Mitton Manor Pre-School and After School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome from staff when they arrive at the pre-school. They show great excitement as they run off to link up with their friends and play. They thrive in the care of the enthusiastic, friendly staff who know each child's needs, backgrounds and interests. Children show they are settled and really enjoy the rich and varied indoor and outdoor learning experiences that staff plan.

Staff skilfully support all children to encourage their language and thinking. They model language, provide a narrative to children's play and introduce new vocabulary. Children show confidence to initiate conversations with visitors. They talk about what they are doing, talk about their families and explain the pre-school routine and what tasks entail. For example, they explain and demonstrate how to tap out the number of syllables in words, remarking that some names have one, two or three 'sounds'. Staff seek outside professional support and implement effective strategies to enhance the support they provide for children who find verbal communication more difficult.

Staff use every opportunity to foster children's self-esteem and show genuine pride when children achieve. Children develop confidence, learn behavioural expectations and are well behaved. During 'carpet time', children preparing for the move on to school recall expectations to use their 'eyes for looking, ears for listening, put their hands in their laps, cross their legs and put their hands up if they want to say something'. They learn to take turns and share.

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

• All staff are highly enthusiastic in their roles. They work with a passion to ensure that every child is nurtured in their learning and development. They share observations of children's learning so they all understand what children need to learn next. Staff embraced the changes the management team implemented over the last year. They changed the learning environment and curriculum planning. Staff completed training to develop their understanding of 'in-the-moment planning' to promote children's learning as they play. They set out a varied choice of continuous play provision that children can access independently, helping children engage in self-directed play. Children explore and develop their creativity and social skills. However, staff are still embedding their support for these processes.
• The committee and managers provide sensitive support, as needed, to ensure staff's emotional well-being. Managers monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum and practice well overall but have not fully considered how to raise the quality of teaching to an even higher level. Although staff interactions with children are highly positive, there are times when some children would benefit from a little more guidance during their self-chosen play to challenge their skills as much as possible.
• The management team carefully considers how best to use extra funding. For example, it is used to pay for extra pre-school sessions and to purchase resources to aid children's muscle development and enhance their sensory skills.
• Staff provide regular outdoor opportunities and are mindful to protect children during heat waves. Children explore the forest area and enjoy learning to use tools safely. Children develop their physical agility. They use equipment to develop their climbing and balancing skills. Children dig in sand to find shells, fill buckets and transfer the sand to 'cook' and 'serve pancakes and birthday cakes'. Children gain an understanding of the world. For example, they grow vegetables and learn the life cycle of butterflies.
• Children's mathematical development is promoted very well. They count confidently. Many count to 10 and beyond. Some recognise numerals. Staff challenge the most able children to complete simple calculations and gain understanding of more complex mathematical ideas, such as multiplication.
• Children develop a love of books and develop early writing skills. Staff read stories with great enthusiasm and ask questions to engage the children's interest. Children also look at books independently. Children enjoy drawing. They practise their writing skills as they note down names, with many letters formed correctly. Younger children join in and enthusiastically describe the meaning of the marks they make.
• Parents share how impressed they are with the support they and their children receive from staff. They feel extremely well informed about their children's learning. They appreciate regular progress updates and photos on the parent app, parents' evenings and the 'open door' policy.
• Staff actively share information with other settings children attend. They use what they learn from other professionals to enhance children's learning. Excellent partnership working takes place with the neighbouring school. Staff take children to meet teachers, eat lunch with the school-aged children and participate in physical education sessions. Enhanced transition arrangements help children who may find the move on to school more difficult.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum and staff practice even more closely to identify ways to enhance children's learning further and raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.