Jelly Tots Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this welcoming pre-school with big smiles, ready to start their day. Staff are sensitive to their needs. For instance, they quickly notice and respond when children need a reassuring cuddle to help them settle. This supports children to feel secure and build affectionate relationships with staff. They are confident to ask for help and delighted when staff join in with their games. Staff teach children about good hygiene and safety. They praise children's positive behaviour, such as when they share toys or help to tidy up, so that children are eager to do well. Staff ensure that the resources and activities reflect children's interests and the things that they enjoy. This ignites children's curiosity and draws them to the activities. They focus well and thoroughly enjoy their learning.

Leaders and staff want children to achieve all that they can. They monitor their progress closely and ensure that they receive targeted support where needed. For example, children benefit from focused small group activities, which support them to develop their attention and listening skills. This proactive approach helps all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good progress in readiness for starting school. Leaders use funding for children with SEND effectively, to provide additional resources and support which further enhance their learning.

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

• Leaders and staff know the children well. They plan a broad range of experiences, to foster children's progress in all areas of learning. Overall, they deliver an ambitious curriculum, to support children's next steps in learning. For example, staff provide lots of activities which require children to use their hands, such as playing with dough and cutting with scissors. This helps children to strengthen and coordinate their small muscle movements, in readiness for learning to write.
• Staff demonstrate a good range of teaching skills. For instance, they are particularly effective at supporting children's communication and language development, such as by simplifying speech and modelling new vocabulary. Staff also use sign language, to aid communication for children who are developing their speech or learning English. This helps all children, including those with SEND, to express themselves and understand what is expected.
• In general, staff provide effective guidance for children throughout the day, to help them follow routines and behave well. However, on occasion, staff do not always think fully about how they can extend children's learning further. For example, as children come in from the garden, staff remove their coats and pick up any discarded clothing, rather than promoting children's independence and sense of responsibility.
• Staff have a welcoming and inclusive approach, which helps all children to feel valued. For instance, they ensure that children who speak English as an additional language have opportunities to hear and use their home languages as they play. Staff teach children about other communities and ways of life, such as by learning about a range of cultural and religious events throughout the year. This supports children to develop a positive appreciation of their similarities and differences.
• Overall, staff promote healthy lifestyles for children. For instance, they provide fresh fruit at snack time and ensure that children spend time outdoors daily. However, staff do not always plan well enough to help children fully understand the benefits of regular exercise and healthy food choices.
• Parents say that their children thoroughly enjoy their time in the pre-school and comment on their strong bonds with the staff. They appreciate information about the learning activities and their children's progress, which promotes consistency between home and the pre-school. Parents say that their children make good progress, particularly with their language development and social skills.
• Leaders ensure that staff receive good support and supervision, to promote their personal well-being and professional development. Staff describe effective teamwork and speak enthusiastically about their professional goals and ongoing training. For example, a recent workshop has inspired them to reflect on issues that affect children's behaviour. Staff attend mandatory training, to help them provide a safe environment for children and protect them from harm and abuse.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to improve teaching during some parts of the daily routine, to ensure they consider children's differing abilities and maximise the opportunities for learning
• further develop the curriculum relating to healthy lifestyles, to help staff provide clearer and more consistent messages about exercise and healthy eating for children.