Hyde Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and ready to learn. They know the routine and confidently enter the pre-school. Children find their pictures to self-register. Staff use this time to find out how the children are feeling as the children put their photos against pictures that represent emotions, such as happy, sad, angry or sleepy. Children independently hang up their coats and put away their lunch boxes. They choose what they would like to do from the activities staff provide.

Staff provide a broad and balanced curriculum based on the children's interests and developmental needs. They provide many opportunities for children to practise their physical skills. For example, during a forest school session, children push their child-sized tractors to the top of the hill and excitedly wheel back down. They climb on the swings and navigate how to move backwards and forwards. This helps to develop their coordination.

Staff have high expectations for behaviour and children understand the rules and boundaries. For example, children know that if they would like to ride on a particular tricycle, they can use the egg timer. Children confidently turn it over to start the waiting time. They watch the sand go down and then ask their friends for a ride. This promotes their confidence and understanding of sharing and turn taking. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points.

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

• The leadership team has a clear vision for the pre-school and is ambitious in its plans to develop the provision. The team monitors staff performance through supervision, and staff can access training opportunities. This helps to ensure they update their skills. Staff report they feel supported in their roles and their well-being is good. They work well together and are deployed effectively to meet the needs of the children. Staff communicate effectively as a team and this helps to provide consistent care and support for the children.
• The leadership team forms close relationships with the local schools. For example, the team attends seasonal events to familiarise children with the different environments. This helps to support children with transitions. Staff also work in partnership with other settings children attend and develop a shared approach to children's care and learning.
• The leadership team plans a broad curriculum and provides activities to meet the children's interests. However, at times, staff do not deliver in a way that meets the different learning needs of older children. For example, staff do not support children to express their own ideas or do tasks for themselves. Although children enjoy activities, this does not always extend their learning effectively.
• Overall, children make good progress in their communication and language development. Staff use books and storytelling to further extend children's vocabulary and speech. However, on occasion, staff do not provide sufficient time for children to respond to questions. They do not always use interactions effectively to give children opportunities to practise and further develop their communication skills.
• Staff support children effectively to manage their own personal needs and adopt healthy habits. They remind children to wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet. Children confidently help themselves to fruit and pour their own drinks at snack time. This helps children to understand the importance of good hygiene and healthy lifestyles.
• Staff build on what children know and can do and provide activities to meet their needs. Consequently, children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. For example, they persevere in their play with blocks, balancing pieces and concentrating hard as they build tall towers. Children excitedly call staff to look at their constructions. They beam with excitement as they show off their creations.
• Partnerships with parents are positive and information sharing is effective. For example, staff gather details about children and request photos. They create books with this information that they share with the children as they settle into pre-school. Children enjoy looking at the photos together. Staff provide regular feedback to parents about their children's progress. There are systems in place, such as a book lending library for children. This helps to support parents to extend their children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the teaching of the curriculum further, to more precisely adapt activities to individual children's learning needs
• enhance teaching strategies to further extend children's speech and language skills to an even higher level.