Longthorpe Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome from staff as they arrive at the pre-school and eagerly explore the various activities available to them. They soon become settled, happy and engaged in their chosen activity. Children enjoy the company of the experienced staff and demonstrate their trust and security in them as they engage in risk taking. For example, following a minibeast hunt, children are encouraged to hold the minibeasts and enjoy the tickling feeling they make as they wriggle around on their palms.

Children enjoy listening to stories and looking at books throughout the day. They access books, both indoors and outside, and benefit from focus stories that staff introduce over the term to build children's literacy skills. For example, characters and repetitive phrases are available on a storyboard for children to recap and sequence the events. Staff have created a library in the pre-school where children choose books to take home and share with their parents.

Children enjoy playing and exploring in the home corner, which is enhanced with familiar items for the children to access. For instance, staff have created scented bags of herbs and spices, and provide food packets that represent those at home. Children access naan baskets and create food items from play dough as they replicate home life in their play.

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

• Staff ensure children have lots of opportunity to learn about the natural environment and all living things. They have access to a garden area that includes fruit and vegetable patches, where children grow their own healthy snack foods and care for their crops. They benefit from forest school activities, where they learn about the habitats of minibeasts and other visitors to their garden, such as toads and birds.
• The manager has built strong links with a local residential care home. Children enjoy visits to and from the residents, and happily share stories and songs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children were supported to continue this special relationship. For instance, they visited the care home at Christmas and residents enjoyed listening to the children singing carols from the garden.
• Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and act as positive role models. Children are supported to take turns with equipment. For example, staff use sand timers as a visual aid to support this area of development. Children develop a sense of belonging as they are involved in the pre-school's daily tasks. These include, preparing snack, caring for plants and sweeping the garden area.
• Staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are knowledgeable and work closely with parents and other professionals. They have created a calming sensory area that key persons utilise, providing targeted one-to-one support to meet children's specific needs and help them make progress in their learning.
• Parents are positive about the pre-school and staff. They state that they are well informed about their child's progress and what they need to learn next. Parents comment on the support they receive from staff, particularly with regards to accessing support for children with SEND. Parents describe the staff as being 'warm, friendly, kind, patient and extremely nurturing towards the children in their care'.
• Staff talk to children as they play. They ask children questions, comment on their play and describe their actions. However, staff are not always ambitious with the language they use when talking with children, to extend their vocabulary more widely.
• The management team and committee are passionate about their role to support children and families. Staff confirm they feel exceptionally well supported in their roles and are encouraged to access training to improve their skills. However, staff do not always share strategies among the staff team to ensure the children receive continuity in their learning. That being said, managers are aware of this and are taking steps to support this area of development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff understanding and practice of how to help children develop a wide and varied vocabulary.