Moorfield Pre-School Group

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff purposefully create a relaxing atmosphere. Children benefit from this soothing and tranquil environment, which helps them to focus and engage. In turn, children are calm and ready to learn. They form very strong bonds with the staff who care for them. Children gaze at staff with admiration and smile when they receive praise and encouragement. Children often invite staff into their games as they clearly enjoy the company and interactions from the warm and friendly staff. These positive relations contribute to children's strong sense of belonging and positive self-esteem.

Staff foster children's love for reading and literacy. They provide a wide range of interesting books. These are easily accessible for children, indoors and outdoors. Children hold tight onto their favourite books and take them everywhere with them, occasionally pausing from their games to open the book and peek inside. Children talk to each other about the illustrations on the pages. Staff use animation and humour when they read books aloud during group-story sessions. Children listen intently and join in. Literacy and reading is an important aspect of the curriculum. Staff promote children's early writing skills well. For instance, they organise a treasure hunt. Children use clipboards and hold pens as they record what they find. Staff provide plenty of ongoing narration to extend children's speech and vocabulary. Children develop secure foundation skills in language, reading and writing, in readiness for school.

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

• Leaders and staff design and deliver a varied curriculum for children. Their vision is to nurture children and promote their independence. This is achieved and all children are happy, settled and making superb progress.
• Staff observe and monitor children's progress regularly. They know exactly what children like and can do. Staff also identify gaps in children's knowledge and work to narrow these gaps quickly. Children benefit from targeted teaching and their progress is well promoted.
• Children are polite. They raise their hands to answer questions during group sessions and ask for permission before going outside. Children help each other and are considerate and helpful. They understand boundaries and respond well to familiar routines. Children's behaviour is good.
• Children enjoy plenty of opportunities to play outside and enjoy daily fresh air and exercise. This contributes to their good health. Staff carefully apply sun cream to children and remind them to wear hats to protect their skin. There is plenty of fresh drinking water always available for children. Caring and considerate staff tend to children's good health very well.
• Children benefit from a large forest area, extensive playground and allotment.
• They explore nature with curiosity and intrigue, and develop an appreciation for the world around them. Children climb low branches of trees in a forest area. Staff remain nearby to offer encouragement and ensure their safety. Children take safe risks. This helps children to build their resilience and stretch their physical skills beyond current capabilities. Staff are ambitious and supportive teachers and, in turn, children make good progress.
• Staff morale is high because they feel valued and integral to the team. Many of the staff have worked at the pre-school for a number of years. Children benefit from a happy, stable and motivated team, who work well together. They all strive to do their very best and offer the families they support a high-quality service.
• Partnerships with parents and carers are good. They refer to the pre-school as 'absolutely faultless' and staff 'going above and beyond'. Parents comment their children love attending and have great bonds with staff. Staff work closely with parents to help children to make a seamless transition between home and the pre-school.
• Children develop well in their mathematical skills. For instance, they regularly count objects as they play to practise their counting skills. However, occasionally, staff's teaching does not extend children's counting beyond their current capabilities.
• Staff benefit from plenty of training and ongoing professional development. However, sometimes training does not address specific gaps in staff's skills that will benefit children the most. For instance, staff are aspirational to complete sign language training to better support children with communication needs and enhance their teaching even more.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve teaching to extend children's mathematical counting skills beyond their current capabilities
• focus staff training more closely on areas that will most benefit children.