Goxhill Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children make good progress at this inclusive and nurturing pre-school. They develop close bonds with staff, who get to know the children and their interests very well. Children enjoy a range of activities that build on their prior experiences. For example, children explore a small-world farm. This reinforces their understanding of the vocabulary of farm animals and their babies. Children develop their imaginations as they pretend to go on holiday and cook pizzas in the camping role-play area.

Children understand the routines of the setting. For example, they automatically wash their own hands when they know it is snack time. Children's independence skills grow as they butter their own toast. They learn strategies for how to put on their own coats. Behaviour in the pre-school is good. Children listen to the instructions of staff and help to keep the setting tidy and organised. For example, children are keen to help sweep the floor at tidy-up time.

Children receive daily opportunities to be physically active. They access the secure field in the neighbouring school to run and climb. Children learn to take risks and manage their own safety under the close supervision of staff. These opportunities support children to become confident in their abilities.

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

• Staff support children to develop their communication skills in a variety of ways. They commentate on children's play and offer choices to develop their understanding of words. Staff repeat words and sentences back to children. This helps younger children learn to pronounce words correctly and builds their knowledge of language. However, older children are not consistently challenged through conversations to develop their thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Children take part in daily story-time sessions. The manager encourages parents to enrol in a scheme in which their child receives one new book each month. Children take home 'Chatterpacks'. These include a book and props for children to share at home with their parents. This supports children in developing a love for reading.
• Children use mathematical language, such as 'more', 'less' and 'full' when scooping sand to make sandcastles. They count to five as they put each spoonful of sand into a cup. The manager has identified that some children need further support to recognise numbers. Staff have displayed numbers in the learning environment to support children in this next step.
• Staff sensitively help children to resolve conflicts. They use the language of emotions to talk about how children's actions can make others feel. For example, staff remind children that name-calling can make their friends feel upset. Children learn to acknowledge the feelings of others and develop a sense of right and wrong.
• The pre-school has close links with the neighbouring primary school. Staff share and receive information about children's progress and next steps with teachers from the school. Staff read books about starting school and show children their new uniform to prepare them for the next stage of their education.
• Parents speak highly of the pre-school. They say that their children are happy and praise staff for how they have supported their child. Parents receive detailed information about their children's learning and experiences. They know their children's next steps and how to best to support their child at home. This ensures that children consistently make good progress.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive high levels of support. Staff work closely with the local authority and portage workers to support children in achieving their next steps. They ensure that all children feel included in all aspects of pre-school life. Staff teach children strategies to help them communicate their needs with staff and their peers.
• The manager has an excellent oversight of the setting. She builds strong relationships with the other staff members. The manager and staff regularly discuss and evaluate their practice. However, training and development needs for staff are not always targeted enough to raise the standard of teaching to an even higher level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further enhance teaching skills to challenge older children and develop their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
• strengthen supervision systems to identify professional development targets more precisely, to help raise staff practice to an even higher level.