Marden Pre-School Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The friendly and nurturing staff welcome children into a highly stimulating and creative environment. Children thrive while they gain skills and develop attitudes that provide them with a strong foundation for their future learning. Staff design a well-sequenced curriculum that is expertly tailored around children's interests and learning styles. This provides all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, with the opportunities they need to make significant progress in their learning.

Staff establish a supportive culture of mutual respect, honesty and collaboration with children and their families. This is reflected in the way children play cooperatively alongside one another, demonstrating an appreciation of their friends, the staff and the environment. For example, children listen carefully to one another during focused small-group activities. Staff politely remind them of the importance of waiting their turn to speak. This provides children with the skills they need to communicate effectively and to make strong friendships.

Staff consistently go 'above and beyond' to provide children and families with the right support at the right time. For instance, when they see potential gaps in children's learning or well-being, they use additional funding to provide timely and well-researched interventions. This enriches the curriculum to boost children's health, welfare, skills and knowledge.

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

• Leaders demonstrate strong management skills. They provide staff with regular opportunities to increase their professional skills and knowledge. Staff demonstrate consistently high-quality interactions and teaching skills. They seamlessly work with other professionals and parents to make a difference in the lives and development of all children, including those with SEND.
• Staff use children's interests to intently focus on key areas of learning, such as their physical, social and communication skills. For example, children's recent fascination with pets has been used to plan visits, introduce living animals into the environment and to enhance the role play area. By listening carefully to what children say, staff increase children's knowledge when they extend conversations about visiting a vet. Children grow in confidence when staff create stories with them, heightening their fun and learning.
• Staff carefully monitor and assess children's progress. They adapt their plans to build on what children know and can do. For example, they change the way children use the climbing frame to increase the physical challenge needed to successfully navigate across. This improves children's ability to practise and steadily improve their physical skills.
• Staff design resources and activities that stimulate and fascinate children. For example, children excitedly guess how long it will take for water to move along a gulley or delight in matching animal pictures to the footprints the animal makes. Staff help children solve problems, such as making a vehicle stronger using construction toys. Children demonstrate high levels of perseverance, motivation and focus.
• Staff develop children's positive attitudes to living a healthy lifestyle. They offer children nutritious foods and speak with them about making healthy choices. Children learn why they should exercise to keep their bodies strong and fit. For example, when they show an interest in gymnastics, staff make a safe space for them to practise. Staff ensure all children's emotional and physical needs are met to support their safety, health and well-being within the setting and at home. Children develop self-confidence when they learn to be independent in taking care of their personal needs.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Staff share children's progress reports, information and advice with parents to support children's learning. They are instrumental in helping parents find extra support they may need, such as accessing additional services. They respect parents and regard them as key to developing children's education at home.
• Children develop a strong sense of self-identity. Staff value the diverse backgrounds of families and encourage them to share their cultures and traditions in the setting. Visitors speak to the children about their jobs, including working in roles that break with stereotypes. Staff promote inclusion and acceptance and find ways to help all children aspire to be responsible and helpful citizens of the future.