Harvard Park Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff know the children incredibly well and plan a variety of well-thought-out and enriching activities based on children's interests. For instance, children find butterflies in the garden and watch in awe as they feed and protect them. The following day, staff provide additional activities for children to further their understanding of butterflies and their life cycle, building on children's learning. As a result, children confidently talk about their past experiences and demonstrate their learning has been embedded.

Children have a fantastic attitude towards learning and confidently engage in a range of activities that excite them. They are really well behaved, and staff support them to try to manage conflict themselves and provide a variety of tools to help. For instance, children confidently use sand timers to support sharing and turn-taking and are very kind and considerate to each other.

Staff place a strong focus on children's communication skills, and leaders have introduced a programme to enhance this even further. All staff attend training to learn how to support children's language skills and regularly reflect on their practice. For example, they complete peer observations and video themselves to see how they communicate with children. As a result, all staff are excellent role models for children's early language skills. They speak slowly and clearly, describing what younger children can see or are doing. With older children, they introduce new words and concepts and ask questions to extend children's learning even further.

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

• Leaders and and staff have an excellent understanding of how children learn and their curriculum. They meticulously plan activities based on children's needs and interests. During activities, staff continue to build on children's learning, developing their critical thinking skills. For instance, children delight in exploring construction materials. Staff talk to them about what they are building and provide resources and opportunities to extend their knowledge as children go on to measure objects and draw plans of what they would like to build.
• Staff encourage children to be highly independent. For instance, all children are encouraged to self-register when they arrive and confidently dress themselves before going outside. At snack time, children are encouraged to cut their own fruit and enjoy helping to tidy up when they have finished.
• Staff are excellent role models for behaviour and support children to self-regulate their feelings and emotions. They provide calm spaces for children to use and support children in talking about their feelings and identifying what the children can do to help themselves feel better. Children can then choose from a variety of resources, such as a sensory basket or putty, to help them.
• Leaders and staff work closely with other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They closely monitor children's development and put action plans in place to ensure all children make progress from their starting points. Staff have excellent strategies to support children's individual needs. They have introduced visual aids, 'now and next' boards and sensory circuits to help all children make progress and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.
• Leaders and staff have used additional funding effectively to support children's development. For example, they have purchased a range of sensory equipment to support and enhance children's physical skills and have plans in place to use it to support those children transitioning to school.
• Parents are incredibly happy with the care their children receive, and staff work very closely with them to ensure they are kept up to date with their children's learning. Parents attend regular events and activity sessions with their children and have regular opportunities to speak with staff about their child's development.
• The inspiring leadership team regularly reflect on the setting with its staff, taking into account the views of staff, children and parents. Together they look at what is working well and what they could do to improve further. For example, they have recently introduced a new language monitoring system for children, which helps them quickly identify any gaps in children's learning. This has greatly improved the outcomes for children. Staff are incredibly well supported in their roles and comment that they feel valued and enjoy working at the setting. They attend regular meetings, supervision and complete peer observations.