Kirkburton Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Kirkburton Pre-School thrives on being an open space for children and parents. Staff welcome families as they arrive. Children are happy and quickly engage with the range of activities available. They are very comfortable with staff, who are attentive and encouraging. Children feel safe and secure. There are strong relationships between staff and children. This supports the excellent behaviour of children. They are independent and help their friends. Staff promote children trying to do things for themselves. For example, finding ways to release dinosaurs from ice blocks. Children try to melt the ice with brushes and warm water.

The bespoke curriculum is weaved throughout staff interactions, resources and activities. Children demonstrate independence as they clear their own snack plate and cup. They take turns with their friends and decide when they need their coat. Staff weave mathematics through play, for example, floating and sinking during water play. Children decide how many scoops of water they need to raise the cork to the top of a water tube. Children show delight when the cork rises to the top.

Children are confident and happy, waving at visitors through the window and telling them how much fun they have at pre-school.

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

• Leaders have a clear vision for children's learning. There are high expectations of all children including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders are passionate about outcomes for children. They are ambitious for children's learning and promote a culture of inclusivity to all.
• The pre-school has created strong links within the community. Children visit the library, local shops or go on walks. This helps to develop children's understanding of the world.
• Leaders have created relationships with local schools, this supports smooth transitions when children move on. They work together to ensure children have the skills and learning opportunities that mirror the school's practice. The local school shares tasks that the pre-school can work on for children to be ready for school, such as recognising their name.
• Leaders are highly reflective of practice and continually evaluate the pre-school. Changes following the pandemic have continued, such as consistent handwashing. Leaders found children were more anxious since the pandemic. They created a calm space with strategies that children can use. This is supporting children's understanding of feelings and being able to self-regulate. Also, leaders recently adapted a reading area. This was to encourage more boys to access stories, supporting language development.
• Staff's communication and interaction is excellent. They use questions to challenge children's thinking and develop their thought processes. They model new vocabulary, such as 'nutrients' when creating a wormery and 'sour' when printing with fruit.
• Children develop well with fine motor skills as they explore dough and make pretend ice-creams. However, staff do not consistently plan for children to extend their large physical skills. For example, children are routinely asked not to climb on structures, such as walls, in order to keep them safe. However, staff do not recognise the root cause of these actions and provide safe alternatives for children to practise and extend their skills.
• Parents are highly complimentary of the pre-school. They comment on feeling included in their child's development. They love the topic sheets that the pre-school shares on a regular basis. They enjoy knowing which books the pre-school is reading and being able to borrow books to take home, to further support children's learning.
• Staff know the children well and their starting points. They know how they are progressing and what they will be working on next with them. Staff have good knowledge of the areas of learning, including the reason for activities. They support children's interests, listening to their voice and opinions.
• Staff have high well-being and they are supported by leaders who mentor and support them well. There are plenty of opportunities to develop professionally, through staff meeting discussions, professional reading and training courses.
• Leaders use additional funding well to expand the experiences for children. For example, children have the opportunity to engage with theatre experiences. External providers bring stories to life at the pre-school. Healthy lifestyles are developed through fitness providers bringing yoga to the pre-school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan more effectively to help children to extend their developing physical skills.