Lyndhurst Early Years @ Cleveland Hall

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The pre-school is a calm, welcoming and inclusive setting. Staff build strong, nurturing relationships with the children. Children thrive in confidence and happiness during their time here. The staff have a very solid understanding of the community where they work. They know the challenges that children and families can face in their daily lives and provide a caring service, which supports parent's and carers as well as the children who attend.

The pre-school is ambitious regarding children's learning and development. Staff use their knowledge of the children's needs to ensure that their curriculum serves the children well. For instance, staff identify that their children require greater support in communication and language development. They also pay particular attention to developing children's skills in social skills and self-care. Parents talk with pride about the progress their children make in these areas.

The pre-school has high expectations of behaviour, including using kind manners and developing a positive attitude to learning. As a result of this focus and the high-quality teaching, behaviour is very good and children demonstrate they feel safe and secure here.

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

• The pre-school leadership team are passionate about providing high quality learning and care for the children who attend. To achieve this, the staff fully engage with a range of continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities. Children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from the new ideas and fresh approaches that staff have brought to the pre-school as a result of recent CPD.
• Assessment is used effectively to plan a curriculum which supports the specific needs of each individual child. Staff take responsibility for monitoring the progress of their key children and ensure that any gaps in knowledge are quickly supported.
• The curriculum promotes communication and language skills. When children communicate with staff, both verbally and non-verbally, staff are attentive and show children great respect while they listen and respond. This teaches children that their thoughts are valued and gives them the confidence to continue to practise their communication skills with the adults and children around them.
• Staff use stories, songs and rhymes to help children with language development. For instance, staff model how to maintain a steady rhythm and sing familiar nursery rhymes while children explore percussion instruments. Children who are quieter are interested in the group singing sessions and benefit from hearing the rhythm, rhyme and key words. Staff invite children to choose a favourite song, however, less confident children and those not yet talking are not yet able to answer these questions verbally. Staff have not fully thought through how they can ensure these children can join in as fully as their more confident peers.
• Young children develop motor skills when thoroughly immersed in exploring a tray of paint with their hands. They discover they can make marks in the paint with their fingers as well as learning about the texture and colour as they smear and spread the paint over a large surface. Although children do also explore chunky tools, such as large paint rollers, staff do not plan well enough for children to use a wide range of tools and equipment to independently practise fine motor skills, such as precision and control.
• Routines and transitional times are well managed and children follow the routines beautifully, in a calm and happy manner. Children show they care about looking after their room and happily help at tidy-up time. At snack time, they carefully spread butter on their toast and pour their own drinks, followed by washing their own plates and cups. Before going out to play, staff allow plenty of time for children to practice putting on their puddle suits, with staff assisting when they need help, but always with a focus on teaching how they can do this independently.
• Staff make the most of opportunities for outdoor learning in all weathers. In this space, children move freely, developing their gross motor skills as they climb, slide and peddle tricycles. They use the mud kitchen to fuel their imaginative play skills as they scoop and pour garden 'ingredients' to make their own recipes.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide even further support for quieter children to offer their ideas and participate during group sessions
• further develop children's independence in using tools to practice fine motor skills.