Holy Family Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this warm, nurturing and stimulating environment. Staff get to know every child exceptionally well and build deep and meaningful relationships through very high-quality interactions. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure as they actively involve staff in their play and share their experiences and achievements. For example, staff show genuine interest in children's thoughts and ideas as they explore the investigation station, children know their thoughts are valued and staff frequently share children's learning with parents via an online learning journal. This helps children develop a secure sense-of-self, as well as high levels of self-esteem.

Staff prioritise children's speech and language development at every opportunity and understand how this underpins learning across all other areas of development. Staff skilfully teach children a wide range of new words, broadening their vocabulary. For example, younger children hear simple key words repeatedly, which they then use independently during their play. Older children develop skills that allow them to hold back-and-forth conversations with others. This helps children become highly effective communicators.

Children behave exceptionally well and gain a clear understanding of the expectations, which staff model consistently. Children follow the rules and are able navigate conflict by independently solving problems and negotiating with others. Children develop high levels of self-control and seek support from staff when they need it. Children are keen to share their own ideas during their play and show respect towards each other's opinions and contributions.

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

• Leaders and staff develop a highly ambitious and thoughtful curriculum that is well embedded into everyday practice, enabling every child to reach their full potential. Teaching is consistently outstanding. All staff receive exceptional support that enable them to develop practice that is of the highest standard, through effective staff supervision and practice monitoring. Leaders are highly reflective. They continually promote opportunities to improve staff knowledge at all levels, to secure the very best outcomes for children.
• Staff use assessment and robust progress monitoring arrangements to accurately identify what they want children to learn next. They use this to form a tailored approach that ensure all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, to make excellent progress within their learning.
• Children have an abundance of opportunities to learn about the world around them through carefully planned and purposeful experiences. For example, children learn about life cycles, as they observe the growth of pumpkins. They note what happens to the fruit as they observe decay and how seeds are then scattered, creating new plants. Children are keen to talk about what they know from previous activities and make new links as staff expand this further.
• Children develop an early understanding of mathematics, which staff embed during every interaction. For example, staff introduce new mathematical language as children build towers. Children use 'taller' and 'shorter' as they compare the heights of their creations. Children also learn about volume as staff create learning experiences with water and containers, such as jugs of varying sizes. This prepares children exceptionally well for their next stage in learning, including their eventual move to school.
• Children develop excellent physical skills as a result of carefully sequenced activities. For example, younger children develop coordination as they move their bodies in time with music. Older children develop their pincer grip as they use a wide range of mark-making tools in preparation for future writing.
• Staff provide a wide range of opportunities that enable children to do things for themselves. For example, children learn to peel and cut their own fruit, skilfully pour their own drinks and attend to their own personal care. Children follow instructions very well and work together when tidying up. Children are proud of their contributions. This not only builds children's confidence and self-esteem but also supports them to make valued relationships with their peers.
• Partnership working is highly effective. Staff work seamlessly with other professionals, including teachers of neighbouring schools and speech and language therapists. This helps provide children with exceptional support from the earliest point. In addition, the partnerships that staff form with parents are extremely meaningful. For example, parents speak highly of the care and education that children receive and genuinely value the regular updates on their children's learning. This creates a consistent approach and provides children with consistency across all settings, including home.