Incy Wincy's Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have secure bonds with the kind and caring manager and staff team. Parents are asked about children's interests and routines at home so staff can support children to quickly settle at the pre-school. Children quickly form a positive relationship with their new key person, who swiftly establishes what they already know and what they need to learn next. Staff implement a curriculum focusing on children's interests and next steps in learning.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They encourage children to be kind and thoughtful towards each other. Children invite each other into their play. For example, they show each other objects with different textures they have found in a tray. Staff provide interesting activities to promote children's learning and add resources to children's self-chosen play, such as bottles to feed dolls children are pretending to look after. Staff encourage younger children to share pushchairs as children enjoy the role play. They ask older children questions about how they see their parents look after their younger siblings at home to promote children's language.

Staff act as good role models for children. They make good use of opportunities such as mealtimes to model drinking water and talk about how it helps to keep everyone healthy. Children develop good levels of confidence and self-esteem and a willingness to try new activities. For instance, older children take steps along low-level wooden beams as they gain control and confidence in their physical abilities.

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

• Children take part in stimulating adult-led activities. For example, they mix ingredients to make play dough with cinnamon. They are encouraged to investigate the various textures and smells, and associated vocabulary. However, at times, the planned learning intention for activities is not effectively implemented. For example, although staff plan to develop children's mathematical skills, children do not have the opportunity to weigh and measure ingredients.
• Staff follow children's interests to capture their attention when creating activities and experiences. For example, older children pretend to be mechanics as they repair their ride-on cars. Staff encourage children to talk about the repairs they are making. Staff name the tools they are using to develop children's naming vocabulary and communication skills.
• Staff are good role models for children. Children learn to behave well and use their manners. They respond positively to reminders from staff, who support them to take turns and share. Staff effectively warn children when the pre-school routine is about to change. This gives children time to end their play and get ready for the next activity.
• Staff plan group activities to support children's listening skills and learning. For example, they encourage children to recognise and find objects that rhyme with each other, such as a hat and a cat. However, it is not meaningful to all children, consequently, some children watch rather than being actively involved in their learning.
• Staff support children's physical skills well. They use the outdoor learning environment well to challenge children's large-muscle skills as they balance on beams to complete an obstacle course. Children develop their fine motor skills as they spoon soil into saucepans in the mud kitchen and roll dough into sausage shapes. This develops children's fine motor skills to prepare them for early mark making, such as drawing pictures with chalk on the patio.
• Parents are complimentary about the pre-school. They comment on how friendly and caring the staff are. They say that their children make good progress, particularly in their speech and social skills. However, staff do not always provide parents with the precise information they need to enable them to extend their children's learning at home.
• The manager provides staff with regular supervisions to check on their well-being. Staff receive training to develop their skills and knowledge. For example, the whole staff team have participated in training to increase their ability to promote children's physical development. They have researched the importance of children developing a strong core strength so that their bodies are ready for more controlled movements.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop a sharper focus on the learning intention for planned activities to extend children's knowledge and skills
• review the organisation of group activities for children, to ensure that all children remain fully engaged and interested in their learning
• provide parents with more detailed information about their child's learning to enable them to extend this further at home.