Lordsmead Pre-School Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and clearly enjoy their time spent at the pre-school. Staff have a caring nature that supports children to settle quickly. Children form strong attachments to their key person. This helps children to feel safe and secure and supports their emotional well-being.

Staff provide exciting learning experiences for children. All children participate in weekly outdoor forest-school sessions. This includes sensory experiences, such as lying on the ground and listening to the leaves rustling overhead. Children enjoy learning about the world around them as they explore the natural materials. Staff have high expectations of even the youngest children and they respect and understand the rules of these sessions. This means they benefit from activities such as climbing trees and using tools which help them manage risks and solve problems.

Children demonstrate high levels of confidence. Children of all ages independently follow their own interests and access resources they are curious about. They play happily with their peers and form good friendships. The pre-school is inclusive and welcomes all children to learn and play in the supportive environment. All children, including those in receipt of additional funding and with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points.

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

• The manager has clear aims for the curriculum. She ensures staff carefully plan a breadth of activities across all areas of learning. She knows what she wants children to learn during their time at pre-school. Children are well prepared for starting school.
• Staff know children well and they establish positive partnerships with the whole family. Key workers carefully observe their key children to see what they already know and can do. Staff adapt learning to meet children's individual needs. They plan next steps that build on and extend children's learning and development further.
• Overall, most staff support children's communication and language development well. For example, children have opportunities to listen to stories and join in with familiar songs. However, some staff ask too many closed questions and use incorrect grammar when talking to children, such as saying 'doggy' instead of 'dog'. Consequently, not all children make the best possible progress in learning new vocabulary and developing their early language.
• Children benefit from familiar routines as they know what to expect. However, during snack and mealtimes some children wait for long periods and become restless. Care practices could be more effective in supporting children to develop their independence skills. For example, staff complete simple tasks for children that they could do for themselves.
• Staff work in effective partnership with parents and other childcare providers. Parents confirm that they are pleased with the regular communication and updates they receive from pre-school. They confirm that they feel their children are well cared for by the whole staff team. Parents are happy with the progress that their children are making. They explain how they are encouraged to support their children's learning at home.
• Leaders are competent and well respected by staff and parents. Staff feel well supported and listened to by the manager and her deputy. All staff have regular supervisions with the manager and feel they could openly raise any concerns with her.
• The manager is ambitious. She continually reviews practice to provide the best care to children and their families. The manager skilfully identifies staff training needs to address any gaps in practice. She provides good professional development opportunities for staff. This helps staff to feel valued and this is reflected in the low staff turnover.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop further the focus on children's early language development so that all children are supported to make the best possible progress
• review and improve the organisation of daily routines, to maximise children's learning and promote their independence.