In2play St Leonards Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children spend their days exploring, discovering, chatting and laughing. Under the skilful and supportive guidance of staff, they become highly motivated and independent learners. For example, children select books, build with construction resources and express themselves creatively. Staff very competently use their interactions to increase children's enjoyment and continually extend their learning. For example, children enthusiastically create and negotiate obstacle courses, spurred on by the support and praise they receive from staff.

All children develop a strong sense of security in the care of trusted staff who know them well. They readily approach staff for attention, confident that their needs will be met. Children who struggle to settle receive the extra support, cuddles and reassurance they need and are soon playing happily. There is a strong and successful focus on promoting children's emotional well-being and social skills. This includes helping them to understand how to behave well and to interact positively with others. Children demonstrate their rapidly developing social skills as they include others in their games. For example, a large group of children excitedly join in a hilarious game when a friend shouts that there is a shark in the playground and urges them all to get into the 'boat'. Children squeal with delight as they run around, telling others to, 'Run for you life.' Children recall ideas and language they have previously gained from staff, for example, as they avoid the 'quicksand'.

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

• Since opening, leaders and staff have very successfully created a nurturing environment where children flourish. Leaders have clear aims to offer high-quality care and education that are based on respecting each child as an individual. This ambition is understood and shared by all staff. Leaders recognise and fully appreciate the expertise and experience of individual staff and use their skills well. There are good arrangements to continually support staff, including regular supervision meetings and relevant training opportunities.
• Leaders and staff offer a very broad and interesting range of experiences. Although staff successfully plan well-targeted, adult-led activities, much of their teaching takes place as children play, building on their interests. On occasion, activities are not adapted as precisely as possible to reflect the varied ages and abilities of all the children who choose to take part. At these times, children who find the activity too complex or too easy lose interest and go off to explore other resources. However, overall, staff make very good use of their precise knowledge of each child to support their learning well. This is particularly effective during the many one-to-one and small-group interactions that take place.
• Staff make very good use of the space and resources that are available to promote all areas of learning. They recognise that some children prefer to learn outdoors while others choose to spend much of their time in the group room. Staff ensure that there are exciting opportunities for children in all areas. Leaders provide new resources to reflect children's changing interests and to provide increasing challenge. For example, they have recently installed a very popular tyre swing.
• There are good arrangements to promote children's language and communication. Staff engage children in lively conversations and make good use of stories and songs to introduce new vocabulary. The support for children's creativity, mathematics and understanding of the world is equally impressive. Children enjoy the freedom they have to explore paints and other art materials. Staff model different techniques that children later practise independently. Staff support children to count, consider shapes and learn to compare different sizes. Experiences such as woodwork, building fires, visiting the beach and gardening support children to learn about the natural world. Staff also plan activities to reflect children's different cultures and backgrounds.
• The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a strength within the pre-school. The special educational needs coordinator works alongside each child's key person to ensure that they receive the targeted support they need. This is done in collaboration with parents and relevant professionals.
• Staff promote children's behaviour sensitively and consistently. They also help children to understand how make healthy choices and to develop good self-care skills. For example, children routinely wash their hands before eating. Staff make good use of the wonderfully sociable mealtimes to talk to children, reinforcing their understanding of healthy foods.
• Partnership working with parents is good. Children benefit from seeing the friendly interactions between staff and their parents. This contributes to their sense of security. Staff take time each day to speak to parents as they drop off and collect their child. They also use an online system to provide regular updates on children's progress and future learning goals. Staff provide parents with individualised suggestions of activities that could be completed at home to provide continuity and to support children to achieve these goals.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to give more consideration to how to adapt spontaneous activities to engage all children who want to take part.