Great Tew Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, safe and settled in this welcoming pre-school. They behave well and learn to take turns. Children demonstrate positive relationships with staff. For instance, they snuggle with staff to listen to a story and talk about the images they see on the pages. Staff have a secure knowledge of the children's needs and what they want them to learn. They consistently praise the children for their achievements. This helps children to develop their confidence and self-esteem.

Children show positive attitudes to learning. They benefit from daily fresh air and exercise. Children cannot wait for the doors to open and to be able to play outside. They wrap up warm and independently put on their coats and shoes for the icy weather. Children learn first-hand experiences about the natural world. They are delighted to observe the ice melting and use mini hammers to break the coloured ice in the tray. Children develop good physical skills as they move their bodies in different ways. For instance, they strengthen their muscles and develop their balance as they stretch and make different yoga positions. Children practise physical skills that will eventually support their early writing. For example, they handle various tools, knead and roll the dough, and use rods to find magnets hidden in the sand. This helps to develop children's smaller muscles and coordination.

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

• Overall, staff plan and deliver the curriculum effectively to encourage children's interests and development. Staff support children to extend their vocabulary. For example, staff introduce new words such as 'multicoloured' and explain to help children understand what this means.
• Staff are enthusiastic and keen to engage and interact in children's play. However, on occasion, staff do not focus clearly on the intended learning for the activity. This means that some elements of the learning are missed and staff do not maximise learning opportunities for all children.
• Children are highly motivated and have good opportunities to develop a love of books. They enjoy looking at a varied range of books by themselves or with staff. Children benefit from a book lending scheme so that every child has the chance to share their favourite books with their parents at home.
• Children learn about colours and numbers when they play and through general opportunities throughout the day. They learn mathematical concepts, such as 'full and empty' and 'more and less', as they fill their buckets with sand and ice. Children are enthusiastic and engaged in their learning.
• Staff have supervision meetings and they regularly attend training. They comment that they feel valued and are well supported in their roles. They are conscientious and enjoy working at the pre-school. The manager models, and observes, staff practice. However, these observations are not focused enough on how staff deliver the curriculum, to enable regular feedback on their performance and to raise teaching skills to an even higher level.
• Staff provide effective support for children who need additional help to ensure they make progress. They work with parents and other agencies to ensure a shared approach to supporting these children and make sure that they benefit from funding, where applicable. For example, they use funding to buy additional resources, games and music sessions.
• Staff support children's understanding of the wider world effectively. They encourage diversity and extend opportunities for children to value their home backgrounds and their understanding of others well. Children are able to see and hear other languages. They respect one another and are supported to understand what makes them unique.
• The manager is dedicated and wants the best for the children in her care. She is a strong leader and is supportive of her staff team. The manager and staff team evaluate the experiences for parents and children. They regularly update their knowledge and are dedicated to the continuous improvement of the pre-school.
• Staff work well in partnership with parents and other professionals. Parents speak highly of the pre-school and the care that their children receive. Staff have formed strong relationships with the link school. They share information to help provide a smooth move for all children on to the next stage of their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus more clearly on the intended learning of activities
• build on the good systems for supporting staff, to further develop their skills and raise the quality of education to an even higher level.