Lea Pre-School & Kids Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

When some children arrive, they show staff artwork that they have created at home and explain to them what they have made. During group times, children laugh when staff joke with them and pretend that their names are different from what they actually are. This shows that children have close relationships with staff and they are confident and settled in their care. Additional funding that some children receive is used effectively to support their individual needs. This includes purchasing books about emotions for staff to read to children. This contributes to helping children manage their feelings.

Children learn about the wider world. For example, staff show children a globe and talk to them about different countries. Older children share their knowledge of holidays abroad. Younger children show their imagination when they pretend to make ice creams. Staff provide them with equipment to use to help develop their hand-to-eye coordination as they scoop foam into cones. Children learn staff's expectations for their behaviour. For example, during group times, staff remind children to use their listening ears and to do good sitting. Older children pretend to turn on their listening ears, following staff's instructions. Children are encouraged to have a positive attitude to completing tasks by themselves. When younger children try to put their arms in aprons, staff ask if they need help. Children receive praise from staff for trying, helping children to recognise their achievements.

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

• The management team reflects on staff's practice and identifies ways to further promote children's learning and safety. Examples of this include staff completing in-house training to develop their awareness of how to implement risk assessments to identify and reduce risks when they take children to use the host school facilities. Furthermore, staff are supported to develop their interactions with children, such as to help children learn through exploration and solving problems. For instance, staff ask children to work out how to stack different-sized wooden cubes on top of each other to make a tower.
• Since the last inspection, staff have implemented robust procedures to ensure that they accurately identify what children need to learn next and how to share this information with the staff team. This means that all staff understand how to support all children's individual developmental needs during planned activities and their self-chosen play experiences.
• Staff implement a curriculum to support children to be independent. For example, younger children carry their belongings when staff ask to change their nappies. Older children use knives to spread butter on toast. They pour their own drinks and select fruit they would like to eat for a snack.
• Children's communication and language skills are supported well by staff. For example, staff introduce new words for older children to learn, such as 'storm' and 'sleet', when they describe different weather conditions. This helps to extend their vocabulary.
• Staff help children to learn about the benefits that food can have on their bodies. Children tell staff that the food they eat makes them strong so they can run fast. Furthermore, staff help to provide children with water to drink to promote healthy teeth and gums. However, staff do not fully support children to understand the importance of looking after their teeth, to help promote their knowledge of oral health.
• Staff help children to develop a sense of responsibility to care for the environment. For instance, they ask children to join them to tidy toys away. Children are quick to respond and follow staff's instructions. However, during other routines in the day, such as lunchtime, staff do not support children to remain engaged. This results in this time of the day being chaotic and children not engaged in learning.
• Children develop their understanding of how plants and vegetables grow. For example, staff invite parents into the pre-school to plant seeds and plants with their children. This helps them to be involved in their children's learning. Children tell visitors that the vegetables need water, soil and the sun to grow. Staff help children to harvest and taste the vegetables, contributing to their understanding of the process from ground to plate.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop opportunities for children to learn about the importance of oral health
• support staff to organise some daily routines more effectively so that all children remain engaged in learning.