Hopscotch Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create strong bonds with the children and their families at this nurturing setting. They know the children well and they value their home experiences. For example, during 'Superhero Bears' week, each child takes home their own mini bear and brings it back to report on their weekend together. This strengthens the link between home and the setting and allows children to share their experiences. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour, which they communicate clearly to the children. Children behave well and fully engage in their learning. This helps to create the calm environment in which children play and learn.

Staff aim to develop children's understanding of the world around them and their place within it. Children benefit from regular walks around the local area. For example, they visit the local shops, garden centre and park. This helps children to make sense of their environment and develop a sense of belonging within their community. Staff organise the day effectively and routines are well established. There is a balance between adult-led activities and independent play. For example, children gather for morning hello time, snack time, story time and a music session. This prepares all children for their next stage in learning.

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

• High-quality interactions support and strengthen children's learning. Staff skilfully engage children in conversations about their families, experiences and interests. For example, when a child points out her shoes, a member of staff says, 'You have your sparkly shoes on today.' This supports children to extend their vocabulary and become confident communicators.
• Staff encourage children to become increasingly independent. For example, children pour their own water at snack time, tidy away their plates and wipe their own mouths. This helps children to learn how to take care of their own personal care needs.
• Staff choose high-quality books to read to the children during daily story times. They pause reading to listen and talk to the children about the characters and events, linking them back to the children's own experiences. For example, when reading the book 'Handa's Surprise,' staff remind children of the fruit they ate for snack. This supports children to understand stories and develop a love for reading.
• Staff provide daily opportunities for children to develop their early writing skills. However, this is not delivered in a consistent and progressive way. This means that some activities do not sequentially build on what children know and can do.
• Mathematics is interwoven throughout the day. For example, when lining up to go outside, staff and children carefully count together to find the total number of children. This supports children to develop their understanding of number.
• Staff plan a variety of engaging activities for children, which support their next steps. However, during independent play, some children do not access everything on offer. This may limit the progress they make in some areas of their learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress. Staff work with parents to identify the individual needs of each child. Support plans are put into place and staff access specialist advice, where appropriate.
• The setting is led and managed well. Managers have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. Staff engage in a range of professional development opportunities to strengthen their teaching and practice. Staff have a good understanding of how children develop, and teaching methods are effective.
• Parents are extremely complimentary about the setting. They value the experience, expertise and consistency of the staff team. Parents feel their children make excellent progress in their learning and development. They say that they are kept well informed of what their child does at the setting. Parents highly recommend the setting to others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop further ways to support children's early writing skills that are commonly used and understood
• support staff to encourage children to access all activities on offer during independent play, so that they make even better progress across all areas of learning.