Merry-Go-Round Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter this pre-school with enthusiasm and are warmly welcomed by friendly and nurturing staff. They demonstrate high levels of confidence, behave well and show a positive attitude to learning. Children feel safe in their environment and with the staff who care for them. They spontaneously give adults a cuddle or invite them into their play.

Staff plan and deliver the curriculum well to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, develop into confident and independent learners. Staff focus on supporting children's mental health. For example, they design and implement 'pamper sessions' where children come to the pre-school in their pyjamas and dressing gown ready for a day of indulgence. Staff paint their nails and offer face painting for those children who want it. They encourage children to talk about their feelings. Staff tell children that their voice matters. They listen to children and respect their views and opinions. Staff provide children with positive affirmations and talk to them about children's own skills and what they are good at. Children's self-esteem is high.

Children play well together and show respect towards others and the environment. They listen effectively and follow staff's instructions, such as when it is time to tidy up. Children work effectively together. They help to complete a jigsaw as a team before putting it away in the designated drawer.

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

• Children enjoy outdoor activities, such as making bird feeders with lard and seed. Staff talk to children about different seasons and how birds need additional food in winter. This helps to support children's understanding of the world. Children talk about the texture of the lard and how it feels soft and sticky. Staff extend the activity to help further develop children's hand-eye coordination. Children concentrate and focus well while trying to thread circular pieces of cereal onto pipe cleaners. Children feel proud of their accomplishments and hang these up for the birds to enjoy.
• Parents are highly involved with raising funds with staff to benefit the pre-school. Bingo nights and local fairs provide enjoyment for all the family. This helps to build a positive parent and staff relationship. Staff utilise parents' skills well. Parents kindly offer to play an active role in the pre-school, such as coming in to read stories with the children or to construct a new summer house. This will provide an extra area for children to play in. Although parent partnerships are effective, staff do not always provide a consistent approach in supporting children's learning at home to help them make even more progress.
• The pre-school has formed positive links with the local community and has received donated items, such as daffodil bulbs. Staff use these to provide children with an understanding of what plants need to grow. Children enjoy using their physical skills to dig up soil and place it in their pot. They talk about what a plant needs to grow, such as sunlight and rain.
• Staff enable children to share their ideas and thoughts throughout the day. For example, children are asked to choose which songs to sing at group time. Children all join in and sing enthusiastically, which develops their communication skills. After singing, children go to the bathroom in small groups to wash their hands before lunch. During these times, the remaining children sit quietly and wait patiently. However, staff do not always engage with children effectively during these times to help them to remember what they have learned throughout the day and build on their existing knowledge.
• Children develop a love of books and enjoy listening to staff read traditional tales. They then create their own 'gingerbread man' picture. Children enjoy selecting a variety of materials, including feathers, pom-poms and sequins. Staff encourage younger children to develop their focus and attention skills, engaging them in conversations. Staff support older children to retell the story in their own words. They ask children how the gingerbread man might have felt. Children say he was laughing as he got away from the little old man and woman in the story.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide a consistent two-way approach to children's learning at home
• engage consistently with children, particularly during quiet times, to help them recall and build on their existing knowledge.