Hanborough Meadows Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The pre-school is full of very happy children who clearly thoroughly enjoy being there. Children show a very positive attitude towards their play and learning. They are keen and inquisitive, finding the environment and resources fascinating and stimulating. Children are well mannered, polite and welcoming to visitors.

Children benefit from being cared for by staff who understand that for children to learn well, they must first feel safe and secure. Children new to the pre-school spent plenty of time with their key staff, and quickly build bonds with them. Children receive plenty of smiles and cuddles. They settle quickly and begin to confidently and happily explore and learn.

Staff have carefully assessed the impact the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic had on children's experiences and well-being. Staff have adjusted the curriculum accordingly. For example, there is an even stronger emphasis on children's personal and social development and their communication skills. Throughout the day, children receive very good-quality teaching to help them make good progress with these skills. They hear language which is interesting and relevant, and have plenty of opportunities to share their thoughts and ideas.

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

• The manager ensures staff understand the curriculum intent well. This means there is common purpose to the teaching. Staff work very effectively as a team. They focus especially well on helping children develop their social, communication and physical skills.
• Staff are especially skilled at supporting children's developing speaking and listening skills. Staff consistently model clear and relevant language. They leave gaps in conversations for children to practise their own speaking skills. Children delight in learning new language. For example, very young child listen carefully to new words, such as 'bowl'. They repeat the new word, and staff listen and clap. This encourages children to keep trying and learning.
• Overall, staff teach the curriculum very well. However, sometimes when children come together as a group, the teaching does not closely match the most immediate learning needs of the children taking part. At these times, some children become distracted.
• Staff make regular assessments of children's progress. However, staff do not always check back on what children have learned and remembered during, and immediately after, activities to build the fullest picture of each child's learning.
• Staff want children to feel part of their local community and understand their place in the wider world. Children have helped with local litter picks, visited local shops and met people of all different ages. They try foods from around the world and listen to stories about their own and other cultures. They are gaining a good understanding of who they are and their place in the world.
• Staff make very good use of resources and equipment to support children's development. They carefully plan what they will make available to children and how they will present resources, always with a focus on improving children's knowledge and skills. For example, staff provide a range of movable climbing and construction materials in the garden. This way they can offer lots of different opportunities for climbing, balancing and building.
• Very young children who are new to the setting are given lots of attention to help them use available resources. Staff quickly notice when these children are interested in activities but don't quite know how to join in. They show them what to do kindly and effectively, and stay with them until they are playing happily and purposefully. This attention means these children are quickly getting the many benefits of being at this pre-school.
• The manager acts with integrity. She uses additional funding effectively. She ensures all children have access to the full range of learning experiences on offer. For example, she organises forest school so that all children have opportunities to experience it.
• The manager, ably supported by the provider, has created a very happy workplace. Staff report that it is the best place they have ever worked. They appreciate the regular and honest feedback they receive on their performance, especially new and less-experienced staff members. There is a real culture of wanting to be the best they can be, so they can do the best for the children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus teaching more precisely on what children would most benefit from learning next, when children come together as a group
• sharpen how learning from activities is assessed and identified.