Great Tey Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the pre-school full of enthusiasm to learn. Staff ensure that children are taught the skills they need to be able to complete tasks and have autonomy over their own learning. As a result, children are extremely independent. What children know and can do is carefully built on to support them to make progress and develop their skills and knowledge. Staff value children's voices and give them numerous opportunities to express their thoughts and make choices. For example, children use a voting system to choose which book they would like to listen to at story time. They spend time discussing the options and use a token to select the book that interests them.

Staff skilfully support children to recognise, communicate and regulate their emotions. They teach children the skills needed to self-regulate and express their feelings. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour, and as a result, children behave impeccably.

Highly skilled staff support children to be inquisitive and curious learners. They listen intently to the staff to gain knowledge and learn how to complete tasks. Children demonstrate high levels of concentration in activities. They persevere and practise the skills they have been taught. Children demonstrate confidence to problem-solve and ask for help when required. For example, when using a pencil sharpener, children carefully use the tool, repeating what they have been shown and asking for help from staff when required. Children take pride in what they do and celebrate their achievements.

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

• Staff are extremely passionate about their role. They lead on different aspects of the pre-school and work as an effective team to drive continuous improvement and create the best possible outcomes for children. Staff use training and research effectively to continuously improve their practice. They are extremely reflective and work hard to make improvements.
• All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported to make excellent progress. An embedded and highly effective key-person system enables staff to have an in-depth knowledge of each child and how to best support them. The staff go above and beyond to build relationships with their key children, and this is demonstrated in the excellent bonds they have. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure with a familiar adult there to guide and support them.
• The whole pre-school team has a very clear intent of the curriculum. This is used to plan and implement activities effectively to help children make very good progress. Staff carefully plan for children's learning, using information about what children know and can do. They build on this to support children to make excellent progress and achieve the next steps in their learning.
• Parents speak extremely highly of the staff and how they go above and beyond to support children. They comment on the effective communication they receive, home learning ideas and how they feel involved in their child's learning. Parent feedback is taken on board by the provider and used as a tool to continually improve.
• A focus on well-being for children and staff greatly supports children to learn about how they feel and be able to communicate these emotions. Staff model positive relationships effectively, which helps children to be kind and supportive towards each other, and they demonstrate enjoyment in their achievements.
• A language-rich environment supports all children to acquire and use language. Children are confident and effective communicators. Staff support children through a variety of teaching methods, for example effective questioning, narrating children's play and extending their vocabulary. Staff also use a variety of different communication methods with the children to ensure that each individual child is able to communicate in their own way.
• Children are provided with a wide variety of activities in the local community. These opportunities support them to gain an in-depth knowledge of the world around them, including people, families and communities beyond their own. These new experiences further enhance the children's learning, broaden their interests and support their sense of belonging in their community.
• The management team aims to continually improve the pre-school. Managers use a variety of reflective practice methods to support them to achieve this. Leaders go above and beyond their roles to best support all children and their families. They also place an emphasis on their staff team and do all they can to support staff in their role. This results in an extremely warm, welcoming and inclusive pre-school where everyone feels included and valued.