Holy Trinity Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children come into pre-school happy and excited. They are warmly greeted by staff. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) spend time getting to know the new staff who will be caring for them, with support from staff that know them well. This helps them form bonds, feel safe and remain settled. In general, children behave well and demonstrate their growing independence. In the two-year-old room, they learn how to begin to recognise their own care needs and are supported in meeting these. For example, children are taught to use the tissue station and take off their own shoes. By the time they are in the pre-school room, they confidently take themselves to the bathroom and know to wash their own hands. Older children are taught how to safely cut up fruit for snack time. They are proud to take additional responsibility for tasks, such as collecting the cups and carefully carrying the jug of milk for all their friends on their table.

Staff have high expectations for what children can achieve and provide an interesting range of activities that broaden their experiences from home. Children are eager to learn and explore. They remain engaged in their play and learning for significant periods. Children thoroughly enjoy practising their physical skills in the outdoor area, building dens and throwing balls through raised hoops, as well as experimenting by mixing potions from leaves and dried petals. Leaders seek extra funding to ensure that children with SEND receive any additional support they require. All children make good progress and are supported to develop the skills and knowledge required to start school.

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

• Children form positive relationships with staff. Staff find out as much as possible about children's needs and their unique family background during home visits, to help them settle in when they first start. Staff gather key information about individual children, such as foods they must not eat or how they can communicate key routines in the child's home language. Children who speak other languages at home benefit from hearing familiar words at pre-school. Staff plan a range of opportunities for children to find out about each other's lives and different cultures and beliefs. For instance, parents are invited in to share how they celebrate special festivals at home or to make traditional food from other countries. Children are confident, settle quickly and feel secure at pre-school.
• Staff recognise the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on opportunities for young children to practise their language skills and interact with others. Staff have a clear focus on supporting children to help them catch up where needed, such as through targeted small-group and individual work. Toddlers beam with delight and giggle when staff sing familiar songs and rhymes to them. Older children have rich and meaningful conversations about healthy eating and their likes and dislikes during mealtimes.
• Staff plan a wide variety of activities based on children's interests and what they already know and can do. This helps to extend their learning and build on previous experiences. Children concentrate well during activities, such as matching animal dominoes, or as they explore mathematical concepts through sand and water play. Younger children enjoy exploring paint and textures and talking about 'what's in the box' at group time. Children hear and learn a wide vocabulary and are beginning to understand simple mathematical concepts around size, shape and measurement.
• Children generally play well together. They patiently wait their turn or seek support from a member of staff when they want something someone else has. Children are frequently reminded to share and use kind hands during games. However, not all staff are consistent in their approach to managing children's behaviour. Some staff use distraction techniques but, on occasion, they do not fully explore children's emotions and feelings when they display unwanted behaviour or unsafe play.
• Leaders closely monitor staff practice. For example, they observe them interacting with children and provide feedback to them individually to discuss areas of strength and future learning. Staff make effective use of professional development opportunities.
• Parents speak highly about the pre-school and say their children love attending. They are invited into the setting, and staff talk to them about day-to-day issues when they collect their children. Parents meet with staff and discuss their child's learning and development at their termly parents evenings. They receive regular information about activities their children enjoy through an online app and weekly emails. However, at times, staff do not keep all parents fully up to date. For example, some parents are unclear about who their child's key person is or what staff are currently working on. This information would help their child meet their individual next steps.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve systems in place for keeping parents up to date with details of their child's key person and next steps for learning
• strengthen staff's consistency in teaching children how to keep themselves and others safe, to further develop their understanding of the impact that their behaviour and actions has on others.