Montrose Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

A skilled and dedicated staff team provides a stimulating and enriching learning environment that draws children in and captivates their interest and curiosity. Staff establish strong relationships with children and parents. This means that children settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Staff know children very well, and this enables them to plan an exciting and ambitious curriculum. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported to make progress in their learning and development.

Staff interact effectively with children to sustain their interest and motivation. For example, children enjoy building obstacle courses with soft blocks. They climb over and under and persevere carefully as they balance on slopes. This supports the development of their gross motor skills. Children are encouraged to navigate the obstacle courses in their own way, supporting them to problem solve. This helps children to understand how to move and position their bodies safely. Staff are positive role models. They gently support and guide children to develop good manners, and children learn to show respect and kindness towards others. For example, children offer their hand or a hug when another child is upset. This creates a caring and nurturing atmosphere.

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

• Staff work well as a team. They have regular meetings to evaluate the effectiveness of the nursery and reflect on their practice and the experiences they provide for children. The manager makes good use of training, supervision meetings and peer observations to develop staff's knowledge and experiences. This helps to improve practice and outcomes for children. Staff plan and deliver a meaningful curriculum that supports all children to make progress and succeed in their learning.
• Staff support children's health and physical development, providing regular access to outdoor activities. Children relish playing outdoors. They splash in puddles, scoop, and dig in the water and sandpit trays. They practise cutting pictures out of magazines with scissors, developing their small-muscle skills. All children benefit from fresh air and are able to practise and extend their physical skills.
• Staff capture children's imaginations as they plan a large, unique role-play kitchen area, which is carefully designed so children can link their role play to real-life experiences. Children develop their imaginations as they make play dough and then use it to make cupcakes and decorate them with sprinkles. Staff encourage children to recognise and use numbers during their play. For example, children confidently count play dough cupcakes. Staff help children to learn early subtraction when they hand out the cupcakes to their peers. This helps to enhance children's problem-solving skills.
• Staff place a great deal of emphasis on developing children's communication and language skills. They introduce children to a wide range of new vocabulary as they play. For instance, staff engage in conversations with children as they make hand prints and paint poppies. Children are given time to respond to questions, and their responses are valued. They also learn how to listen to the views of others.
• Parents are extremely positive about the pre-school. They comment that staff go 'above and beyond' for children, helping them to make progress and also giving extra support when required. Parents value the time that staff spend helping children to settle in. They feel reassured that staff provide a caring and safe environment where children learn to explore and develop their independence.
• Staff model expected behaviour and place a great emphasis on reward and praise when children behave positively. They are good role models and exceptionally warm and nurturing. Children behave very well across the nursery.
• Staff have high expectations of all children. Overall, children have good routines, which helps to promote their independence and self-care. They brush their teeth, tidy away, and make healthy choices at snack times. However, children are not consistently challenged to be even more independent in everyday routines.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children to become more independent through everyday routines.