Happy Days Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at pre-school. The welcoming staff greet them with warm smiles. Most children separate confidently from their parents or carers. The few children who are a little unsure receive extra support and cuddles from staff. This is effective in building these children's confidence to say goodbye and enter pre-school happily.

Children are inquisitive and motivated learners. They choose what they would like to do from the varied range of activities that staff have set up around the room. During the day, children are able to choose whether to play inside or outdoors. They spend much of their time outdoors in the large, natural garden. Children explore their surroundings and develop their physical skills, zooming down the slide or spinning on the swing. They excitedly find insects and look at them closely through magnifying glasses, drawing on prior learning as they describe how many legs they can count. Staff have high expectations of children and engage them in conversations about travel while they watch a bubble worm get lifted high over the hedges by the wind.

Staff assist children to become independent and take care of themselves. Children are learning to pour their own drink from a jug. When they spill some water from the jug, staff tell them not to worry and help them to clear it up. At snack time, children clear their plates and cups away once they have finished eating.

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

• A significant strength of the setting is how much progress children make from what they know and can do when they first start, especially children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff identify gaps in knowledge and support children's learning. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is knowledgeable. She works closely with children's parents, key persons and other professionals to ensure that they get all the support they need. The SENCo's attention is focused well to meet the needs of children in receipt of extra funding.
• The manager is passionate and reflective about the pre-school. She takes on board feedback from others, such as the recent parent questionnaire. Staff are happy and feel supported; they are enthusiastic in their job roles. There is a real sense of 'family' among the staff team. The manager supports staff with opportunities to develop their skills and extend their knowledge through training.
• Staff have high expectations for what children can achieve. They make use of children's focused play to support language development, such as using the repetition of words to ensure that children hear the correct pronunciation. Staff engage children in conversations and ask questions. However, staff do not always maximise every interaction to challenge children's thinking and promote their imagination and creativity further. This leads to children being directed in their play, rather than being able to explore the endless possibilities in their learning.
• Children go about their day with a lot of enthusiasm and are well behaved. Staff are good role models. Their positivity and good cheer rub off on children. This, alongside their effective curriculum, means that children really enjoy their learning. Activities are based around children's interests, such as dinosaurs and minibeasts. They use these to extend children's independence, communication and language skills and knowledge of mathematics. However, staff do not always plan activities that extend children's development of mark making. This means some children are not confident when putting pen to paper and expressing themselves through mark making.
• Children have ample opportunities to learn about different cultures and backgrounds. Staff arrange a variety of celebrations and events to help children to understand about their similarities and differences. Families are invited to share their own experiences and come into the pre-school to talk to the children. Staff support children well to develop respectful attitudes about other people's lives that are different to their own.
• Staff support children to have a can-do attitude. For example, when children ask for help with opening a satsuma, staff encourage them to try for themselves first, talking them through how to peel it. Children are praised for having a go and succeeding. All achievements, no matter how small, are recognised and celebrated by the children adding a brick to the 'Wall of Wonder'.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the nurturing pre-school and describe the staff team as 'professional' and 'amazing'. Parents say their children love attending the pre-school and they really enjoy the community events, such as the recent family picnic.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve staff's teaching skills so that they adapt activities to promote children's imagination, creativity and problem-solving as they play
• support staff in using activities and experiences to extend and develop children's mark making.