Muscliff Community Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are incredibly kind and caring and create a nurturing and joyful environment where children thrive. Children smile widely as they arrive and show that they feel very safe and secure. Children demonstrate high levels of concentration and motivation to learn. For example, they eagerly join in with group activities, listening intently to staff and holding up their hands to share their thoughts. Children follow the expectations of the pre-school, showing exemplary behaviour. For example, they follow instructions with ease, and older children support their peers with understanding rules, such as self-registering when they arrive.

The curriculum is meticulously organised to meet every child's individual learning needs, and all children make excellent progress from their starting points. Children's personal, social and emotional skills and language development are extremely well nurtured. For example, children engage in meaningful discussions with staff as they learn about democracy and vote for what they will do next. Children's thoughts and ideas are extremely valued by staff, which builds their self-esteem. For example, children develop their problem-solving skills as they consider whether to sit on spots or chairs for group time and how to organise this.

Children have extensive opportunities to develop their physical skills as they negotiate ride-on toys around cones in the garden and learn how to throw and catch a ball. The pre-school builds strong links with the local community to help children learn about the world around them. For example, children enjoy stay-and-play sessions at a local care home and benefit from trips organised by staff to find tadpoles, collect sticks and plant trees.

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

• The manager plans a broad and balanced curriculum that continually builds on what children know and can do. She is passionate about the value of developing children's personal, social and emotional skills. Children's positive behaviour, respect for others and strong relationships with staff and their peers demonstrate the impact of this strong focus.
• Staff use highly effective assessment processes to help them recognise when children might be at risk of falling behind. They put swift interventions in place to close any gaps in children's development, including focused one-to-one time with their key person. Staff identify children who are exceeding expectations and provide effective support to develop their learning even further.
• The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) works proactively with external professionals to ensure that all children receive the support they need. The manager and SENDCo use additional funding effectively to provide extra resources and staffing to nurture the development of the intended children.
• Most children are confident communicators and freely share their thoughts and ideas. Staff support less-confident and quieter children to join in with conversations and activities to boost their communication skills. Staff add new words as children play to extend their vocabulary and encourage children to tune into sounds to prepare them for later phonics learning in school. For example, they make sounds with musical instruments, which they encourage children to identify.
• Children build their independence and develop a sense of responsibility in preparation for school. For example, children self-serve their own snacks with tongs and clear their bowls away after eating. The manager builds effective relationships with local schools to enable a smooth transition. For example, children visit the library of a local school to help them feel confident in the new environment.
• Staff organise activities to help children practise and develop their fine motor skills in a range of ways. Older children hold a pen securely and with an effective grip as they confidently write their names. Younger children pick up small wooden pegs with their fingers to match the number thrown on the dice to develop their hand-eye coordination and number skills.
• Staff encourage children to celebrate their similarities and differences and develop an awareness of what makes them unique. For example, parents visit the pre-school to share celebrations they enjoy at home for Eid and Chinese New Year. This helps to develop respect and tolerance for others.
• The manager places a high regard on the well-being of staff. She organises training to meet their interests and the needs of children to ensure that children receive the best possible teaching and learning.
• Parents report that they feel like part of a family. They feel well informed about their children's progress and value the guidance and support they receive from staff to help develop children's learning at home.