Molly's Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The leaders at this setting have high ambitions for children. Staff implement a successful curriculum that is enjoyed by all. Children gain the essential skills they need to ensure they progress in their learning. There is a strong focus on books and reading, and children actively seek out staff to sit and share a story and a cuddle. They join in with conversation about what is happening and enjoy the interactions that they receive, as they gain a love of reading.

Staff are nurturing and comforting. Their soft and warm manner helps to create strong attachments with children, which make children feel safe and secure. Children begin to show high levels of confidence, as they are encouraged to speak in front of peers. They thrive in their environment and engage in independent learning. Staff promote a 'can-do' attitude that encourages children to have a go at learning new skills. For example, staff encourage children to persevere, when they are becoming frustrated with challenging tasks. Staff do not intervene unless necessary. This helps children learn to be patient and independent.

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

• Staff have created a learning environment that engages children's interests and enables them to make choices about their play. Children are happy, settled and motivated to learn. Staff are skilled in their interactions and ask questions that challenge children's critical thinking and extend their learning. Staff adapt the environment and find resources that enable children to concentrate for long periods of time. For example, they provide pipettes for children to investigate how ice melts. Children make good progress in their learning and development.
• The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is very good. Leaders and staff are dedicated to providing the best support and work closely with other professionals. Staff know children well and work with parents to gain additional support that enhances their learning experience. Resources, such as visual timetables and picture cards held on lanyards help children to understand and settle in their daily routines.
• Staff carefully plan opportunities to help children become more aware of diversity and differing ways of life. They invite families to share their backgrounds and plan what they would like their children to learn, about other cultures and religions. This helps to nurture children's positive attitudes from a young age, promoting respect and helping children to appreciate the varying cultures within their community.
• Staff stay close to children and are skilled at recognising when they need to support their emotional well-being. They monitor children well and intervene with appropriate strategies to support children's behaviour. For instance, they use visual props, such as sand timers and sound alerts to help children prepare for changes in the daily routine. However, at times, communication between staff is not consistent enough to help children's growing understanding of the expectations.
• Children visit the community's village shops and the nearby woodland. Staff encourage children to grow their own vegetables, which helps them understand where their food comes from. Parents join in with outings to local petting farms, which help children understand their local area. These wholesome experiences support children's confidence, social skills and language abilities.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Leaders and staff work hard to ensure that all parents are informed and engaged with their children's learning. They offer home learning ideas that parents can use with their children. For example, they provide story sacks and suggest learning challenges for when families are out and about in the community. Parents report on the effective communication by staff and leaders and the reassuring support they offer to all children.
• The leaders demonstrate a passion for their role and cascade this to staff through their ongoing enthusiasm. Staff seek to improve their knowledge and skills through training and collaboration with other professionals. This helps them to provide the highest quality teaching and experiences for all children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen communication between staff so that the expectations for children's behaviour are consistently promoted.