Little Fishes Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children are happy to enter the setting on arrival and excitedly go off to play. Teachers take time to get to know each individual child and use a variety of teaching methods to support the children to make good progress. Children demonstrate high levels of engagement in activities and are curious about what is going on around them. For example, they ask teachers questions about things they notice. Children are confident to move between activities and play with the activities on offer.

Children demonstrate learning by regularly recalling what is learned in small groups and during free play. They enjoy talking about past activities they have taken part in. For example, children talk excitedly about the sunflowers they planted at pre-school, which they are growing at home. They also demonstrate a clear understanding of the routine of the pre-school, the behavioural expectations and rules and boundaries. This supports them to behave impeccably. They are kind and courteous towards their peers and their teachers.

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

• Teachers place an emphasis on children's mathematical development and provide numerous opportunities for children to acquire and use mathematical language. Children demonstrate learning in these areas by confidently counting objects, using mathematical language and correctly answering mathematical questions. Children are supported to recognise numerals in the environment, and older children are encouraged to write numerals.
• Teachers are very responsive to children, and intervene and support when necessary. Teachers use a variety of teaching methods to support children to behave appropriately and, as a result, children behave impeccably. The children demonstrate a clear understanding of the rules and behavioural expectations of the setting and are kind and respectful towards each other.
• All children are supported to make progress. Their key person has an in-depth knowledge of the individual child, how they are doing, what progress they are making and the next steps needed to further enhance the child's learning. They confidently talk about their key children and demonstrate they take time to get to know each child and work with them to make good progress.
• There is a clear intent of what staff want children to learn. Activities on offer are carefully planned and set up to support children to learn in these areas, particularly in their communication and language, mathematics, physical and personal, social and emotional development.
• Children are engaged and demonstrate enjoyment from the activities on offer to them. However, the activities on offer are adult led and set up for the children. The activities are prescriptive and this has an impact on the children's ability to make their own choices, express themselves and guide their own play and learning. For example, children are not able to self-select resources that interest them to enhance their play and learning.
• Children are supported well in their communication and language development. They recall songs and the timetable of activities, and demonstrate that they know what comes next. The children listen to instructions and go and find requested objects. Children recite a story about a hungry caterpillar. They show their understanding of life cycles and talk about the foods the caterpillar eats, and how it gets bigger and bigger.
• Parents speak highly of the setting and are very pleased with the progress their children have made since attending, in particular with their communication and language development.
• Robust supervision and monitoring of staff practice is in place and used to drive continuous improvement.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give children more opportunities to guide their own learning by making choices and decisions about what they do and the resources they want to use.