Kirk Merrington Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily engage in their play at this established and well-organised setting. They enjoy a wide range of interesting activities that excite and motivate them. Staff get to know children well. They build strong relationships with children, who are settled, happy and secure. Staff place a strong focus throughout the setting on supporting children to explore their emotions. Staff use stories, puppets and soft toys to encourage children to talk about how they feel. Children grow in confidence. Staff are clear with their praise so children can easily recognise their achievements. Children are focused and concentrate well as they fill and empty containers with water and sand. They are curious, active and willing to have a try.

Children enjoy daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise in the setting's spacious and enclosed garden. Staff teach children about the natural world, such as they support children to plant flowers and hunt for insects using magnifying glasses. Staff support children's growing independence well. They encourage children to put on and take off their shoes and coats, and wash their hands. Children peel and chop their fruit at snack time and choose what they want to play with next. Staff promote positive behaviour, such as by encouraging children to take turns and share.

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

• Staff plan activities that match children's interests and stages of development. They provide clear instructions and model new skills well. Staff provide a secure daily routine, which supports children to work together in smaller targeted groups, as well as time for children to explore their own choices and interests.
• Staff talk to children about their experiences and use books and stories to widen their general knowledge of life outside the setting. They encourage children to participate in large group sessions, including sitting together on the carpet to listen to familiar stories. Staff talk to children about the characters in the book and support children to learn about different feelings and emotions. This helps to support children's communication and language development well. Staff encourage children to sing a song to help them to settle at the beginning of the session. However, they are yet to consider other ways to help to minimise distractions and maximise support to help all children to build on their good listening and attention skills.
• Staff provide good support for children's physical development. Children enjoy rich opportunities outside to stretch, run and jump. They balance on stepping stones and develop their core strength, such as when they roll hoops uphill.
• Staff support children to develop different ways to use their hands, in preparation for early writing. Children use tweezers and chopsticks to pick up toy worms buried in a sand tray. They explore with pipettes in the water tray and make marks with chalks and brushes.
• Staff plan strong support for children's mathematical development. They introduce mathematical concepts and language, such as 'full', 'empty', 'whole' and 'half'. Staff encourage children's understanding of positional language, by emphasising terms such as 'next to' and 'opposite'.
• There is strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff understand the importance of working with other professionals in education and health. This helps to create a consistent approach to support for children's learning.
• The setting's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is passionate about her role. She gathers detailed information about children and uses this to plan tailored support for their learning.
• Staff have built a good relationship with the village school. Staff invite teachers to visit older children at the setting. This helps to support and reassure children as they move on to school or the next stage in their learning.
• Overall, staff have built strong relationships with parents and feedback from them is good. This includes praise for the support they receive from the staff team and the range of activities on offer. However, the information which staff provide to parents about their children's progress is sometimes inconsistent.
• The manager and staff meet weekly together to reflect on experiences for children. They review children's progress and evaluate the activities they plan. Staff keep their skills up to date. For example, the setting's SENCo has completed training to support her role.
• Staff praise the support they receive from the manager for their professional development and their well-being. The hardworking staff team work together and support each other well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to help to minimise distractions and maximise support to help all children to build on their good listening and attention skills
• review how information is provided to parents about their children's progress, to help ensure that it is regular and consistent.