Iqra Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are cheerful and warmly greet children as they arrive. This helps children to feel welcome and they develop a sense of belonging. Children demonstrate kindness to one another and listen to what the staff tell them. Staff reinforce expected behaviours and remind children frequently of the boundaries. For example, children are reminded to use 'walking feet' indoors. This helps children to develop an understanding of being safe. Children behave well.

Children develop their independence. For example, children find their own snack bags and their picture and names to sign in and get ready for garden time. Children enjoy taking responsibility for small tasks, such as helping staff to tidy up and handing their peers resources when painting.

All children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points. Staff liaise with other professionals and follow their advice. They use this information to provide targeted support for children. Staff promote children's communication and language skills effectively. Throughout their interactions, they provide a dialogue, repeat words and phrases and introduce new words to extend children's vocabulary. Children talk with confidence as staff listen with interest to what they say.

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

• Leaders are committed to providing a curriculum to ensure that all children, including those with SEND and who are disadvantaged, develop the knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of learning. Staff assess children's development to find out what they already know and can do. They use this information to identify any emerging gaps and plan for children's next steps.
• Leaders have a clear intent of what they would like children to know and learn. As a result of this, leaders have created a well-planned curriculum. Activities are based around the children's interests and topics, and children are encouraged to join in.
• Children enjoy an array of activities where they can explore and investigate their surroundings. Staff ask questions, but these do not always encourage children to make links in their learning, such as thinking about and recalling information from previous activities. This does not fully encourage children to widen their knowledge and skills they are learning.
• Staff promote children's literacy skills well. They regularly read books to children and encourage children to look at books independently. Staff show children how to write their names on whiteboards, when they show interest in this, and encourage them to have a go. These experiences support children's early literacy skills.
• Children's physical development is well supported. Children access outdoor activities regularly. They develop their large muscles as they climb the steps of the slide and ride wheeled toys. Staff remind them to take turns so they do not bump into each other. Children use their small hand muscles as they manipulate play dough and make marks using chalk and paint. This supports children's emerging early writing skills.
• Children have opportunities to develop their mathematical skills. Children keenly count and recognise numerals. Staff encourage mathematical language and they explain to children which is the 'bigger' tower. Children eagerly recognise shapes as they jump from shape to shape in the outdoor area. This supports all children to develop their mathematical awareness.
• Partnership with parents is effective at this nursery. Parents comment that children are happy to attend, staff are friendly, and they feel supported as a whole family unit. They see their children making progress and receive information daily about what children have been doing.
• Staff work well as a team. Leaders show a high regard for staff well-being, ensuring they feel appreciated, which helps them in fulfilling their roles and developing their practice. Their qualifications have a positive impact on many aspects of their practice. Staff have upcoming training to attend to improve their knowledge and skills further. Despite this, although new to post, leaders are yet to implement supervision sessions and monitoring of staff practice where new initiatives have been introduced. This means that leaders do not know staff's strengths or areas they need to improve.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise when opportunities arise to extend children's learning further
• strengthen the monitoring of staff to help raise practice to a higher level.