North Holmwood Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome as they arrive. They find their peg, hang up their coats and eagerly rush off to start their day. Newer children are given reassuring hugs and comfort when they need it. Children settle quickly and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in the warm, inviting pre-school.

Children engage in a wide range of experiences. Staff support children's language development as they introduce new words in the doctor's role play-area, talking about 'medicines', 'injections' and 'stethoscopes'. Children enjoy cuddles with staff as they delve into books. Some children experiment with ice and water, exploring how it feels and melts when warmed. Children confidently ask staff for hammers to hit the ice and break it into chunks. All children are developing a positive attitude to learning in preparation for school.

Children behave well and listen carefully to adults. Staff are good role models, and there are clear boundaries in place. Children are learning to share and take turns with favourite resources. There is a clear focus on providing an inclusive service, where each child is valued. Children readily follow directions at key times of the day, such as putting their coats on and lining up to go outside. Staff promote children's good manners well.

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

• Staff read to children at different times during the day. Books and stories are available for children to use, one to one, with staff or as a group, to develop a love of reading. Younger and non-verbal children look at picture books and repeat familiar words. Older children enjoy stories and listen with concentration. Staff ask them questions and offer ideas about what they think will happen next. For example, when reading 'Rosie's Walk', children are asked to consider what would happen if Rosie had looked behind her?
• Children are encouraged to be as independent as possible and carry out age-appropriate tasks. For example, children wash their hands before meals and put on their own coats before going outside. At snack time, children eagerly select a range of different fruit and pour their own drink. However, at times, staff can undertake mealtime-preparation roles rather than letting children do it for themselves, such as cutting fruit and opening sandwiches. This limits children's independence and their ability to prepare their own food.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve good outcomes. Additional needs are identified early on. Support plans are quickly put in place and referrals for additional support are made when required. Therefore, all children make good progress from their starting points.
• The staff implement a curriculum that is exciting and promotes children's interests. Staff provide opportunities for children to be curious and explore. For example, children observe their 'dragon' breath as they play outside. They demonstrate their knowledge as they talk to staff about how it is 'frosty', and recognise the need to take care to use the outdoor slide because it is 'icy' and will be 'slippy'.
• Children explore activities that help to develop their fine motor skills. For instance, they enjoy sorting coloured animals with bubble tweezers. However, children's mathematical development could be enhanced further by providing routine activities, to enable children to develop and enhance their counting skills and use of mathematical language.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the pre-school, praising its 'caring staff' and 'family atmosphere'. They note how their children are eager to attend and that they feel well-informed about their progress. Staff work very closely with families from the beginning, and parents state that they feel well supported.
• The manager ensures an ambitious curriculum for children. She observes staff practice and questions them to check their knowledge of the skills they want children to learn. Self-evaluation is accurate and identifies areas for the pre-school to develop further. The manager holds supervision meetings with staff to reflect on the quality of their practice and suitability to work with children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen opportunities for children to develop more independence during their everyday experiences
• develop children's understanding of mathematics through everyday routines and experiences.