Lady Bay Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently leave their parents and quickly settle. They are highly engaged in the activities they independently choose from the wide range of play ideas set up for them. Staff support the development of children's emotional well-being through their gentle and kind interactions. They care about families and children and put them at the heart of everything they do. Staff use the community to extend children's experiences. For example, they plan for children to visit an art gallery to stimulate their ideas for making models. Children develop a sense of what makes them unique as they sing with a local dementia group, experiencing different genres of music.

Staff plan an imaginative and motivating curriculum. They ensure that children have opportunities to revisit learning. For example, children make their own play dough and observe changes to ingredients as they add liquids to the flour and salt. They talk about previously making soda bread and observing similar changes. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and engage well in their play. They are motivated by the positive interactions with staff and the quality learning experiences.

Staff sensitively develop children's confidence to explore new experiences and build relationships with each other. Children become friendly and sociable with each other and adults. Staff guide children's behaviour and gently explain about being kind and gentle with others. They help children to understand their emotions and learn to regulate their own behaviour.

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

• Staff develop and implement a well-sequenced curriculum. They monitor and assess children's progress to identify what children need to learn next. Staff use children's interests to create exciting activities to enable children to experience new learning. They make links between different areas of the curriculum, such as literacy and expressive arts. For example, staff use books to ignite children's imaginations. However, the implementation of the curriculum for mathematics does not consistently build on what children already know and can do to further extend their knowledge.
• Children explore their own play ideas and focus their attention well as they choose activities that interest them. Staff interact with children to challenge their ideas and thoughts and encourage their sustained concentration. Children spend long periods exploring construction materials and work out how they can fit the train track together.
• Staff support children to develop an enjoyment of books and literacy. They read with individual children and use props to help children retell stories. Older children independently look at books that staff have previously read to them. However, at times, the organisation of adult-led group activities does not enable children to fully participate and engage in their learning. For example, not all children are able to participate in group story time due to the size of the group.
• Children behave extremely well, make independent choices and manage their own care needs. Staff take time to talk to children and help them to manage their feelings and support them to build relationships. They understand these skills are important for children to secure before they transition to school. They plan the environment to facilitate children being able to locate resources for themselves to lead their own play.
• Staff encourage creative and adventurous learners and promote children's physical activity. They plan the outdoors to stimulate children's interest in caring for the environment, such as watering flowers they have planted. Children develop their large muscles as they run around pretending to be pirates and search for treasure. They use their small muscles to draw pictures on the floor. Staff give children picture frames to put around their pictures, giving value to their work.
• Partnership working with parents is extremely positive and a strength of the pre-school. Parents say each member of the team brings something different and special to the setting, and they complement each other's skills. Staff form effective working partnerships with other professionals to ensure all children's individual needs are met. They support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with advice from agencies, which is sought in a timely manner.
• The staff are passionate and are proud of their pre-school. They work together well and create a calm and efficiently run setting where children thrive. Staff use training to better support children's speech and language, such as asking fewer questions so that children have time to respond.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the planning and delivery of the curriculum to support children's mathematical skills and knowledge
• strengthen the organisation of group times to enable all children to fully engage in the learning.