Happytime Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently enter the pre-school and eagerly look around the inviting learning environment. They are warmly welcomed by staff and develop strong bonds with them. Children form strong friendships with one another and show they really enjoy spending time together as they play and learn.

Children demonstrate they feel safe and secure in the staff's attentive care. They readily approach staff for reassurance, as well as to share their play and learning. Children laugh as they construct rockets and explore craft resources. They play cooperatively and show they are caring, such as helping each other outdoors as they play on bicycles.

Staff are positive role models for children, who behave well. They show positive attitudes to each other, the staff and their learning. Children enjoy long uninterrupted time to play, explore and learn. They show high levels of attention, for instance, as they investigate different tea bags and tea sets. Staff plan activities for children so that they have plenty of opportunities to practise and refine their skills as they play. Children develop a variety of skills to support them to move on to the next stage of their education.

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

• The manager and her team have a clear understanding of the skills they would like children to learn in their time at the pre-school. However, what they plan for children is not consistently implemented in practice. For instance, staff hope children will learn to develop independence skills, but do not effectively help children to achieve this. Staff complete tasks children could manage themselves and do not consistently recognise where children could be encouraged and taught to do things for themselves. This limits the opportunities for children to learn new skills and be independent.
• Children benefit from a highly-stimulating learning environment that staff provide to engage them in their learning. They can freely choose what to do and where to play. For example, children make marks inside giant tyres, learn how to remove backing from stickers and explore sensory resources. Children are motivated to play and learn.
• Staff support children's developing communication skills well. They teach children new words as they play. For instance, staff introduce children to words such as 'mould together' as they explore and shape wet sand. Children enjoy engaging stories with puppets and take part in lively singing sessions. They have many opportunities to hear and develop an increasing range of words to use as they play and communicate.
• Children generally enjoy quality interactions with staff. Children are inquisitive learners and eagerly take part in investigating worms from the wormery. Staff use teaching opportunities as children explore, introducing sizes and counting with children. This helps children to learn mathematical concepts. However, not all teaching opportunities are fully effective. At times, adult-led activities are not finely tuned to children's learning needs. For instance, during circle time, children lose focus and do not fully benefit from the planned teaching activities.
• Additional funding is used to help ensure all children have equal opportunities and experiences. For instance, children have the chance to visit the 'book bus,' meet local authors and take part in learning about animals from real-life visits. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good levels of support that meets their individual learning needs.
• Staff benefit from good levels of support from the manager. They are encouraged to research and engage in training, for instance, to develop their knowledge. Staff make effective use of the skills they learn to help children in the pre-school. Staff use sign language, for example, to positively support children's understanding and communication development.
• Parents comment positively on the support their children receive from staff. They say how they enjoy being involved in their children's time at pre-school through effective communication from staff. Partnerships are established from children's earliest days, helping ensure high levels of continuity of care and education for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to ensure they consistently encourage children to do things for themselves, to help them gain new skills and to develop their independence
• strengthen the planning and implementation of adult-led activities, particularly circle times, to more precisely support children's learning needs and to further build on what children know and can do.