Gillingham Early Years

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to come into the pre-school. They are warmly welcomed and helped to settle in by the staff. Consistent routines, such as self-registering, putting away belongings and ringing the bell for snack time, provide a sense of security and predictability. This supports children's emotional well-being, while teaching them to follow the pre-school's rules and confidently navigate their daily activities.

Children benefit from positive interactions with staff who know them well. Children lead their play while staff support and expand their knowledge. For example, when searching for minibeasts in the garden, staff help children identify what they find. Children listen attentively to instructions and engage in the activity for prolonged periods of time. When staff ask questions, they allow children the opportunity to recall prior learning and build on their knowledge. Staff support children by extending their language. For example, they introduce new words, such as 'burrow', as children dig, looking for worms in the garden.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Children generally behave well as they have clear and consistent boundaries. When children do struggle to regulate, staff use appropriate strategies to help support them.

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

• The curriculum is well designed, with a focus on encouraging children to become independent learners. Children know how to access different resources to help them adapt and change their play. This helps boosts their self-esteem and confidence as they experience the satisfaction of accomplishing tasks on their own. The variety of activities on offer fosters a love for learning, helping children discover their interests and strengths.
• There are many different opportunities for children to develop their physical strength through play. For example, outside they practice climbing, running and reaching up high to paint fence panels with brushes and water. Children use plastic syringes to draw up water from the tuff tray and dispense it into small jars. Practising their fine and gross motor skills helps prepare children for the next stage of learning, such as writing.
• Staff engage well with children as they play. However, they do not consistently focus on the specific learning objectives for individual children during their interactions. This limits the speed at which some children make progress in their learning.
• Children develop a love of reading and books through the repetition of stories and songs. Staff use props alongside stories to engage and broaden children's knowledge. For instance, during story time, staff use props. This prompts children to think about counting and days of the week as well as what comes next. Children clearly enjoy the story as they repeat familiar phrases from the book and predict what will happen next.
• The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective. Staff work closely with parents and other agencies to ensure children receive the support they need. Their plans and interactions are specifically tailored to meet the individual needs of the children. For example, they find alternative ingredients when cooking with the children and during messy play. This ensures that all children are seamlessly included in all activities.
• Leaders are committed to delivering positive outcomes for the children and their families. They go above and beyond to ensure children receive the inclusive care they deserve. Staff speak encouragingly about the support they receive. They express they are encouraged to pursue training that enhances their professional growth. This benefits the care and education children receive.
• Parents explain how staff take on board their children's individual personalities. This helps children to value themselves and their understanding of what makes them unique. They have every confidence in the staff and are very grateful for their diligence and hard work. This helps foster trusting partnerships which encourages greater parental involvement and support for children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen teaching practice to ensure that children receive consistent high-quality interactions to enhance their learning further.