Headstart Pre school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide children with warm and nurturing interactions. They have a good understanding of children's interests and how to support their learning and development. The activities and resources on offer are adapted to suit the children in attendance. For example, children have recently been interested in their families. Therefore, staff provide activities where the children can role play and discuss their families. They have photographs of different types of homes and discuss what their houses look like. Staff have thoughtful conversations about their families and people who are familiar to them.

Children are provided with lots of opportunities to make their own choices and to be independent. Children select their own snack and pour their own water and milk. Children have their own pegs with their photograph and name, which gives them a sense of belonging. They choose their own resources, inside and outside, and know where they are stored. Children are happy at the pre-school. They play well with each other and share resources. Children's behaviour is good, and they follow rules and routines well.

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

• The manager and staff have a vision for the pre-school and high expectations of what they want the children to learn. They support the children to be independent, resilient, and creative. For example, the children are introduced to fresh flowers, where they are encouraged to make their own posy in the play dough. They skilfully place the flowers into the dough, designing their own arrangements. Staff praise them and children are proud of their achievements, building on their well-being.
• Children are encouraged to be independent and make their own choices. Opportunities for learning are available, both inside and outside. Staff know their key children well and provide a sequenced curriculum based on their interests. They challenge the children, encouraging them to learn to self-regulate, manage their emotions, discuss their feelings, and resolve their own conflicts. However, at times the environment is too noisy to enable children to listen carefully and concentrate on what they are doing.
• The manager is reflective of the learning environment. She reviews how children access areas of the environment and how to make resources more accessible. She ensures children have room and space to play and explore. Children have opportunities to hide objects in the sand. They use tweezers to retrieve the objects, building their hand muscles and developing their hand-to-eye coordination.
• Children make good progress from their starting points, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is an asset to the pre-school. She sensitively supports the children and has high expectations of what the children can achieve. She provides stimulating and targeted activities, working closely with parents and other professionals, to meet children's individual needs. The SENCo builds on what the children already know and prepares them for the next stage of their learning.
• Staff work closely with parents, informing them of what the children are learning, so this can be continued at home. Parents are kept updated about their child's progress and next steps. Parents state that they feel fully included. The key persons are on hand to welcome the children in the morning and available to provide feedback at the end of the day. Parents value this time and interaction.
• Children learn how to care for, and respect themselves. They are becoming independent and develop their self-care skills, such as blowing their own noses, handwashing, and toilet training.
• Staff help children to understand mathematical concepts. They encourage children to use size language, such as 'bigger, smaller, more' or 'less'. Staff use songs and rhymes to introduce numbers and encourage the children to count along with them. Children are creative and imagine they are the teacher as they lead singing time, encouraging their friends to join in.
• Staff introduce children to new and more complex vocabulary. For example, when playing with the play dough, children describe the shape of the dough, and staff carefully repeat what they say back, using more descriptive language.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• manage the environment more effectively to help children to remain focused and to concentrate on their learning.