New Ash Green Preschool Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are collected by staff at the school gate and taken into the pre-school. They know to hang their coats and bags up and sit together on the carpet area ready to start their day. Children are reminded of the routine and 'golden rules'. Staff use visual prompts to remind them of the timetable for the day and children eagerly call out what happens next.

Children enjoy opportunities to play outdoors. They practise their balancing skills on the low-level beams. Children learn to wait as they take turns walking across the beams. They are encouraged to do this safely. Children use their arms to help them balance. Staff remind children to 'freeze' when they need to wait and 'unfreeze' when it is their turn to go.

Children have a positive attitude towards learning. They approach every activity with excitement and a willingness to listen. For example, children listen attentively to how to make stick men after listening to the story 'Stick Man'. Children have access to a range of different activities that are changed frequently in response to their changing interests. Staff deploy themselves well in order to respond to children's needs and wishes. They support children to make good progress in their development.

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

• The manager regularly monitors staff. She observes practice and uses this to help staff improve their teaching skills. The manager holds regular meetings where staff discuss their key children's interests and decide what they want children to learn. Staff report how well supported they feel and how they provide support to each other as a team.
• Staff identify individual learning intentions for their key children and focus on supporting these, while following the children's own interests. For example, staff support children's speech and language development while they are engaged in looking at tree branches through a magnifying glass. Staff use singular words and repeat the words the children use to support their communication development.
• Parents are generally happy with the pre-school. They know who their child's key person is and feel they are kept informed about the activities the children take part in via the online platform they use. However, parents are not clear about the individual learning the staff are focussing on with their children. Therefore, they are unaware as to how they can support their children's learning at home.
• The manager has identified that children require support in understanding their emotions and how to respond to these appropriately. Staff know and support their key children well. However, staff are not aware of all other children's needs or interests. This has an impact on how well all children's development is supported to progress further.
• Staff support and promote children's physical development well. They encourage children to do a few gentle exercises to help them start their day. This includes stretching up very tall, touching their toes, shaking their arms and doing some simple breathing exercises. Staff encourage children's mathematical development. They help children count down from five to one as they breath out slowly.
• Staff monitor the progress that their key children make and are aware of gaps in children's learning. They apply for funding from the local authority to support them to best meet children's needs. They work with outside agencies and the local authority to ensure their assessments of children are accurate, and they follow advice they are given. As a result, children are making progress and are ready to move on to their next stage of learning.
• Children behave very well and are consistently reminded of the expectations of them. They know to wash their hands before mealtimes and do this independently. Staff support children's social development and focus on helping them to build relationships. For example, they encourage them to work together and take turns when completing a floor puzzle. Children listen to each other about where they think the puzzle pieces may fit.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the communication with parents to make sure they are fully aware of how their children are progressing and how they can best support their children's development at home
• develop the systems in place when key staff are not available to ensure that all other staff are aware of their roles and know how to support all children's needs and interests.