Millbrook Pre School Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This fully inclusive pre-school gives children the best possible start. Dedicated and passionate managers have high aspirations for all children. They foster children's love of learning by shaping a broad and ambitious curriculum around children's interests to ignite their curiosity. Children are extremely settled and content as they confidently explore their environment.

All children thrive in the supportive and nurturing care of the highly skilled team. Staff complete a baseline assessment of children's prior knowledge and skills. They target their support from the start and give high levels of attention to children's unique backgrounds. Their knowledge of each child's needs and their secure assessments ensure that children make exceptional progress from their starting points in development.

Staff work strongly as a team to plan thoroughly for all children's learning. They engage children in activities, which progressively extend and deepen their skills and understanding. For example, younger children name the fruit and colours in the story of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', commenting that apples are 'crunchy'. Older children build on their skills. For instance, they make models of the fruit in the story using play dough and count them on their fingers. Staff extend children's learning by teaching them which of the foods are healthy and unhealthy.

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

• Managers are extremely committed to forming strong links with a range of services in the local community. This includes with neighbouring schools to ensure that transitions are seamless and children receive the best possible support during this time.
• Staff are excellent role models and have high expectations of children, whose behaviour is exemplary. Children show compassion and care as they help guide their friends indoors. Children share resources and cooperate with each other. For example, at snack time, staff encourage children to help prepare snacks for each other. They give children regular praise and encouragement for their efforts. This helps to build children's self-esteem and confidence.
• The curriculum for communication and language is of exceptional quality. Staff place a high priority on supporting children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to become confident communicators. Managers implement a range of programmes to support children's core language skills. Staff undertake specialist communication assessments with children to help swiftly close gaps in their learning.
• Staff promote children's love of books and stories. Children acquire new words from frequent opportunities to share stories. Staff use initiatives, such as
• Bookstart and the loan library, to deepen children's experience of books. Children know that an illustrator draws pictures and the spine holds the pages together.
• Staff provide excellent support to children who are disadvantaged or with special educational needs and/or disabilities to help them to achieve their potential. They make very good use of additional funding, for example to enable children to attend regularly and to provide skilled support and resources, such as music sessions and sports sessions. This targeted support and staff's shared understanding of children mean that they make rapid progress.
• Children show high levels of engagement in their work and play. Staff recognise the most appropriate times to step in and sustain children's ideas. They allow children time to think through solutions, test ideas and solve problems. As a result, children become expert thinkers and problem-solvers. For instance, when children use soft bricks to build a house, they persevere and move the bricks around to get the square base.
• Children receive an enriching programme of learning about other cultures and their local community. Staff take children to visit shops, local religious places and the library. They help to raise funds for the local church. In addition, staff actively involve parents and carers in sharing their cultural traditions and invite them into nursery to share their experiences of celebrations. Staff develop a positive community spirit to enhance children's sense of belonging in their local area.
• The pre-school is strongly committed to developing children's health and well-being. Children learn about looking after their bodies and teeth. Staff support children to discuss why they need to exercise and the importance of good hygiene. Children greatly enjoy the daily access to the garden area, which offers them excellent opportunities to develop their physical skills and take managed risks as they balance and climb rope structures.
• Managers have a clear vision to deliver high-quality education for all children. They meticulously monitor the provision and continually identify further ways to improve. Staff value the support they receive from managers and report high levels of well-being. Managers target staff's training, enabling staff to further enhance their knowledge, based on children's needs.
• Parents highly recommend the pre-school. They strongly express their gratitude for the support and service the pre-school offers the whole family. Staff encourage parents to share their expertise and skills. Parents appreciate the provision of rich experiences for their children, regular communication and excellent guidance to support their children's learning at home. This positive partnership working creates a seamless transition.