Meadowlands Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive an impressive start to their education at this pre-school. Parents no longer enter the playrooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This helps to keep children safe from infection. However, children enter with confidence, excitement and a genuine happiness to be here. They independently find their own pegs and hang up their belongings. Staff's expectations of children are high. They instil a culture of positive behaviour and mutual respect. Children have learned the importance of sharing, taking turns and being patient. They are quickly developing important skills needed for school.

Communication and language development is a particular strength at the pre-school. Children confidently hold back-and-forth conversations, both with staff and with their friends. They learn new words, such as 'smooth', 'slimy' and 'gloopy' to describe a sensory activity. Children use their growing communication skills to negotiate and compromise with their friends. For instance, they work together to resolve conflict and decide on the best way to share out the resources. Children are making good progress in their learning and development.

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

• Leaders have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn. They plan an interesting curriculum that builds on children's skills over time. Staff have a secure knowledge of the different ways that children learn. For instance, they recognise when some children need a more interactive story time. This approach helps to ensure that children remain engaged and motivated to learn.
• Children with SEND are particularly well supported. Robust procedures for early identification help to ensure that children receive additional support at the earliest opportunity. Staff work tirelessly to provide bespoke, inclusive care and education for children with SEND. This helps children to make good progress from their individual starting points and prepares them for future learning.
• Literacy development is well promoted. Staff read to children with excitement and enthusiasm. Children giggle at staff's funny voices as they learn to role play familiar stories. They demonstrate good levels of recall when remembering different parts of the story. Children have a positive attitude to learning and are clearly developing a love of reading.
• Children demonstrate independence, perseverance and resilience when learning to use safety knives. They work hard to skilfully master the art of the sawing motion needed to cut up raw vegetables. Children are determined and their success boosts their confidence and self-esteem.
• Children have a lot of opportunities to develop good physical skills. They exercise their large muscles when learning to climb and balance. Children strengthen their small finger muscles, scooping and pouring sensory materials. This improves their hand dexterity and prepares them for early writing. Older children confidently hold pens with precision and form some recognisable letters.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Pre-school staff work closely with parents to ensure a consistent two-way-flow of information. They have daily conversations with parents, offering support, guidance and information about children's development. This helps parents to extend children's learning at home and provides continuity of care for children.
• Staff teach children about similarities and differences between themselves and others. Children learn about different faiths, beliefs and cultures in ways appropriate to their age. For instance, they explore different foods, clothing and heritage. This helps children to develop an understanding of the world and prepares them for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders are knowledgeable and dedicated to providing quality care for children and families. They place a high priority on well-being and are praised by the staff team for their commitment. Staff have supervision meetings and receive support and guidance. However, the training and performance feedback they receive are not specific enough to improve their skills and knowledge further. Consequently, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of education. For instance, staff do not always consider how they can include children's next steps within free-choice activities. This means that not all learning opportunities build on what children already know and can do.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the arrangements for training, coaching and mentoring of staff to raise the quality of education to the highest level.