Newbold Parish Church Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, show positive relationships with staff. For instance, in the garden, older children invite staff to ride on scooters with them. Children and staff wheel scooters around the area and laugh together. Younger children receive praise from staff when they take turns to confidently access a small slide outdoors. Staff show them how to share resources when they play with dough. Older children are asked to use their indoor voices when they begin to speak loudly, helping them to follow the rules.

Children are encouraged to be independent. Younger children begin to peel their fruit at snack time. Older children are given time to take off their boots and dressing-up clothes by themselves. Older children are supported by staff to understand special events. Staff help them to learn about Remembrance Day and how poppies represent soldiers that went into war. Children join staff in a one-minute silence. Staff ask children to remember the soldiers and reflect on how lucky they are themselves. Staff praise children for sitting quietly and following their instructions, helping them to learn skills for their move on to school. Additional funding that some children receive is spent effectively to support their individual needs. This includes purchasing sensory toys to help children to be calm, promoting their emotional well-being.

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

• The management team monitors the progress that all children make. This helps them to identify any gaps in learning. Information gathered from these assessments identifies gaps in children's communication and language skills. Therefore, staff implement strategies to help close these gaps. For example, staff support older children to recognise words that begin with the same initial sound. Children say, 'jet', 'jelly' and 'jug', supporting them to pronounce words correctly.
• Staff provide children with a nutritious range of snacks and drinks to promote a healthy diet. Staff ask children to eat their sandwiches first at lunchtime, telling children that it will give them energy. Other children hear the conversations taking place and say, 'I need energy too,' as they eat their sandwiches.
• The management team gathers feedback from parents to help them evaluate the experiences they offer children. From parents' comments, staff help children to clean their teeth daily to promote oral health. Children have their own toothbrushes and are reminded to clean the back and front of their teeth when they brush them.
• Staff support children to be imaginative. For example, staff help younger children to learn how to use a knife safely to spread pretend paste onto toast in a kitchen role-play area. Children copy staff and give visitors a piece of pretend toast. Older children take pretend ice creams to staff. Children act out their own life experiences through play.
• Staff have a good knowledge of their key children's interests and what children need to focus on to help them progress in their learning. However, this information is not shared with all staff to help them recognise how best to help some children with their learning. Therefore, during children's self-chosen play, not all children are supported by staff to make the best possible progress.
• Staff help children to understand what is expected of them. For example, when children show positive behaviours, such as being kind or playing nicely with their friends, staff reward them. Children are chosen to be the 'star of the day'. They proudly receive certificates to reward their achievements.
• The management team supports staff through, for example, supervision and appraisal meetings. Staff have opportunities to reflect on their practice. However, some staff are not supported to increase their knowledge of how to adapt their teaching skills to build on learning for the different ages of children. For instance, some staff plan activities that are too advanced for younger children.
• Staff talk to parents to share information with them about their children's day, such as activities they enjoy and their next steps in learning. Parents say that staff feel part of their family and that they offer a home-from-home environment for their children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the sharing of information about children's individual learning needs between children's key person and other staff
• help staff to increase their knowledge of how to adapt their teaching skills to build on learning for the different ages of the children.