Harvey Road Pre - School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the pre-school eager to learn. They separate from their parents with ease because they receive a warm welcome from the kind and friendly staff. This helps children to feel safe in the pre-school environment.

Staff plan and provide a stimulating environment for children. Children show a positive attitude towards learning because they quickly become engaged in the experiences on offer. They develop their physical skills while they practise transporting soil into planting pots using different tools. Staff help children to recall what they have learned during a recent forest school session and children demonstrate knowledge about how seeds grow. They understand that seeds need water and sunlight to grow into flowers. Staff help children to develop their mathematical skills while they count petals and make comparison about sizes. They further extend this when children are playing with blocks and they help the most-able children learn how to add up numbers.

Staff have high expectations for all children, which encourages them to develop independence. Children confidently put their own coats on to go outside and put these away when coming back inside. At snack and lunchtimes, children collect their own food and know how to open packaging. They take care of their belongings and put these away when they have finished. This helps children acquire skills in preparation for the next stage in their learning.

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

• Staff have a strong knowledge and understanding of the areas of learning they teach. They plan and provide a broad range of learning opportunities for children that motivates them to learn. This helps children to make good progress across the seven areas of learning, in preparation for the next stage in their development.
• Key persons use assessment purposefully to gather information about what children can do and identify what they want them to learn next. They share this information with all staff. This means they use it effectively to provide children with meaningful experiences that take account of their learning needs.
• Staff continuously interact with children. Children enjoy learning new songs and join in with group times. Staff model language clearly and use questioning skilfully to help children develop their communication and language skills. However, staff and managers have not yet fully considered how to make the best use of information they have to further support children who speak English as an additional language.
• Children listen intently when staff read stories to them. They enthusiastically guess what happens next and describe what they see in the illustrations.
• Children further develop their literacy skills through a variety of mark-making opportunities. They learn to hold pens correctly, while they practise writing letters on white boards.
• Staff and managers prioritise children's good health. They follow rigorous cleaning routines to provide a hygienic environment for children. Children learn to manage their own hygiene because they ask to wash their own hands when they become dirty. Managers provide guidance to parents to help them provide children with healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. Children benefit from regular opportunities to access fresh air and exercise, including attending a weekly forest school session at a local school.
• Children behave very well. They demonstrate an understanding of staff's expectations for their behaviour and follow instructions with ease. For example, they know that when staff ring a bell they need to help tidy up.
• Children are kind and courteous towards each other and build respectful relationships with staff. They are able to share and take turns, and enjoy playing together. Outdoors, children work together to lift a parachute. They show enthusiasm while they practise counting the number of times they lift it.
• Parents comment positively about the pre-school. They praise the staff and say that their children love coming to the pre-school. Parents welcome the regular information they receive from staff about their child's care and learning, which helps to provide continuity at home.
• Managers provide staff with regular supervision and help them to access training and professional development opportunities. Staff report that they feel well supported by managers. However, the monitoring of staff practice is not yet fully effective in helping to raise the quality of teaching and practice consistently to the highest level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• explore ways to make better use of the information gathered to further support children who speak English as an additional language
• strengthen the monitoring of staff practice, so that training and professional development opportunities raise the quality of teaching consistently to the highest level.