Lapal Grange Preschool Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This committed staff team ensures daily that the layout and use of the environment and resources make a significant contribution to children's independence and learning. Children are warmly welcomed by staff who prioritise their emotional well-being. Children confidently put their belongings away and quickly settle into activities. They respond extremely well to the routine. For example, when staff shake the tambourine, children immediately help to tidy the resources and get ready for outdoor play. Staff have the highest expectations of children and plan a challenging range of physical play resources. For example, children competently use the challenging assault course created from a variety of objects such as crates, planks and stepping stones.

Staff have an in-depth understanding of what children enjoy and their development and use this information effectively to help children make good progress. Staff encourage children to explore, discover and investigate their environment, which is designed to build on what children enjoy and what they have been learning. In the role play area, children easily adopt roles and narrate their play as they pretend to visit the dentist and doctors. For example, children use words such as 'prescription', 'appointment', 'bandage' and 'plasters' as they make pretend appointments and explain how they have hurt themselves.

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

• A carefully designed curriculum, which prioritises preparing children for school, is successfully delivered by the staff team. Staff creatively use a wealth of books as a base to inspire children to learn and successfully incorporate all areas of learning to help children progress. Staff adopt a flexible approach and observe children daily to include their changing interests to motivate them to learn.
• Partnerships with parents are strong from the start. Home visits are made to each child when they first start and this benefits children to help them build a rapport with staff. It also helps staff swiftly identify any children or families who may need additional intervention and support. Parents report they are impressed by the quality of information they receive about their children's development. For example, the weekly updates about the curriculum, informative progress reports and parents' evenings provide them with information they need to help them support their children.
• The inclusive approach adopted by staff ensures children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well, and they make good progress from their starting points. The manager ensures referrals are quickly made to external agencies to help children receive the support they need. Staff are attentive to the needs of children who speak English as an additional language, and they make good progress. For example, staff obtain key words in children's home languages and encourage parents to record familiar phrases in their home languages to help children settle.
• Promoting children's literacy development is a high priority. Staff provide a rich range of engaging opportunities for children to increase their finger, hand and arm strength in preparation for writing. For example, children learn to use scissors and show high levels of engagement as they write and make marks at the table and on chalkboards. Books are used extremely well by staff to reinforce learning. The book of the week to help children talk about their emotions is well received by children. For example, children show high levels of engagement and recite familiar phrases and talk about the author and illustrator of the book.
• There is a strong key-person system and staff know their children well. For example, staff identify precise next steps to help build on children's learning and daily work with their assigned key children in small groups. Staff identify any children who may need support in their communication and language skills and they benefit from a small nurture group to help close gaps in their learning. However, during whole-group sessions, staff do not always plan diligently for the mixed-age group of children taking part. Consequently, on these occasions, the youngest children do not take part fully and get the very most from the experience on offer.
• The enthusiastic and dedicated manager works alongside the staff team and constantly reviews the care and education provided. Staff benefit from regular monitoring, coaching and supervision sessions to ensure teaching is consistently good. However, the manager has not identified that staff do not consistently create opportunities for the least vocal children in the group to speak and increase their confidence.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to plan more effectively for the youngest children in the group to help increase their involvement during activities and extend their learning potential
• increase opportunities for the least vocal children to talk during group situations to increase their confidence and speaking skills.