Jigsaw Preschool Committee

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The setting is a welcoming environment for children. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, children are dropped off at the door by parents. However, they settle quickly as they are greeted by friendly staff. Parents are welcomed into the setting at collection to meet with their key person.

Children show positive attitudes to learning and are curious about the world around them. They enjoy a variety of activities which inspire awe and wonder, for example visiting local woodland to explore nature. Staff provide a balanced curriculum of activities which they build on as they identify and plan individual targets for children's learning. They encourage children to compare the sizes and introduce mathematical language. For instance, children are encouraged to group balls of play dough as they talk about different sizes, such as 'big' and 'small'.

Children persevere with tasks with support from staff and are willing to give things a go. Additionally, staff help children to celebrate their accomplishments and take pride in their achievements, which builds their self-esteem. Children enjoy being read to and incorporate these stories into other parts of their day. For example, after listening to the story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', children enjoy tasting porridge during snack time. Children are physically active in their play. They dig in mud, ride scooters and climb trees under supervision. This helps them to understand how to manage appropriate risk and to keep themselves safe.

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

• The manager has a clear ethos for the curriculum, which is shared by staff. They plan to teach children new skills and knowledge in preparation for the next stage of learning, such as starting school. Staff know children well and assess their learning and development effectively. This helps children make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff work closely with other professionals to ensure a consistent approach to children's learning. For example, they implement advice from specialist professionals, to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• The manager and staff recognise the importance of communication and language. The teaching and support they provide helps children build their vocabulary and language structures, for example by describing the outer shell of a chestnut as 'hairy' or 'spiky' and explaining to children how this has fallen from a tree. However, at times, staff do not offer children the opportunity to use more complex language.
• Quality interactions with staff help children to respond and learn conversational language. However, on occasion, some staff use lots of questions and do not always allow children time to respond. This means, sometimes, children do not have time to develop their thinking skills and express their own ideas.
• Parent partnership is a strength. Parents have high regard for the nursery and praise how they create a 'family feeling'. Parents comment on how quickly children settle and the support they receive in preparation for school.
• Managers put in place effective systems for self-evaluation and monitoring. This helps ensure managers and staff make continuous improvements and consistently provide quality care and learning for children. Managers identify staff training needs effectively through supervision meetings, to help them enhance their knowledge and skills. Staff comment that they feel well supported by leaders and work in a close-knit team.
• The manager has robust procedures in place. Their policy for complaints record the nature of the concern and what has been done to resolve issues. Any complaints are managed appropriately.
• Overall, children behave well; they listen to the instructions given by staff and are learning to share and take turns. Staff have high expectations and remind children of having 'kind hands'. This means children are beginning to understand right from wrong.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's skills in extending children's thinking and problem-solving further during play
• support staff to build further on children's communication and language skills and use more complex and challenging vocabulary.