Hadleigh Parkside Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently make choices from a broad range of interesting activities and resources. They show that they feel motivated to learn as they enthusiastically access the different spaces and activities on offer. Children particularly enjoy being outdoors. They delight in exploring the different textures and aromas of the chickpeas, tea leaves and herbs they mix in the outdoor kitchen. Their knowledge of living things and the natural world is particularly strong. For example, they watch in awe as a tiny frog swims around in the water and talk about how it developed from frog spawn. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are provided with highly attentive support to meet their complex needs. They access specialist equipment and resources which are very carefully planned to capture their interest and strengthen their concentration.

Those children who could not attend during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic have eagerly returned to the pre-school. They are reassured by the strong bonds they continue to share with their key person. This helps children to feel safe and confident when separating from their parents at the start of the session. Children's behaviour is very positive. They are keen to help with tidying up and often remind others of the importance of looking after the new climbing frame.

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

• The pre-school manager and staff worked tirelessly to maintain contact with families and offer financial and emotional support to children during the COVID- 19 pandemic. They put great thought into helping children to feel confident when returning to the pre-school after time away. For example, they created a video featuring a familiar soft toy to help children to understand the new routines put in place to protect them.
• Staff are enthusiastic in their approach. They spend most of their time interacting with children, including during imaginative role-play activities. Children listen carefully to staff who ask them carefully phrased questions and introduce new vocabulary. This is particularly effective in helping children to become confident communicators and successfully enhances their speaking skills.
• There is a strong focus on following children's interests, which helps them to enjoy revisiting experiences and practising existing skills. However, during some adult-led activities, staff are not always clear about what they want individual children to learn next. This means that children do not always gain new knowledge and skills as rapidly as possible.
• From a young age, children are encouraged to be independent in managing tasks for themselves. During snack-time routines, staff show two-year-old children how to pour drinks and use a knife to spread and chop foods. When spillages occur, children are reassured by the staff who calmly set about finding a cloth to clean the table.
• The use of additional funding is planned well to ensure children's individual learning needs are further supported. For example, staff use additional funding to purchase several dinosaur-themed resources. These are used to inspire shared discussions about the eating habits of carnivores and herbivores, while also helping to narrow the gaps in children's social development.
• Staff support children's awareness of how to follow a healthy lifestyle, including opportunities to grow nutritious vegetables at the local allotment. Children proudly talk about the carrots they harvest and look forward to eating them as a snack.
• Recent COVID-19 control measures mean that parents do not currently enter the pre-school. Despite this, staff make sure that they continue to share information about children's learning, both in person and online. Parents express that they are very happy with the care and education provided for their children.
• Staff work closely with other professionals and make sure parents are aware of outside support services. They take account of all available expertise and advice when planning additional support for children with SEND.
• Committee members are a great support to the pre-school manager and staff. They check on the performance of staff and make sure their well-being and workload are well supported. Staff have plenty of opportunities to enhance their skills and expertise to benefit their work with the children. For example, many staff choose to undertake higher qualifications and purposefully share this new knowledge across this team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's understanding of what they want children to learn during adult-led activities, to help all children acquire new knowledge and skills more rapidly.