Harpole Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive the best possible start to their education at this pre-school. Children behave exceptionally well. They learn about how to behave, as practitioners talk to them about 'kind words, listening ears and walking feet.' Children form strong friendships as they play cooperatively together. They enjoy making and serving ice creams for each other in the outdoor playhouse.

Children are highly motivated to explore their environment and have a positive attitude to learning. They become deeply engaged in their play with the wealth of stimulating resources, both indoors and outdoors. For instance, they make marks on light boards, developing their hand strength in readiness for early writing. Children delight as they pour coloured rice into containers, developing their understanding of early mathematical concepts, such as volume. Children develop a passion for books. They listen attentively and respond to familiar stories as they eagerly recall lines, such as 'hey, bear, are you there?', from the story.

Children feel safe and secure. From the start children develop extremely strong bonds with the caring and nurturing practitioners. Children's characters are developed to build an understanding of what makes them unique. 'Wow stars' are used to celebrate personal achievements from home, and children share their achievement and receive a sticker to acknowledge what they have done. This further raises the already high self-esteem of children.

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

• The curriculum is meticulously planned and embedded across the provision. The highly skilled practitioners have an exceptional understanding of how children learn. Children thrive as their experiences are consistently built on and tailored to their specific needs. As a result, children make outstanding progress.
• The manager is inspirational to the team. She fully supports practitioners to expand on their already detailed knowledge. They receive highly focused professional development which enables them to meet the needs of the children effectively and ensure that the quality of teaching remains at the highest level. Their well-being is paramount to her. Regular well-being sessions provide opportunity for practitioners to get support for any emerging issues. As a result, practitioners feel extremely valued and proud to be a part of this exceptional team.
• The provision provides a language-rich environment. Practitioners ensure that interactions are of a high quality. They build on children's language effectively through discussion and conversations. For instance, practitioners talk to children about the marbles 'rolling' and 'mixing' in the paint as they make pictures. They use song to introduce new language. Young children choose objects from a bag which represent their favourite songs. They learn signs that relate to the songs they sing. This allows children to become confident in using a wide range of vocabulary, providing a secure foundation for future learning.
• Children show high levels of independence in readiness for school. For example, they skilfully pour their own drinks at snack and wash their plates and cups up after. Practitioners work very closely with schools and parents to support transition. Children visit their local school to familiarise themselves and meet their teacher. As a result, they are completely prepared when they move on to school.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) experience excellent care. Practitioners are highly skilled at identifying children who may need additional intervention. Leaders have exceptionally well-developed relationships with outside agencies to ensure there is a collaborative approach to children's learning. The manager is persistent in securing support that children require, such as equipment and therapies. Exceptional efforts are made to make the learning environment accessible for children with SEND. This allows children to have the best opportunity to achieve and make rapid progress from their starting points.
• Practitioners develop excellent relationships with children's families. An extensive range of support is provided to them. For instance, parents have access to workshops on how children play, develop and learn. Parents can fully support children's learning at home, as the children bring reading books, 'busy boxes' and baking bags home on a regular basis. Parents provide highly complimentary feedback about the pre-school, stating that 'There is quite simply nothing compared to what Harpole offers.'