Lulu's Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children are warmly welcomed into the safe and secure setting. Children arrive happily and immediately become settled into their day. Children make choices about the activities available to them. They quickly find an activity they are interested in and become immersed in play. Staff support children well at activities. They use children's interests to support the next steps in their learning.

Children have strong relationships with their key persons. Those children who take longer to settle actively seek out their key person to engage in play with. Staff take time to develop children's confidence and support their general well-being. Children enjoy looking at displays of their work, promoting their self-esteem and their pride in their creations.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They have a good understanding of the setting's routines. Children are aware of what is happening now and what is next. They enjoy sharing toys. For example, in the garden, children share flags with each other. When there are not enough, they find ways to fly the flag together. When required, staff gently remind children of the rules and explain why it is important to play safely.

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

• The manager leads a committed team of staff. Staff have good knowledge of all children, particularly their key children. The manager plans a clear curriculum for the setting. Knowledgeable staff implement this across all areas. The manager recognises weaknesses in staff practice and provides support and training to help staff develop their skills and teaching. This ensures the team is always working to improve.
• All staff hold the knowledge and understanding to support the early identification of special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work with parents and other professionals to ensure the right support is available for children. These partnerships help to ensure that all children make good progress in their learning.
• Successful transitions are a real strength of the setting. Staff work well with the local feeder schools to ensure that children's development information is successfully shared. The setting has a clear transition plan. By working with the schools, they have developed school-ready activities which are carried out at the setting, and staff also support parents to continue these at home. This ensures children are ready for the next step in their learning.
• Staff engage and talk with children throughout the day. Snack and mealtimes are social occasions where children talk with each other. Staff share both fictional and factual books with children. They use appropriate questioning to help children develop their thinking skills. Some staff introduce a wider vocabulary to the children. For example, when playing with telephones, staff encourage children to listen for the 'echo' when they talk. However, this is not always consistent across the whole staff team.
• Children enjoy learning and show a positive attitude to activities. Staff plan interesting activities for children to extend their learning. Children learn about recycling through a sorting activity. They discuss what objects are made from and how they can be recycled at home. This is further extended when they go into the garden and put the remains of snack into the compost bin. However, not all activities offer challenge to most-able children.
• Staff support children to develop healthy lifestyle practices. They provide healthy snacks and water is offered throughout the day. Staff offer parents information about what to include in healthy packed lunches.
• Parents highly commend the setting and the progress their children make. They particularly focus on the social skills their children have developed since coming to the setting. Parents enjoy the communication they receive regarding the daily activities as well as information about their child's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently aid children to gain a wider vocabulary
• adapt teaching to provide further challenge for the most able children.