Lowdham Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at pre-school. They enter the setting with confidence and happily say goodbye to their parents. Children are independent. For example, they readily volunteer to make snack for their friends. Staff supervise children as they safely use a knife to butter crumpets. Children know the routine. They serve themselves snack and clear away their dirty plates and cups. This helps children to learn to do things for themselves.

Children demonstrate secure attachments. For example, they freely hug and cuddle staff. Children are making friends. They are keen to invite others to sit with them at lunchtime. Children show interest in others. They listen to each other as they talk about what they have for lunch. This encourages children to share information and become confident communicators.

Children embrace outdoor play. They excitedly create an obstacle course with staff and children say 'this is cool!' Children line up and take turns to crawl through tunnels, climb over tyres and walk carefully across balance beams. This helps children to develop their muscle strength and coordination skills. Other children work together to make a mud cake. They agree different roles, such as fetching water, gathering wood shavings and stirring the mixture. This helps to develop children's social skills.

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

• Since the last inspection, the manager has undertaken a full review of the pre-school's risk assessments. This includes the supervision of children in order to keep them protected from unnecessary risk. Staff effectively support children to manage their personal care needs, and give consistent messages to help children to follow instructions. This helps children to develop the skills they need to support their readiness for starting school.
• Staff support children's language and communication skills well. For example, children have learned the word 'metamorphosis'. Children eagerly tell visitors that this is when a caterpillar turns into a cocoon and then into a butterfly. Staff extend this and explain the butterfly will 'emerge' from the cocoon. This encourages children to expand their vocabulary.
• Staff help children to develop their small-muscle skills. For example, staff notice when children struggle to open packets. They model how to use their fingers and thumbs. Children copy and show pride as they succeed. In addition, children use chalks to make marks. They draw circles and lines as they try to write the names of vegetables. This helps children to develop the muscles that they need for early writing.
• Staff understand how to implement the pre-school's curriculum to help children continually learn and gain further knowledge. They identify children's interests, plus any specific targets that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities may have. However, occasionally, staff do not interact effectively with some children, meaning that children could make even more progress than they currently do.
• Staff support children's early mathematical skills. Children sit with staff and stack dominoes. They use language such as 'taller' and 'bigger'. Staff challenge children to compare the piles. Children identify which one is taller. In addition, children take part in a scavenger hunt. Staff challenge children to find 12 different items from nature. Children learn to sort objects into groups.
• Staff encourage children to experiment. For example, children want to put one sandcastle on top of another. When this does not work, staff help children to consider what happened. Children are given time to think and give suggestions. Children keep trying and discover things for themselves.
• Staff provide children with healthy snacks and fresh drinking water. Children demonstrate good hygiene routines. They know to wash their hands after they use the toilet and before eating. Staff provide gentle reminders when necessary.
• Overall, group activities help children to learn. For example, children enjoy talking about emotions. Staff encourage children to talk about how they feel. Children laugh as they practise making grumpy faces. However, some children lose focus and become distracted. This means that children's learning is disrupted as they are unable to fully engage well in the activity.
• Leaders and managers have developed positive relationships with parents. This helps them to learn about children's different life experiences and allows them to expand on this. Parents feel that their children are making good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of group times to ensure that children remain focused, concentrate and learn as much as they can
• help staff to improve interactions with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to ensure that all children make good progress.