Mayfield Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are articulate and communicate extremely well. They learn new vocabulary through sharply focused interactions planned by staff. Children develop a love of reading through staff's inspiring and engaging storytelling. Children are excited in anticipation of another story. As a result of a highly personalised curriculum, children learn a wide variety of skills, including problem-solving. For example, children use magnets, working together to master mathematical skills. Staff offer an abundance of praise and encourage children skilfully. Because of this, children build their self-esteem and self-confidence to very high levels. Children have a can-do attitude and show extremely high levels of concentration. For example, during group activities, all children are engaged and listen intently with focus. Consequently, all children make excellent progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of additional funding.

Children thrive at this exceptional pre-school. Their learning needs and well-being are at the centre of everything the staff do. Children are confident, talkative and clearly love attending the pre-school. Staff recognise that some children have needed more support with their emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, they hold skilful conversations in the feelings den and during story times. Staff develop excellent opportunities for children to talk about their feelings and emotions and build their emotional resilience. Children identify their mood on the feelings chart to communicate how they feel each day. Children know how to help themselves if they are feeling sad or worried. They learn ways to deal with their feelings, including 'stretching them off' during yoga or 'having a hug' with the feeling bears.

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

• The highly skilled, well-qualified and experienced staff work together exceptionally well as a team. They are confident, dedicated and passionate about their work. Staff are meticulous in the way they plan and implement the curriculum. For example, they skilfully observe children and use this to continually build on what children know and can do. Staff see every opportunity as a learning experience. When toddlers go on a bug hunt, staff encourage them to use their emerging literacy skills and find the same bug as that in a book. This interest is further explored when children discover mathematical concepts, for example as their woodworm burrows 'under' and 'over' the wood. This results in children being highly engaged in what they are doing.
• Children with SEND receive excellent support. The manager, who is also the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo), quickly identifies gaps in children's learning and implements strategies swiftly to support individual needs. She accesses external services, such as speech and language support and other health professionals, to initiate targeted support. The SENDCo liaises with parents about children's individual learning plans, and parents provide useful information from specialists to support curriculum planning. This helps to narrow any gaps in children's development and provides an extremely consistent approach to support children's learning.
• Children benefit from excellent opportunities to explore nature and access fresh air and exercise daily. Children's learning flows seamlessly between indoors and outdoors. They develop balance and coordination as they climb on outdoor equipment. Children exercise their smaller muscles as they enjoy 'dough disco'. This helps to strengthen fingers in readiness for early writing. Children access the on-site school field and hall for physical education and expressive dance classes. They visit the beach to explore the sand and look for shells and pebbles to use for creative art. Staff support children's physical development extremely well.
• Staff help children to understand and appreciate the world beyond their immediate family and community. They promote inclusion and avoid gender stereotyping when planning activities. For example, staff learn about children's cultures from their parents when children start. This is reflected in pre-school life. Children learn about cultures which are different to their own and about international children, for example when parents visit with traditional clothes and explain new languages.
• Staff all work tirelessly in their roles, including any additional responsibilities they take on. Their focus is to always do whatever is best for each child and their family and to ensure that children receive the very best support at the earliest opportunity. This considerably increases the rate of progress children make. Parents value the close bonds their children have with staff. Parents share information and photos of many aspects of children's home lives. Staff use the photos and information to support children, for example linking up with parents who live overseas. This enables staff to support all families swiftly and uniquely.