achievable next steps for learning are put in place to help children achieve to the best of their ability. The pre-school liaises with outside agencies and seeks additional support and advice.
• Staff provide an inviting reading area with a wide range of books and props to develop children's love of stories and books. They revisit stories and discuss the characters and their favourite parts of the book. Children listen attentively as staff enthusiastically read to them. They enjoy telling their version of familiar stories to their friends and repeat familiar phrases within their play.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. They encourage children to participate in everyday discussions and talk to them about what they are doing as they play. However, at times, children do not always learn the correct way to say words as staff sometimes do not use the correct pronunciation.
• Children display high levels of independence. They take responsibility for completing tasks for themselves and are keen to show their achievements to staff and visitors. However, on occasions, staff's questioning techniques are not always effective. This is because staff do not always give children enough time to think and respond to the questions asked as they quickly answer the question for them.
• The pre-school helps to support continuity for the families that attend. This is because it has served the community for many years, with generations of families attending and staff working at the pre-school for many years.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff share information about children's learning and development in a range of ways. The pre-school has recently introduced a 'lending library' to support children and parents to read at home together. Parents speak highly of the pre-school and feel well-informed about children's learning. They comment on how quickly children settle and value the wide range of exciting activities available.
• The management team strives to make the pre-school the best it can be for the children and families who attend. Staff comment on the approachable nature of managers and say they feel happy and supported in their role.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently model the correct pronunciation of words to enhance children's growing vocabulary and communication skills
• provide children with even more time to think and respond to support them to work things out for themselves and extend their learning.