Moss Lane Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly in this warm, nurturing and supportive environment. Staff use creative and thoughtful approaches to ensure that children feel a strong sense of ownership in their setting. For example, they encourage children to identify their names on spaces that store their things, which fosters independence and a sense of belonging.

The setting's bespoke settling-in procedure ensures that children can form strong bonds with staff. This supports their emotional well-being and readiness to engage in learning, whatever their start in life. The setting's flexible approach ensures that children adjust quickly and comfortably, allowing them to feel secure and confident in their new environment. Staff know the children well, a result of strong and effective links with home. This close partnership enables staff to understand what is happening in the child's wider experience, have realistic expectations for behaviour and respond with understanding and support.

Staff consistently start with the children's own interests and experiences, ensuring that learning is engaging and relevant. All children are provided with enriching opportunities that enhance their understanding of the world. Staff take them on local trips, such as to visit cafés. This helps to broaden their knowledge of the community and the wider world. The setting also runs theme days, such as to explore historical features, including teddy bears, and allowing children to bring in their own soft toy. This helps to foster a sense of connection to the past and to one another.

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

• The curriculum is carefully planned around the children's lived experiences. For example, over the holidays, the children are asked to create a summer album. They collect photos and stories of their lives over this period. As a result, children are eager to talk about what they know. This gives staff an ideal starting point on which to build and inspire children's future learning.
• The close relationship between staff and children creates a secure and positive atmosphere. Staff plan personalised activities, such as role-playing wedding breakfasts for children who have recently attended weddings. They set up campsites for children who enjoy camping, and create construction zones for children fascinated by diggers. These tailored experiences help children to feel valued and understood, which results in them being fully engaged.
• The setting places great importance on children's personal development, ensuring that they acquire important life skills that will benefit them now and in the future. For example, children are taught to nurture plants and they learn about bees. They are developing an understanding of nature and responsibility.
• Children's curiosity is nurtured by using real-life, historical objects, such as dial-up phones. Other practical life skills, such as dressing themselves with button-up shirts in the dressing-up area, are promoted through well-thought-out activities. These not only provide an opportunity for children to learn about times gone by, but also help them develop the kinds of fine motor skills that are essential for their future writing.
• Children are actively encouraged to develop many everyday social skills, such as turn taking in conversation, using good manners and sitting together around a table. The emphasis on these skills contributes significantly to children's good levels of confidence and sense of social responsibility.
• The setting makes good use of stories to help support children during periods of transition. Staff choose books with relatable themes. This allows children to read about situations which are similar to their own, and gives them ideas to help process their feelings.
• Children choose their own book to take home in a weekly book bag. This emphasises the importance of reading at home and allows children to share their favourite stories with their parents. The setting supports parents by providing prompts for reading ideas. This further fosters a love of reading from an early age.
• Staff want all children, whatever their starting point, to start school confidently. They support children to be able to express themselves as clearly as possible, ensuring that their needs are met. Leaders ensure that children who need extra support are identified swiftly, to help minimise gaps in development. These priorities help all children to be ready for their next stage of learning, when the time comes.
• The curriculum gives high priority to nurturing children's emotional security. Staff have a lovely, nurturing approach, which leads to children's mostly good behaviour. However, the curriculum is less effective in supporting the youngest children, in particular, to gain increasing control over their emotions. Although staff deal with any unwanted behaviour quickly, occasional challenges interrupt play and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the curriculum for personal, social and emotional development, providing increased support to help children more rapidly learn ways to manage their own impulses and emotions.