Heddington Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this pre-school. They form close bonds with their special key person and the other adults who care for them. They feel happy and secure and settle in quickly. Children are busy playing throughout the day with a wide range of interesting resources that they can move and use in diverse ways. Staff encourage them to follow their own interests and this inspires them to be curious and to think creatively. Many relish being able to play outside for much of the day in the well-resourced outdoor play areas. For example, younger children are engrossed in rolling stones down guttering and show delight in discovering that smaller stones bounce down the pipe.

Children make friends and play together well. For example, they busily work together to collect water from the butt to fill a pan. They talk excitedly about whether the pan is too small and hunt for a bigger container. Children behave very well. They know they must follow adult's instructions to keep safe, for example, when they are cooking on a campfire.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children socialised less. This has resulted in some children having difficulty in playing with others. To help them develop essential social skills, staff spend more time playing alongside children, role modelling how to join in with play.

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

• The manager designs a rich curriculum to give all children the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in life. Children are enthusiastic, eager learners who are curious about the world around them. They are confident, independent and express their ideas with increasing fluency. They make good progress in their development.
• Staff provide exceptionally good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with parents and other professionals involved in children's care. Staff attend training to help them meet the specific needs of children. For example, they learn basic signing to help support children who have difficulty communicating. Parents comment on how staff 'care deeply' about their children and celebrate every achievement they make.
• Children learn a great deal about the natural world. They dress appropriately so they can play outside comfortably in all weathers. They dig borders enthusiastically, ready to sow and tend flowers, fruit and vegetable plants. They hunt for bugs and call to friends with awe and excitement when they find a bee. They fetch a pen and laminated paper to record their finds. Children understand they must care for the environment and staff help them to take responsibility by recycling waste and making compost.
• The focus on outdoor learning means children are highly active, which promotes good health. Children grow in confidence and practise new skills. They progress from crawling up ramps, to scaling a low climbing wall and then to climbing trees and jumping off large tyres. They learn to recognise their own capabilities and to manage small risks without being overly fearful. They develop good strength and coordination. They skilfully and safely use real tools.
• Children enjoy being part of the village community. They have close links with the adjacent school and chat to the older children through the fence. They visit the church and make scarecrows for the village trail. They learn about the wider world too. For example, they raise money for charity and are establishing a link with a nursery in Kenya. They find out about and celebrate different festivals, such as the Chinese New Year. The children learn to appreciate people and ways of life that are different to their own.
• Staff supervise children effectively and support their learning both inside and outside. Staff interact well with children overall. They chat with children about what they are doing and support children's communication skills well. They give children freedom to develop their own ideas. However sometimes, especially outside, staff do not always challenge and extend children's learning, particularly in mathematics to ensure that they make even better progress in this area.
• The supportive committee collaborates closely with the manager to oversee the running of the pre-school and implement improvements. Staff benefit from regular supervision meetings. However, leaders do not always focus sufficiently on the impact of staff teaching on children's learning to help children make even more progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that leaders support staff to enhance their interactions with children to help all children make the progress they are capable of, especially in their mathematical development.