Kingsland Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are incredibly happy and settled at this nurturing pre-school. As they arrive, children find their pegs and place their belongings away by themselves. Staff are child centred, and their aim is to support children to become independent, confident learners who fully immerse themselves in play. Children help adults with gardening tasks, such as pouring compost into flower pots and using their wellington boots to compact the soil down. The children talk enthusiastically to staff as they recall previous learning.

Children giggle as they play hide and seek with their friends and key person. Staff foster strong attachments with all children in their care and listen attentively to their needs and requests. Children show they feel safe and secure by initiating cuddles with their key person and other staff who care for them. They know how to behave, and children are respectful and kind to each other. Older children say, 'I know how to help my friends,' when they see a friend struggling. Younger children share pots and pans as they fill and empty them with sand. This helps children to learn important skills such as taking turns and waiting for their turn.

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

• Parent partnerships are secure. Parents speak positively about the pre-school and feel well informed. Staff share children's progress with parents and offer ideas on how they can support their child's development at home. For example, parents like having puzzle packs, which they use to play with their children at home. These help the children to practise the skills they are learning in nursery.
• Flexible transition arrangements help children settle into the pre-school in their own time. For example, children and their parents are offered settling-in sessions, which are built up over time, to suit the needs of the child and family.
• The pre-school has developed effective links with the local primary school. They plan joint events to help children transition to school. Staff work closely with health professionals and share information that has helped children to receive the right support at the right time.
• Staff follow children's interests and support their learning, both indoors and outdoors. For example, staff support children to learn about the number of objects as they count. For example, they develop their understanding of number as they explore spring flowers in the outdoor area. On occasion, during play, some children become disengaged, as the planned environment can lack challenge. This results in children becoming reliant on staff interactions to help re-engage them.
• Daily toothbrushing helps children to develop a positive attitude to caring for their oral health. Staff talk to children about how to keep healthy, and they read children books that offer further discussion points around health and well-being.
• Staff have sought oral health training to offer support and information to families.
• Children take part in local walks, and they help the farmer to bottle feed the lambs during spring. These experiences enable children to develop their understanding of the community in which they live and broaden their experiences.
• Children display good levels of independence. They choose when they want to prepare their own snack, and staff support younger children to use cutlery to chop their fruit and pour their own drinks. Older children independently place their plates and cups in a bowl to help wash them up.
• Children get plenty of opportunities to hear stories, rhymes and songs throughout the day. There are planned sessions where children sit together and listen to a story alongside their peers. This presents the opportunity for older children to work on their next step of sequencing familiar stories. Staff regularly engage children in conversation as they play. This helps children to become confident communicators and develop a love of storytelling.
• Managers regularly arrange training to support staff to improve their knowledge and skills. However, supervisions staff receive do not focus effectively on providing clear feedback that staff can use to further develop their quality of teaching and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop how staff plan the environment to ensure children have sufficient levels of challenge to continue to engage in their learning
• strengthen how supervisions are used to provide staff with clear targets that relate to quality of teaching and learning.