Greenacre Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The manager creates a culture where there is a drive for all children to succeed and be challenged in their learning and development. She works well with staff to provide an ambitious curriculum and improve outcomes for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff skilfully implement the intentions of the curriculum to challenge and extend children's development. For instance, when children enjoy digging in soil to find worms, they suggest they make a wormery and use the activity to support children's mathematical development.

Staff provide children with an exciting and varied learning environment that includes numerous resources made from natural materials. Children confidently choose to play indoors or outdoors throughout each session. They are active, motivated learners who enjoy playing outdoors in all weather.

Children are happy and settled. Staff have a kind and caring approach and focus strongly on meeting children's individual emotional needs. They give children who are new to the setting lots of cuddles and reassurance.

Children behave well. Staff patiently teach children to share the resources. For instance, they encourage them to independently use a small sand timer, to learn to take turns while playing on an enclosed trampoline.

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

• Staff extend and challenge all areas of children's development. For instance, when children play imaginatively in a mud kitchen, they engage in their play and and skilfully develop their vocabulary. Children eagerly engage in conversation and talk about the ingredients they need to make imaginary cakes, while using metal bowls, whisks, water and mud.
• The special educational needs coordinator works well with staff, parents, schools and other agencies to meet the needs of children with SEND. She is confident about her role and responsibilities, including making referrals in a timely way to seek support for children and their families.
• Staff support children to build on their emerging ideas during planned activities to further challenge and continually enhance their learning. They give them time to practise and repeat what they have already learned so that their learning is securely embedded. For example, children explore what happens when they use paint, brushes and their hands to make marks and patterns. This helps to develop their pre-writing skills.
• All staff have a good understanding of how to manage children's behaviour.
• They use knowledge gained from training to work closely with parents and other agencies to provide a consistent approach to managing any challenging behaviour that children present. Consequently, children are cooperative, polite and develop good manners.
• The manager and staff know all the children well. This means there is a consistent approach to meeting all children's individual care and learning needs.
• Staff provide children with a wealth of activities and resources that support their exploration and physical development. For example, children develop good control of their movements as they climb over large tractor tyres and use jugs and ladles to transfer water into numerous containers.
• The manager is a positive role model. She patiently coaches and supports staff to help children make the best possible progress. However, she does not make sure that staff consistently support children who speak English an additional language to broaden their friendships and develop social skills.
• Children develop good independence skills. For example, at snack time, they carry plates and cups to the table, use safe knives to butter bread and pour drinks of milk from jugs. Children understand staff's expectations and confidently do things for themselves, such as finding and putting on their coats.
• The manager and staff work well in partnership with parents. There is a strong focus on supporting parents and including them in children's learning. For instance, there is a book library for parents and children to use, as well as groceries that are made available for families to take home. Staff ask parents to provide photos of children's experiences at home, which they use to further support children's language development in the pre-school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the arrangements to identify and address how staff help children who speak English as an additional language to support all aspects of their development.