Hoo Saints

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, safe and secure. They enjoy their time at the welcoming pre-school. They have developed warm and trusting bonds with their key person and the staff team. Children are well behaved, caring and considerate. They understand what is expected of them. They listen, follow instructions and are encouraged to take turns. Staff give children regular praise and encouragement in everything they do. This helps to develop children's confidence and self-esteem.

Children have lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills. They enjoy practising their balance and coordination on the ride-on bicycles. Children learn to balance carefully on climbing equipment. They are very well supervised and supported to manage risks safely. Children are learning about healthy lifestyles and discuss the benefits of healthy food with their friends and the staff at the lunch table.

Children benefit from the focus that staff place on their communication and language skills, particularly for the children who speak English as an additional language. Staff narrate as children play, and clearly emphasise key words in their interactions. This helps children's understanding and speaking skills.

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

• The manager and the staff team have worked hard to successfully meet the actions set at the last inspection. The manager has a clear intention for the setting. She describes how she wants children to leave the pre-school as confident and independent individuals, who are ready for the next stage in their education. The manager implements this by designing a curriculum based on children following their own interests and developing their own learning through play. Resources support all the areas of the early years foundation stage and are organised so that children can access them freely. However, at times, staff do not recognise when younger children have lost interest or struggle to engage in the activities on offer. Children do not consistently develop and learn to their full potential.
• Staff promote children's independence effectively in a range of ways. They provide water and milk in small jugs, so that children can pour their own drinks successfully. Children follow routines well. For example, they know to wash their hands thoroughly before snack and mealtimes. Children make independent choices throughout the session as they select from a wide range of activities to play and explore. Children are well prepared for their next stage of education.
• The staff work well together as a team, and act as good role models for the children. They are enthusiastic and generally support children's development, overall. However, on occasion, staff do not organise whole-group activities well enough to ensure all children are able to engage in the learning opportunity.
• Children learn about mathematics in a meaningful way. For instance, they thoroughly enjoy playing with the ride-along toys and bicycles outdoors, and use pretend money to pay for their fuel in their role-play 'garage shop'. Staff introduce concepts such as 'full' and 'empty', when children pretend to fill their vehicles.
• The manager strives to provide the best provision she can. She evaluates staff's teaching practice regularly, seeking advice from the local authority and other agencies to inform her development work. The manager and staff work very well with other professionals to help and support the children in their care.
• Staff share information with parents online and provide daily feedback about the children. Consequently, parents are better informed about their children's achievements. Parents are very complimentary about the staff and the progress their children make. They comment about how staff are 'professional and welcoming' and reflect on how well their children have progressed in their speech and language development.
• Staff support children to gain a good understanding of the similarities and differences of people both inside and outside of their own communities and experiences. For example, children have opportunities to share how they celebrate different festivals within their households. The staff ensure the environment includes positive images and resources for children to gain a good understanding of diversity and the wider world.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to help younger children even further in their engagement and learning
• improve the arrangements for large group activities, to ensure that all children are able to fully engage in their learning at these times.