Little Marlow Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish at this welcoming home-from-home pre-school. They arrive with enthusiasm and are eager to explore the interesting activities on offer to them. Children are greeted warmly by familiar staff. They form positive relationships with their peers and develop their social skills well. For instance, children share tools such as rollers and shape cutters. They discuss different ways to squish and roll play dough. Children are confident to share their ideas with others, talk about their own creations and praise their friends for their achievements. Outside, they initiate their own games and pop up umbrellas. They pretend it is raining and use spray bottles to shoot water into the sky. This helps to build on the muscles in their hands and fingers in preparation for early writing.

Children demonstrate good independence skills. They know their routines well, listen to instructions and tidy away toys. Children change their shoes as they move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments. They show an understanding of personal hygiene, independently blow their noses, and wash their hands with little prompting. Staff spend time getting to know their children. They are caring, approachable and responsive to their individual needs. All children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress.

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

• Partnerships with parents are very strong. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, staff communicated with parents, such as through digital media, to help parents teach their children at home. Parents say staff provide regular information about what and how their children are learning. They comment that staff prepare children well for the move on to school.
• Staff make regular observations to identify realistic next steps in children's development. They know how children learn and plan a good range of stimulating activities. For example, children show good imagination and create a beach scene. They use numbers in their play as they fill up their buckets and transport water into the sand tray. However, on occasion, staff overly direct children's play. They do not challenge and extend children's mathematical understanding to an even higher level.
• Staff promote children's language and communication development well. For example, children initiate their own games and create a pretend café. They take orders from staff and engage in active discussions about their menu. Staff build on children's vocabulary and introduce new words to help them describe different foods, such as 'spicy'.
• Children have wonderful opportunities to learn about their local community and the wider world. For example, they plant daffodil bulbs around the cricket grounds and enjoy regular walks to see how they grow. Children write letters to their parents and post these at the local post office.
• Children gain a good understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. For example, they describe the different tastes of fruit and vegetables and discuss their nutritional benefits. Children pretend to make and eat their own breakfast and say this gives them energy for the day. They learn about good oral hygiene as they carefully squeeze toothpaste onto brushes and clean pretend teeth.
• The manager works closely with the staff team to make improvements that benefit children. For example, they have recently extended the outdoor play area to provide children with even further space to enjoy and engage in their activities. Staff state that they feel well supported in their roles. They regularly reflect on their practice with the manager and identify training to help them develop their knowledge and skills further. The ongoing supervision of staff is effective and supportive.
• Staff promote children's self-esteem and emotional well-being highly effectively. Children behave well and respond to continuous praise and encouragement for their achievements. They spend long periods of time concentrating on their favourite activities and demonstrate a responsible approach to handling equipment and resources. Children explore their similarities and differences through everyday experiences. They openly talk about how they are feeling with sensitive support from staff.
• The manager works closely with outside agencies and other professionals to ensure continuity in children's learning. She has good relationships with the reception teachers at local schools and makes sure all children have a smooth transition into the next stage of their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to gain a better understanding of how to challenge and build on children's mathematical skills.