Muskham Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff embed routines in the day that children understand and follow. For example, when staff shake a tambourine, children know to come inside and join staff and their peers for a group time. This daily routine helps children to feel secure in the pre-school. Staff help children to understand the rules, such as to climb up the steps on the climbing frame instead of going up the slide, to promote their safety.

Children are supported by staff to engage in imaginative play. When children use pretend tools to fix a broken pretend aeroplane, staff help them learn about the different parts on an aeroplane. Children are asked to share the pretend tools they use. For example, when children try to take a toy saw from their peers, staff show them other tools they can use instead. Staff ask children to work as a team to fix the aeroplane. Children are given opportunities by staff to be independent. This includes asking children to hand out plates at snack time and to pour their own drinks. When children struggle to use knives to butter their toast, staff ask them to keep trying, encouraging them to persevere. Children show excitement when staff ask them to practise for sports day. The races enable children develop their hand-eye coordination, for example, they are asked to balance eggs on spoons when they walk.

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

• The manager and staff help children to be emotionally ready for their move on to school. For example, the manager takes children for visits to the school to help them to become familiar with the environment and their new teacher.
• The manager and staff plan a curriculum that enables children to learn about different themes, such as farms and animals. They also use observations and assessments to help identify what children need to learn next. This helps children to progress well in their learning.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. This helps to close any gaps in some children's learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, when staff ask children questions, they give them time to think and respond. Staff introduce new words to help develop children's vocabulary, such as 'nocturnal' and 'shredding' when they talk to them about animals.
• Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive tailored learning support to meet their individual needs. For example, staff show children pictures of activities to encourage their communication skills and to express their thoughts and needs.
• The manager uses additional funding for children effectively. For example, she uses the money to arrange extra activities for children to take part in. This includes forest sessions for children to explore nature and trips to farms to learn about animals. This helps to provide some children with experiences they do not receive elsewhere.
• Staff talk to children about the pre-school's rules and boundaries. Children understand these and say that they need to do good walking. However, occasionally, when staff give children praise, such as 'well done', they do not explain to children what the praise is for. This will help them to be aware of their achievements.
• Staff offer children a healthy range of snacks and drinks to promote a nutritious diet. They help children to learn about the benefits that milk has on their bodies. Staff help children to understand of how healthy food grows. For example, when children water strawberry plants, they tell visitors it will make the strawberries grow.
• Staff attend supervision and staff meetings with the manager to reflect on their practice. They attend training courses that extends their knowledge of how to include maths in daily experiences. For example, when children throw a ball, staff talk to children about them throwing it 'under arm'. This helps children to learn positional language.
• Staff adapt activities to follow children's interests. However, when staff carry out some planned activities, they do not always consider how their interactions can be adapted to meet the different ages and abilities of the children. This will help build on children's individual learning.
• Parents comment positively about the pre-school. They say that staff are accommodating, friendly and have good relationships with the children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop ways praise is given, to help children to be aware of what they are being praised for and their achievements
• help staff when they plan activities to consider how to differentiate their interactions to support the different ages and abilities of the children, to help build on their individual learning.