Minus Five Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the pre-school and are greeted with great warmth by staff. The manager recognises the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's social development. She adapted the settling-in process to make sure it is tailored to children's individual needs. As a result, children show high levels of self-confidence and secure attachments with staff, who place a high priority on supporting their emotional well-being.

Children settle quickly into their self-chosen play because staff consider their individual needs and interests when setting up the environment. They relish playing together and with staff in the role play 'food truck' and 'supermarket'. Children busily prepare orders for smoothies and snacks. They learn about healthy lifestyles as they buy real fruit from the supermarket and later help prepare this for their snacks. Children behave with kindness and warmth towards each other. For example, they alert staff if one of their friends is upset. Children sit in the 'library' area reading books together and take it in turns to share their favourite stories.

Leaders and staff demonstrate a strong ethos in wanting all children to achieve to the best that they are capable of. As a result, all children, including those in receipt of additional funding, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities thrive at the pre-school and make good progress in their learning.

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

• The experienced and well-qualified staff have a good understanding of how to support children's learning. They undertake regular assessments of their key children's development. Staff share what children need to achieve next across the team to ensure continuity of learning. However, at times, they could consider how to organise the environment and deliver activities to make sure that children are consistently engaged in meaningful learning.
• Staff interact positively with children as they play, to encourage them to work things out for themselves and extend their learning. For example, staff recognise children having fun racing cars down ramps and introduce new resources to enhance their play. Children concentrate as they work out how to fit guttering pipes together to make sure cars land in a specific marked spot underneath.
• There is a strong focus on supporting children's speech and language development. Staff speak constantly to children as they play. They ask questions and allow children ample time to think and express themselves. Children love listening to familiar stories in a group. They excitedly shout out phrases from their favourite stories. Staff pronounce words clearly, read animatedly to children, and ask questions to draw them into the story.
• Children develop strong independence skills from a young age. They know where to find tissues when staff remind them to wipe their own noses. Children know to wash their hands after using the toilet. Staff provide opportunities for children to take on responsibilities, such as helping to wash and prepare fruit for snack time. Children relish in these tasks and enjoy the warm praise they receive.
• Staff feel well supported and receive regular supervisions with their manager. There is a strong focus on supporting their professional development. The manager encourages them to take on extra responsibilities and undertake training to enhance the quality of education. Staff reflect on the quality of the provision weekly as a team with the manager.
• Partnerships with parents and other professionals involved in children's learning are very positive. There are strong links with local speech and language therapists to make sure children with delays in their speech receive targeted support at the earliest opportunity. Parents speak highly of the staff and how much they care about children and families' well-being. They are regularly informed about the progress their children make and how to support their children's learning at home.
• Children play in harmony together. Staff provide clear and consistent guidance about expectations for behaviour. As a result, children understand the importance of sharing and taking turns. They listen and follow instruction very well, which helps them in readiness for school.
• Staff provide daily opportunities for children to play and learn outdoors. Children thoroughly enjoy the adjoining play park. They develop strong physical skills as they climb, balance and slide on the apparatus under the close supervision of staff. However, children who attend the afternoon sessions do not consistently benefit from the same opportunities as those who attend in the morning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the organisation of the environment and delivery of activities so that children are consistently engaged in challenging and meaningful learning
• review the provision for outdoor activities so that children who attend afternoon sessions are consistently provided with daily opportunities to play and learn outdoors.