Lepton CE Pre-School and Just for Fun Out of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are cared for in a safe, secure and welcoming environment. They develop strong bonds with staff because of caring and nurturing interactions. Staff ensure they know about children and their families to enable them to build strong relationships with all. Staff offer higher levels of support to those children who are new to the setting, and this helps them to settle quickly. Babies demonstrate that they feel secure with staff, who are attentive to their individual needs.

Staff know what they want children to learn, and focus on children's interests and the areas of learning. They plan a challenging and motivating curriculum and children demonstrate high levels of engagement. Staff carefully consider any moves to other rooms as children transition through the nursery. They ensure children have the appropriate skills to ensure any moves are in the children's best interests. Key workers know their children well. Staff understand the care and learning needs of the children from their starting points and the use of accurate assessments. Children develop the necessary skills for their eventual move to school.

Children behave well and are enthusiastic about learning. They are eager to join their friends in play. They are polite towards staff and their peers. Staff encourage children to take care of their belongings and to help tidy toys away. They know what is expected of them in the setting.

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

• Children have opportunities to develop their fine- and gross-motor skills. They participate in using dough and listening to music as they stretch their hands and practise squeezing and squashing. They use their muscles to prepare for learning to write. They access the outdoor area and engage in group activities of running and walking and following instructions.
• Staff model communication and language well. They use effective questioning to extend children's learning. For example, they encourage the children to explore ideas and consider how they might draw a picture of a castle. Children work together to check how many windows are needed, referring to a book. Staff offer an ongoing narrative, and this encourages children to use their imaginations. Staff work with parents to discourage the overuse of dummies, recognising the impact this has on developing language.
• Staff use focused activities to engage children and extend their learning based on stories they are reading. Children learn about growing as they plant beans. Staff ask them about what is needed to help things grow and children recap on previous learning. Children use their fine motor skills as they scoop up the soil using trowels. They practise writing their names to put on the plant pots and sound out the letters of their names.
• Staff promote children's mathematical development extremely well. Throughout a range of activities, staff engage children using mathematical language and routine counting. Children learn about having more or less than. As a staff member introduces repeating patterns, children talk about the longest and shortest creations.
• Staff act as excellent role models to teach children about respectful interactions. Children play exceptionally well together. They share toys with their friends and say thank you to each other. Staff help children to resolve any minor disagreements and encourage them to work together. However, staff do not always remind children why some behaviours and actions are unwanted. They do not offer an explanation as to why some behaviours could be harmful, such as climbing on a chair or running around a table.
• Children learn how to be independent as they put their own indoor shoes on after outdoor play. They unzip their coats and hang them on their named pegs. Some children independently use the toilet with minimal support. Children show a sense of pride in their achievements.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents report that children make good progress in the setting and staff ensure they are kept up to date about their children's progress. Parents appreciate the time taken to help children settle into the setting, and the love and care offered by staff.
• The setting works well with other professionals to ensure children's learning and development are fully promoted. Feedback from the local school shows appreciation for the level of education given to children. The preparation which is put into place for children transitioning to school is valued, and children are highly skilled as they move on to the next stage of their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to give more messages to enable children to learn about staying healthy and making healthy choices
• improve children's understanding of risks so they are able to think of ways to keep themselves safe independently.