Mansbridge Community Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this outstanding pre-school as staff place them at the heart of everything they do. Children arrive excitedly and separate from their parents with ease. They immediately choose what they would like to do and engage in play.

A well planned curriculum and stimulating environment encourages children to explore and investigate. Staff consistently introduce and encourage children to use new vocabulary which enables them to communicate effectively. For example, staff expertly use story time to develop children's language. The experienced staff introduce new vocabulary such as 'stethoscope' and 'pulse' as they prepare the children for a visit from a nurse. Staff are highly skilled in using sign language to help children converse. Children speak with confidence and staff support them to use their home languages.

Mealtimes are exceptionally well organised and incredibly calm. Staff create a wonderful home-from-home sociable experience where everyone sits down and eats together. Children naturally converse with each other and talk about their sandwiches being 'rectangular' and their carrots being 'crunchy.' Staff use this opportunity to further develop children's confidence and independence as they encourage children to wash their plates and cutlery when they finish.

All children, including those with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND) and children who speak English as an additional language, make rapid progress from their starting points.

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

• Leadership and management is exceptional. The dedicated team work incredibly hard to ensure they provide the best possible opportunities for children in their care. Outings such as bus trips to the theatre and walks to the local care home enrich children's experiences and give them the chance to learn more about the community in which they live.
• The leadership team visit all children at home before they start at pre-school. This practice allows them to get to know the children and parents prior to admission, and plan effectively for children's settling sessions before they start. From the beginning, children adjust extremely well and form strong attachments with staff.
• Staff report that their well-being is good, and they feel supported in their work. They receive regular supervision which focuses on their development. The leadership team conduct regular observations, share good practice with other staff, and provide constructive feedback to enable the staff to constantly review and improve their work. Professional development is a key aspect of the supervision and helps to ensure staff are as knowledgeable as possible.
• Children in receipt of funding make excellent progress. The leadership team use additional funding very effectively to give children opportunities they may not normally experience. For example, they use funding to give children access to coaching sessions to support their physical development. This helps children develop their gross motor skills and strengthen their core muscles.
• Partnership working with other professionals is exceptional. The knowledgeable staff complete prompt referrals to other agencies to help to ensure children get the support they need at the earliest opportunity. The dedicated staff form links with local schools and other pre-schools children attend. This joined up approach helps to ensure all children benefit from the best experiences to aid their learning and development.
• The key person system is deeply embedded in practice. The leadership team allocate children to key persons following home visits. As they know staff well and have also started to build relationships with the children, they are able to match successfully children to their key person. Staff meticulously plan to ensure that every child receives the support they need at the right time. They use daily focus groups to concentrate on specific targets they want the children to achieve. Children join in excitedly and staff talk proudly about the excellent progress children have made since starting at pre-school.
• Children develop positive attitudes to learning and persevere in their play. For example, the experienced staff set up exciting activities designed to develop concentration. Children work together to build a vertical 'zoo' for their animals with the building blocks. They concentrate and focus as they estimate which animals will fit in the gaps they have created. Children skilfully place their creatures in the holes they have made. They excitedly share their construction with the staff who praise them on their achievement.
• Partnership with parents is outstanding. Staff provide many learning at home resources, tailored to support individual children. They provide regular updates on children's progress. Staff encourage parents to post children's experiences on the online learning platform. Staff use this information to extend children's learning further and incorporate it into their planning. This two-way flow of information and partnership working helps to ensure children make exceptional progress in their learning and development.