Great Bowden Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they feel secure with the caring staff. They seek out staff for cuddles and reassurance when needed. Staff listen to children's conversations carefully and respond warmly. They provide good support for children's emotional well-being. For instance, they encourage children to think about their emotions, using 'colour monsters' to represent feelings. Children say, 'I feel blue and I want to feel yellow.' Staff help children to build their resilience and start to manage their own behaviour. They are positive role models who are kind and respectful.

Staff want children to develop their independence. For example, children practise pouring drinks at snack time. They serve fruit and vegetables for themselves. Children find their name cards to place on the table while they eat, and replace them in a basket afterwards. Staff encourage children to help with tidying away resources. Children are eager to carry out tasks and show a sense of belonging in the welcoming setting.

Staff prioritise the development of children's communication and language skills. For example, they sit with children at meal times and talk about different foods that they are eating. They introduce new words, such as 'shiny', to add to children's vocabulary. Staff provide a commentary for children's play so that they can hear and recall different words. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), gain the basic skills they need for the next stage of their learning.

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

• Staff read to children in small groups throughout the day in the cosy book area. Children snuggle up to staff and listen intently to their favourite stories. They develop a love of books. This helps to support the good development of children's early literacy skills.
• Children confidently make choices as they access a wide range of exciting resources that motivate them to learn. For example, they delight in wrapping up toys with Christmas paper and sticky tape. They work out how much paper and tape they will need with the help of staff. Children practise counting forwards and backwards during activities, including number rhymes. This supports their early mathematical skills.
• The pre-school has recently changed their planning to help ensure that intended learning outcomes for all activities are clear. However, staff have not yet evaluated the impact of new planning strategies to inform consistently precise next steps for children.
• Staff carry out research to bring new ideas to the pre-school experiences. They attend training that helps them to gain new skills or refresh their knowledge. However, support given through supervision is not as strongly targeted on responding to individual staff's needs.
• Children benefit from outdoor play in the fresh air daily. Staff provide good support for the development of children's physical skills. Children climb, run, skip and turn during games. Indoors, they flatten and shape dough to make 'pancakes', exercising their fingers and hands. These are examples of activities that help children to practise their gross and fine motor skills.
• Parents feel well-informed about children's experiences and the progress they are making. They understand how they can help children to continue learning at home. Parents say that they enjoy attending events such as 'sing-alongs' at the pre-school.
• Staff understand the importance of working with other agencies. They have experience of caring for children with SEND and those whose home language is not English. They work closely with other professionals to support children's learning and development and smooth transitions to school.
• Children follow routines that are illustrated in pictures. They cooperate well as they play together. They learn to share and take turns because staff teach these skills during play. However, some group times are less successful in engaging children fully. This is because staff do not organise them as effectively to ensure children are fully prepared and ready for learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the impact of teaching and learning to better inform the planning of precise next steps for children
• strengthen the existing supervision arrangements for staff, to focus more strongly on supporting their individual support needs
• enhance the organisation of group activities to ensure that children are fully engaged throughout.