Mount Carmel Pre-School and Wraparound Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happily engaged in play and learning throughout the day. They are confident to talk and play with one another and the familiar staff. Staff form warm relationships with the children and are respectful in their interactions with them. They support children's care needs well and get down to the children's level when they join them in their play. Children confidently choose how to spend their time from the selection of available resources, indoors and outdoors. Staff engage children in conversations as they play, extending their thinking and modelling a good use of language. Children learn about the natural world. They observe spiders and squirrels in the garden, and plant, care for and harvest, fruits and vegetables.

Children's behaviour is good. They enjoy playing cooperatively together, for example, pre-school children arrive at the role-play shop with trolleys full of food and the 'shop assistant' scans each item. Children, even those who have just settled, are quickly getting to know the daily routine. They respond positively when staff make requests, for example to line up to wash their hands or tidy away for lunch time. Children develop good self-help skills. Pre-school children are sensitively supported to persevere as they put on their shoes to go outside. Two-year-olds hang up their own bags and coats when they arrive at the setting.

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

• All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those in receipt of additional funding, make good progress. Staff observe children's play and interactions and make assessments of their progress. Leaders support staff to identify any gaps in children's learning and consider how best to support them.
• Settling-in processes and transition between rooms, and on to school, are carefully planned in collaboration with parents. A flexible and sensitive approach for all children, including reception age children who are new to breakfast or after-school club, supports children to settle quickly.
• There are numerous opportunities for children to engage in physical activity. Children have free-flow access to the garden and regular opportunities to visit a forest area and the school playground. As part of the daily routine, children thoroughly enjoy joining in with aerobic sessions to lively music. During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff posted daily aerobic videos for children to join in with. This supported children to maintain their relationships with the staff.
• Children enjoy being read to and looking at books. They choose to spend time in the book areas. During the daily story time, children become thoroughly engrossed in the story. It is read skilfully and children become excited as they anticipate what might happen next. However, some group activities are not planned carefully enough to ensure children become fully engaged and have their learning needs met.
• Staff carefully consider how best to ensure children are fully prepared for the next stage of their education. They work closely with the school on site. The daily routine provides both child- and adult-led activities.
• Staff support children's early language development well by repeating words back to them and modelling extended sentences. Older children are supported to develop their vocabulary, for example through the daily selection of a special helper. Children listen carefully as staff give clues to describe the child who will be having their turn.
• Children are consistently supported to make independent choices and engage in play and learning. Two-year-olds enjoy engaging in exploratory play, for example as they paint. However, some activities provided for pre-school children are not challenging enough, and, therefore, do not support children to become engaged in exploratory play for extended periods of time.
• Leaders and managers have systems in place to monitor the provision. They have continued to make changes and review the provision throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders and managers support staff well-being. They encourage and enable staff to access training and further professional qualifications.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents' views about the setting are gathered periodically and there are effective systems in place to support two-way communication with them. Parents report that their children are happy, and they highly value the care and support provided.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to develop provision by reviewing planning for group sessions to ensure they consistently meet the needs of all children
• build on existing provision to ensure older children have opportunities to engage in challenging exploratory play.