Moulton Harrox Pre-School and Out of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children wave goodbye to their parents and carers and come into the setting happily. They independently look for their peg to hang their coats and bags up. Children choose what they like to play with and enjoy these activities with their friends. They take turns to gently water the plants outside and help each other to fill up their water containers. Children develop warm relationships with their peers.

Children spend lots of time outdoors developing their imaginations. They mark make with chalks to draw treasure maps on the pavement. Children confidently draw an 'X', to show where the treasure is hidden. Staff support children's learning by building on what they already know about pirates, and they compose an exciting adventure story. Children develop these skills further as they keenly make up their own stories, pretending to be eaten by the hungry sharks as they swim in the ocean.

Children develop their communication and language skills as they help staff to tell stories and sing songs. Children have a familiar set of stories and songs, which they choose from for their group time. They all join in with the actions in songs as they jump, dance and skip in time to their singing. Children develop secure attachments with staff as they cosy up with their key person to share a book.

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

• Leaders have a clear intent for what they would like children to learn in the setting. They think carefully about the skills and knowledge they need to teach children before they are ready to go to school. Children are encouraged to pour their milk and set the table ready for mealtimes. Children get their warm clothes on independently to go outside to play. Staff give children the time to have a go first before offering help.
• The curriculum for children's physical development is very strong. Staff support children with lots of opportunities to develop their large- and small-muscle skills. They use their circus topic to teach children how to use different equipment as they pretend to be circus performers. For example, children learn to use stilts for the first time. They concentrate and think about how to use their arms and legs at the same time to make the stilts move.
• Staff provide lots of opportunities to develop children's communication and language skills. They encourage children to find funny rhyming words during their key group-time activities. Children are sensitively encouraged to take turns to speak as they hold the special toy, 'Whizzy'. However, some staff do not always build on children's listening and speaking skills as they support their independent play.
• Staff teach children early mathematical concepts well. Children are encouraged to use the correct vocabulary of 'more' and 'less' as they explore rice with their fingers. Staff model how to make shapes in the rice. Children learn the correct names for different shapes as they draw these independently.
• Children generally behave well in the setting. For example, children play well together in the sandpit, as they share buckets and spades. They take turns riding on the balance bicycles and confidently navigate obstacles. However, some children struggle to manage their emotions as they are told it is time to tidy resources away. This is because staff do not always provide children with enough support and warning to help them finish what they are doing and understand what is expected of them.
• Children are encouraged to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Staff talk to the children about keeping healthy and have engaging conversations about different food types. As the children use chocolate coins as their pretend pirate treasure, they learn that these are not a healthy snack, and therefore they should only eat them occasionally.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported by the manager and the staff team. Staff identify specific targets for children with SEND, which helps to ensure they make good progress from their starting points. Transitions for children with SEND into school are exceptionally well planned, and the manager liaises with other agencies to support the children.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They are well informed of everything staff do to support children's learning. Staff work in partnership with parents to help with their children's potty training and bedtime routines at home. Parents state they know who they can go to if they have a question or a concern.
• The joint managers are very committed to their roles. They have clear responsibility areas and work well together. Managers value the expertise of the experienced staff in the setting. Managers and room leaders model good practices to less experienced staff. They ensure that staff supervision is effective and encourage new staff to be reflective in their roles and consider the next stages of their career.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's understanding of how they can extend children's vocabulary and language skills during independent play activities
• strengthen support for children to deal with their emotions and help them to understand what is expected of them.