Gorefield Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and secure in this welcoming pre-school. They settle quickly and develop strong bonds with staff, who provide a friendly and nurturing environment. Children are confident and chat freely with the staff, who put children at the centre of all they do. Staff are responsive to children's wishes and interests. They engage in discussions to plan together a fun-filled day of stimulating play opportunities. For instance, children initiate a mini-beast hunt in the garden and staff introduce books for children to identify their finds. Children benefit from the experienced staff, who skilfully build on the children's interests to enhance and extend their play experiences. For example, following a story about pirates, staff help children to create treasure maps and engage in a game of hide-and-seek for treasure. Children thoroughly enjoy the playful interactions they receive from the staff.

Children have a positive attitude to learning and enthusiastically engage in activities. Staff provide a good balance of opportunity for both child-led and adult-led activities. Children listen intently to instructions while learning new skills, such as using hand-drills, saws and hammers as they engage in woodwork. Staff help children to be independent in their play and allow them to explore and combine materials. For instance, children play with dough in the home-corner, which they use to create meals that staff happily pretend to eat. Children behave well and staff help children to learn the language of emotions. This helps children to regulate their behaviours.

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

• Staff organise the pre-school exceptionally well. They maximise opportunities for children to make choices and actively lead their own learning. For instance, children access boxes and large tubes. They add craft materials and play cooperatively together as they construct a pirate ship. Staff are careful to follow the children's lead and allow them to direct the play. This helps to promote children's creativity and remain engaged in the play experience.
• Staff provide children with exciting opportunities to develop and strengthen their large and small muscles. For example, they dig, rake, shovel and steer wheelbarrows to transport items around the garden. Staff support younger children to balance as they make their way around an obstacle course. They hold younger children's hands then encourage them to try it independently. In addition, staff teach children techniques to support their independent use of tools such as scissors and knives.
• The experienced staff promote children's literacy exceptionally well. The pre-school have invested in a literacy corner in the outdoor area for children that prefer outdoor learning. Children access a wide choice of text to support their play. For instance, they have recipe books in the home-corner and non-fiction text alongside activities. Children enjoy well-read stories that staff skilfully enhance with planned play opportunities to help to bring books to life.
• Children's communication and language development is supported well. Staff are good role models, and they provide back-and-forth conversations throughout the day. For example, children discuss where the fruit grows that they enjoy at snack time and if they taste 'sweet' or 'tangy'. Staff ask children questions and comment on their play. However, staff are not always ambitious with the language they use when talking with children to extend their vocabulary.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by staff. They work closely with other professionals and implement targeted support for children who require additional help with their development. For instance, they incorporate strategies to promote children's skills in communication. Staff share these strategies with parents. This helps to ensure children make the best possible progress.
• Parents speak highly of the staff and value the support they provide. They comment on the progress their children make and how they enjoy their time spent at the pre-school. Parent's describe the staff as 'going above and beyond' in the support they provide. They appreciate the regular feedback about their children's development and the activities they share with parents to support their children's learning at home.
• The manager ensures that staff have regular supervision meetings where they can discuss their key children. The manager supports her staff well to improve their professional skills and to provide good-quality interactions to support children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's understanding and practice about how to help children develop a wide and varied vocabulary.