Hawkesbury Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy attending this bustling pre-school, where they thrive in staff's expert care. They confidently communicate their needs, wants and ideas, knowing that they are valued and treated with the utmost respect. Children build strong bonds with staff and show that they feel safe and secure. They become engrossed in their chosen activity from the moment they arrive. Children show high levels of concentration as they ponder which colours to mix to create the colour purple. They test out their ideas and show their immense delight as they discover the successful combination of colours. Children show resilience and continue to achieve their aim when they are not immediately successful.

Children learn about their similarities and differences, celebrating what makes them unique. They learn about festivals and celebrations that are special to their friends, such as the Sri Lankan festival of Thai Pongal. Children show compassion and respect towards each other. They learn about children less fortunate than themselves, engaging in fundraising activities to support local charities. Children behave very well. They benefit from the consistent and calm approach from staff, who provide children with lots of praise and encouragement. Children gain the skills and positive attitudes they need to support them in the next stage in their education and for life.

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

• Highly experienced and well-qualified leaders are committed to ensuring all children have access to the high-quality early years education that they deserve. They establish an ambitious curriculum that successfully helps children make progress from their starting points and prepares them for the next stage in each child's individual learning. The curriculum is shared efficiently with qualified staff, who intuitively weave learning through children's play and interests, providing each child with appropriate challenge.
• The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is superb. Staff seek training to meet children's specific learning and medical needs, showing their incredible commitment to the inclusive ethos of the pre-school. They work closely with parents and professionals to implement targeted interventions with respect and sensitivity. Children benefit greatly from the time spent with peers and staff, making significant gains in their development.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the experiences their children enjoy at the pre-school. They comment about their child's safety and the high-quality care and education they receive. Parents add that they receive lots of information about all aspects of their child's learning and development and how to support ongoing learning at home. Parents praise the staff's nurturing approach that helps their child settle and form strong bonds with all staff. They consistently comment about the progress children make in independence, confidence and communication and language.
• Leaders and staff are highly reflective practitioners, who precisely target training and coaching to support children's emerging interests and needs. For example, staff are highly effective in their use of strategies from several training courses they have attended to help children develop excellent communication and language skills. They understand the benefits for children of singing songs, reading stories and using music to support communication.
• The commitment to children and their families is second to none. During the COVID-19 pandemic periods of restriction, staff kept in regular weekly contact with children and their families, delivering toys and resources to their homes. They provided daily activities from a virtual platform to help children continue with their learning at home. Staff continue to encourage children to borrow books and games to share with their family and that help them embed what they learn at pre-school.
• Staff provide children with meaningful hands-on experiences that help them remember new learning. For example, children learn about life cycles as they plant strawberry plants and watch the changes caterpillars undergo to transform into butterflies. Children compare the size of the caterpillars as they grow. They listen to a story about caterpillars. They make links to healthy foods they eat at lunch and snack times with the foods the caterpillar eats in the story.
• Children develop independence over time. They pour water and milk into cups at snack time and learn how to put on their shoes and coats. Children learn about what their bodies can do as they ride on toy cars outside and climb the steps to glide down the slide. Staff give children plenty of time to practise new skills. This helps children to master them and build secure foundations in their learning.