Gorran Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this warm and friendly pre-school. They benefit from bespoke settling-in sessions that meet their personal needs. Staff provide dedicated support as they get to know children. They offer plenty of reassurance, attention and care. Children build close bonds with staff and new children settle quickly. Staff provide an ambitious and engaging curriculum that focuses on children developing important skills and attitudes, such as problem-solving, confidence and resilience in their learning. Children are proactive learners who show excitement and high levels of engagement in their play.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They teach children the behaviour rules of the pre-school and support children to be kind and helpful. For instance, children learn to fill other people's 'emotional buckets' through kindness and praise. Children talk about which acts fill the buckets and which do not. Children play harmoniously together and collaborate well. For example, children work together to create tunnels and hills in the sandpit and listen to the ideas of others. They find toy trucks for children who do not have one to make them happy. Children understand their responsibility to tidy away after their play and help in the pre-school. They view themselves and the staff at the pre-school as a team.

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

• Staff regularly observe and assess children. They identify gaps in children's learning and development quickly and provide impactful interventions. Funding for disadvantaged children is used effectively to meet the needs of the children. All children make good progress.
• Staff promote children's language and communication development. They talk to children and encourage them to answer questions. Staff repeat words to model correct pronunciation. They prompt children to share their own ideas and thoughts. Children talk about characters and stories in the pre-school and at home with parents, when they borrow books from the pre-school library. However, at times, staff do not fully extend children's vocabulary and introduce words beyond what they already know. For example, they do not model correct words to children when they say 'berries' for cherries and do not introduce unknown words, such as 'stalk', when children are preparing snacks.
• Staff place a high priority on supporting children to develop their independence. They ensure that the environment indoors and outdoors allows children to select their own resources and activities. Children put on their own coats and boots with minimal support. They learn to cut fruits and vegetables and prepare simple snacks, such as toast and grated cheese. Children select their own snacks and pour their own drinks without adults prompting. However, staff do not teach children how to recognise when nose blowing is needed and how to do this for themselves. They also do not talk to children about why we need to blow our noses and the need to minimise germs.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff work closely with parents and share regular updates on children's learning. They encourage parents to be actively involved in children's development and the learning at the pre-school. For instance, parents come into the setting for open day activities and join the staff with their families on beach cleans. Staff provide ideas and activities for parents to do at home with their children. Children benefit from this joint approach to their care. For instance, staff provide parents with healthy lunch ideas and offer cooked dinners from the school, when parents need this help.
• Leaders regularly support and supervise staff practice. Leaders and staff are passionate about providing high-quality care and learning for children. Training is selected to improve outcomes for the children who attend. For instance, recent training in mathematics has improved the quality of planning and interactions with children and led to greater rates of progress in children's mathematical development.
• Children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning, and transitions to school are a strength of the pre-school. Staff work closely with the leaders and teachers in the local school. They regularly join the school for events. They discuss aspects of the transitions that have not worked so well in the previous year and plan to support children. For example, settling-in sessions will now include children having opportunities to use the Reception toilets, so all children are confident to use these independently when they first start.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide further opportunities for children to hear, understand and learn new and advanced words beyond their current vocabulary
• support children to learn about good hygiene practices and why this is important, particularly for dealing with runny noses.