Glenhills Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to leave their parents when they arrive and they enter the pre-school with big smiles. Cheerful staff welcome them and give them a genuine greeting, using their names. Children are clear on the consistent arrival routine. They hang up their coats, sanitize their hands and find their photos. This contributes to them having a sense of belonging and helps them to learn what makes them unique and valued. Children show good levels of confidence and that they feel safe. They are eager to talk to visitors about what they have made. For example, they discuss making a 'zombie mask' and later proudly show visitors their creation. This demonstrates a sense of security within the pre-school.

Children learn how to problem solve. Staff encourage them to develop their own ideas while exploring different shapes of wood to make a table. This supports children to concentrate on achieving something and to keep on trying, when things do not immediately work out. Children's self-esteem is boosted when staff give them a 'high five' when they achieve their goal. Children behave well and are familiar with what is going to happen next. They respond quickly to the tidy-up song and willingly help staff to put the toys away before lunchtime. This helps them to develop a sense of responsibility.

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

• The manager and staff are clear about what they want children to know and learn at the pre-school. Staff know their key children well and can say exactly what each child needs to learn next, to make further progress. The current focus for learning is to support children's emotional well-being when they first start and communication and language. Staff plan the environment to encourage both these learning intentions. For instance, children relish the opportunity to play with familiar small world figures. This prompts rich conversations with staff and their friends. Children develop their speaking and social skills.
• Staff are calm and patient when speaking to the children. They use fair and consistent messages to encourage children to take turns, share and play with their peers. For example, children learn that when a sand timer ends it is their turn to have a toy. Children develop friendships and show kindness towards each other.
• Staff are aware that children spend time, occasionally, travelling in cars and pushchairs and less time walking. At the pre-school, children have many opportunities to be active to support their health and well-being. For instance, children balance and move along an obstacle course and jump in and out of tyres. This contributes well to children developing their balance and coordination.
• The manager provides regular opportunities for staff to have one-to-one meetings with her and to access training and further their professional development. However, the feedback staff receive is not yet focused fully on raising the quality of their performance even higher. Consequently, staff are not supported fully in how to improve the quality of their teaching to benefit children.
• Staff provide children with good opportunities to become more outgoing with unfamiliar people. For instance, children enjoy sessions with a sports coach and they relish the chance to visit the on-site community library and café. This helps them to develop confidence in new social situations.
• Staff plan the environment, indoors and outdoors, with resources that interest the children. For example, outdoors, children thoroughly enjoy painting and exploring diggers in the soil. However, the learning environment inside is overwhelming with many toys and resources. Consequently, children do engage but are often looking at what else they can play with, as there is so much choice and they flit between resources.
• Staff read books in an animated and exciting voice. This helps children to remain engaged in the story. Children join in with repeated phrases with great delight. This helps to promote children's literacy skills and to develop a love of books.
• Staff have high expectations of children and help them to develop the necessary skills for their future learning. They encourage pre-school children to write their name on their artwork. They form letters and enjoy being creative. Children proudly present their efforts to staff and visitors. This contributes to their early writing skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide staff with more specific feedback during supervisions to raise the quality of education to an even higher level
• support staff to review the organisation of indoor resources to promote children's engagement more effectively during child-led play.