Monk Fryston Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily. They are motivated in their play and learning throughout the session. They learn to listen attentively to staff during activities in small and large groups. Children join in enthusiastically to sing the days of the week or months of the year. The most-able children work out what day and month it is. When helped, children also know that the 19th comes after the 18th.

Children settle quickly because staff adapt the settling-in process to meet their individual needs. Staff understand why some children might find it more difficult to settle. For example, they acknowledge when children have experienced changes at home, often due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children explain to visitors that they like coming to pre-school. They say that they really enjoy listening to stories. They exclaim excitedly that the pumpkin soup that they made was so nice they had two helpings. Children love to develop their imagination outdoors. They explain about the 'pizza' they are making while stirring water and leaves during their play with the mud kitchen.

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

• Managers, staff and parents share a passion for this community pre-school. Staff are motivated and confident in their individual roles. Leaders have worked hard to address the weaknesses raised at the last inspection. A clear, realistic action plan sets out what further training and improvements would have the biggest impact on children's experiences. The committee provides a good level of support to the manager. Less-experienced staff receive good support.
• The shared premises present a challenge to staff. However, they work closely with church leaders and arrive early to set out the resources. This means that children access a good range of opportunities that spark their interest and promote their learning indoors and outdoors.
• Staff know the children and their families well. They understand what children already know and can do and share children's next steps with the staff team. This means that staff capably step in to guide children's learning wherever they choose to play. For example, they introduce mathematical language as children play with the vehicles on the slope.
• Staff model language well to help children talk about colours and shapes that they have been learning. Encouraged by staff, children talk confidently about wildlife that they have seen on their walk around the village. They begin to make links in their learning by following their interests when they are back at nursery. Staff guide the children towards magnifying glasses in the garden to search for bugs. Children examine snail shells very carefully. Staff speak to children clearly and introduce a rich range of vocabulary through songs, stories and rhymes.
• This means that children develop good communication and language skills. Staff quickly identify children who are at risk of falling behind their peers and arrange extra support.
• Children develop a healthy approach to being active in the outdoors. They develop their strength and balance as they ride the cars up and down the muddy slope. They wash their hands after playing outdoors. They learn that if they do not wash the germs off their hands they might become ill. Children enjoy fresh fruit at snack time and are beginning to use cutlery and utensils to serve themselves. They have very good table manners.
• Overall, children are confident in the daily routines that support their learning. For example, the most-able children easily find their name card. They use tongs well to serve their fruit. However, at times, routines are too challenging for the very youngest children. For example, they do not know how to find their name card. Similarly, the question of the day does not always challenge the most-able children. This means that staff do not always help the most-able children to deepen their learning about an ongoing topic.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give greater consideration to regular daily routines to ensure they are more age-appropriate for the youngest children and more challenging for the most-able children.