Next Steps Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and families are at the heart of this kind and caring pre-school. Staff welcome children at the door with smiles and cuddles. This effectively supports children's emotional well-being. Staff promote children's positive attitudes to learning well. They encourage children to do things for themselves. Older children butter their own toast at snack time and wash up their plates. Younger children immediately put their coats away on their pegs. This effectively supports children's independence skills. Staff successfully encourage children's good behaviour. They frequently praise children and are good role models. Children behave very well. They celebrate their friends' achievements, saying that their attempts are 'amazing'. This effectively supports children's self-esteem and confidence.

Staff have high expectations of children. They plan an interesting and motivating curriculum based on children's needs and interests. Children demonstrate high levels of engagement. Older children enjoy playing outside in the 'next steps' car garage for a long time, chatting together about fire engines. Younger children maintain interest in making play dough shapes with staff for a sustained period. This supports children's concentration and perseverance skills well. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities demonstrate that they are confident and comfortable at the setting. They form special bonds with staff, who know them well. Staff are patient and calm. All children make good progress from their starting points.

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

• Staff encourage children to recall previous learning to help them to develop key skills. For example, younger children enjoy looking at photos of their trip to the shops to buy ingredients to make cakes. Older children talk with staff about their trip to the hairdressers and take turns being the 'hairdresser'. This helps to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.
• Staff promote children's understanding of others successfully. For example, children are encouraged to bring in photos of their families to learn about each other. Staff share their own photos and talk about who is at home with them. This helps children to feel included and to learn that all families are special.
• Children benefit from staff who prioritise their understanding of self-care. Staff encourage children to brush their teeth after eating. They help them to know how to use their toothbrushes effectively by brushing their own teeth with them. This encourages children's understanding of good oral health and how to keep themselves safe.
• Children benefit from staff who work hard to develop exciting spaces for them to play and learn. Children especially enjoy exploring outside, spending time digging in the sand and mud. Staff create a special sensory space where children can relax. However, at times, staff are not deployed most effectively to help children in their play and learning. For example, they are sometimes busy with other tasks or are not positioned in a way that ensures they notice when children need more support to extend their learning.
• Staff promote children's interest in books and stories. Children enjoy sharing their adventures with 'travelling bear'. They enjoy joining in with rhymes. However, on occasion, staff do not always provide consistent support for the youngest children to help them communicate. This, at times, impacts on their use of words and language.
• Leaders and managers are passionate and hardworking. They have very positive relationships with the local church and community to help support families. They work closely with schools and other early years settings to ensure smooth transitions. They use funding effectively to support individual needs, for example by purchasing specific toys to help children to settle in.
• Staff are proud of their jobs and work very well together. They say they feel very supported in their roles. Staff are well trained and provide children and families with high-quality care and education. Staff are excited to work with families to develop an outside 'forest' area in the future.
• Communication with parents is very good. Parents appreciate the extra lengths staff go to, to help them. Staff accompany families on visits to support them. Parents talk highly of the stay-and-play sessions they attend, which help them to understand how to help their children at home. Parents appreciate the wide range of experiences their children get to learn about the world around them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the deployment of staff so that children receive more consistent support to extend their learning during their play
• support staff to implement further strategies to encourage younger children's early communication skills.