Hopscotch Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently leave their parents and quickly settle, enjoying their time at this warm and welcoming pre-school. Staff support children to build trusting relationships with them as they take time to get to know the children as individuals. This means that when children are upset, staff swiftly offer the support and reassurance children need.

Children independently choose activities from the wide range of play ideas that are offered. Activities are thoughtfully resourced to stimulate and engage the children through their interests. For example, children look at photos from their visit to a farm and name the animals they remember seeing. Children are confident to express their own ideas, and staff listen with interest as they share their memories of the trip and who they sat next to on the bus.

Staff support children to learn to be friendly and well mannered as they play. Children show that they understand the clear expectations during different routines and activities. For example, they know to sit down when eating their snack and put their crockery into the washing-up bowl when they have finished. Staff give children gentle and consistent reminders to help them understand how to manage their feelings and emotions while they play with their friends at the pre-school.

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

• Staff have developed a curriculum that is well organised, broad and balanced. They plan experiences to reflect the interests and fascinations of the children. Staff have a strong knowledge of child development, and they use this to sequence learning opportunities well to support children to make good progress in their individual learning. For example, younger children use words to name objects as they play, and older children learn to take part in conversations.
• Staff provide children with uninterrupted periods of play to enable them to follow their own ideas and become deeply engaged in their learning. Children particularly enjoy imaginary play as they care for dolls, changing their clothes and feeding them. However, staff do not always plan adult-led activities effectively enough to maintain children's interest and engagement. For example, staff ask children to sit for long periods of time, and some lose interest.
• Staff are committed to children having plenty of fresh air and exercise to support them to develop a healthy lifestyle. They take children outside for sensory walks as they listen to planes in the sky and see ladybirds in the bushes. Children develop the strength in their large muscles as they pedal tricycles and balance on planks after building an obstacle course with their friends.
• Children develop their communication and language skills as they explore different textures and smells. For example, children identify mint and lemon as they play with dough. Younger children name the mint as they smell the fragrance when they rub fresh mint leaves, and staff introduce new words such as 'citrus' to older children.
• Staff read to individual children as they sit closely together. They read clearly and slowly so children can join in, developing their knowledge of characters in the story. Staff promote younger children's interest in books and love of stories as they encourage them to hold the books and talk about the pictures. Older children recall what happens in their favourite stories.
• Staff gently remind and support children to make positive choices in their play. They consistently praise children when they take turns and share the resources that are available to them. Children replicate this when they play with their friends as they are kind and compassionate.
• Staff share information with parents about children's learning and achievements. Parents comment positively about staff. They say that staff are friendly and approachable and support them to access support to benefit their children. Parents appreciate the information they receive about their children when they drop off and collect their children as well as at dedicated meetings for parents.
• Managers support staff to develop their skills as they regularly discuss children's progress and well-being. As a team, they discuss how they will organise the environment to support children's learning and plan activities children will find exciting. However, staff's interactions during children's play do not always support children to deepen their ideas and maximise their learning even further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's understanding of how to make greater use of planned group activities to help maintain children's interest and engagement
• help staff to continue to build on their interactions to ensure that they consistently extend and challenge children's learning.