Kingswood Methodist Church PreSchool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and eager to start their day at this pre-school. They settle well and choose activities that interest them. Children are busy building models with bricks, using their imagination. They have fun getting messy while being creative in the art room. Children show they feel safe and secure and flow within the environment with ease. Staff support children, who are new to the setting, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They help them to move from one activity to the other by using visual aids. Staff plan activities following children's interests and meeting their needs. Staff have sand and water play on offer and encourage children with sensory needs to take part.

Staff promote children's independence. Children pour milk and fill their bowls with cereal for morning snack. They behave well and follow staff's instructions. Staff highlight the importance of turn taking during activities and routines. Children's physical skills develop well. They thoroughly enjoy outdoor play. Staff allow them to take assessed risks and climb on equipment. They engage in ball games with staff by practising kicking and catching. Parents speak highly of the manager and staff of this pre-school. They find them friendly and easy to talk to.

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

• The manager and staff demonstrate a clear curriculum intent for the pre-school. Staff plan purposeful experiences to support children's learning. This reflects children's interests and builds on what they already know and can do. For example, children have an interest in painting with different colours. Staff encourage children to discover what colour comes out when you mix two different colours.
• Parents are extremely positive about the pre-school and the staff team. They receive lots of information about what the children are learning. Staff work in partnership with parents and have effective systems for information sharing. For example, staff use an application to send information to parents. This is very helpful, especially for parents of children who speak English as an additional language. They read translated messages in their home language about their children's progress.
• Children become confident in looking after themselves. Staff teach them how to put on their coats and urge them to use the toilet by themselves. They also remind children to follow hygiene routines. Children wash hands before touching food or after finishing a painting activity.
• Staff introduce simple mathematical concepts during group activities. For example, children enjoy mixing ingredients while preparing icing to decorate cakes. Staff ask questions and use words, such as 'more', 'less' and 'how much' for the children to pick up.
• Staff set up resources linked to the different areas of learning. This equips children with knowledge and skills for their future learning. They offer a scale for children to use and estimate the weight of things. There is also a water wall in the garden for children to explore and find out how it works. However, staff do not give many opportunities for children to gain an understanding of everyday technology.
• The manager and staff want children to come across experiences that they do not see every day. They take children on trips to points of local interest, such as local parks or other nature spaces. This allows children to observe and understand the world.
• The manager and staff liaise with other professionals and other settings that children have attended. They prepare children well for the next stage of their education. For example, the manager gathers the older children and teaches them important skills for their next steps. This reinforces their smooth transition to reception class.
• The manager has cultivated great teamwork and staff feel happy to be part of this team. The manager takes her roles seriously and is keen on working next to the staff and supporting them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase opportunities for children to develop an understanding of everyday technology for a purpose.