North Wootton Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are motivated learners, who thoroughly enjoy their time at the pre-school. They chat freely and engage with staff throughout their day. They confidently choose what they would like to join in with from the plentiful, well-planned learning opportunities. Children play together for long periods in the indoor and outdoor role-play kitchen spaces. They practise using tools as they cut up real vegetables in the outdoor kitchen, while they are closely supervised by staff, who demonstrate how to do this safely. Children use paints to decorate a large sheet of paper with a swirly line that staff have prepared and invited children to add colourful 'Christmas lights'. The children make their marks carefully and with purpose, developing their coordination as they do so.

Staff encourage children's social skills excellently. For example, staff engage children in a conversation about what it is to be helpful to others and praise children when they show kind and helpful behaviour. Children take pride in being given responsibilities by staff and show each other good manners. Staff supervise closely and gently prompt the children as they take their turn to help serve a healthy snack. This helps them to learn the kinds of questions to ask each other and how to take turns in conversation.

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

• Leaders have worked well with other organisations, including the local authority, to improve provision since the last inspection. They have made strong progress. The skilled staff team share a joint vision for enthusing children to learn and make good progress.
• Leaders, managers and staff have worked as a team to re-develop many aspects of the pre-school. For example, they have made alterations to the resources and layout of the learning environment, which children say they love.
• Staff complete training to develop their knowledge of best practice in early education. They use their new knowledge to make effective improvements to support children's learning. For example, when leaders noticed gaps in children's overall progress in mathematics, staff have improved their knowledge of how to teach children in this area of learning. They provide numerous opportunities for children to practise their skills. For example, staff help them to count objects in a book, reminding children they can hold up a finger to indicate as they count each number. As a result, children learn to confidently use number, recognise shapes and begin to solve their own mathematical problems throughout their day.
• All children benefit from sharing songs and stories daily. When they are not yet feeling ready or able to join in with group story times, staff make time to read individually to them. This helps to ensure that all children have the opportunities they need to make progress in their learning, including developing a love for books and reading.
• Staff help children to learn to speak confidently and clearly. Extra help for children who have yet to master key skills in communication and language means that children make progress to catch up with their peers. However, during conversations with older and the most-able children during their free play, staff do not consistently introduce a wide range of challenging language. This means that children are not always supported to build even stronger foundations in their vocabulary, to help them achieve the highest levels of future educational success.
• Parents report how pleased they are with the pre-school. They talk about how much effort staff put into getting to know their children, and the careful attention staff give to settling children in, helping them to feel safe and secure. There are some strategies in place to support parents to become involved with their children's learning. However, strategies to help parents understand what they can do to aid their children's learning at home are not yet fully developed.
• Staff work with parents and other professionals, where there are concerns about children's safety, well-being or development. Where children have special educational needs and/or disabilities, clear and appropriate plans are now in place to support them.
• Staff listen carefully to what children say and all children receive regular time and attention from them. Consequently, children show that they feel valued and learn to share their views and ideas with staff and one another.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan further ways to expose children to more challenging vocabulary, to build their knowledge and understanding of language to the highest levels
• develop further the strategies to help parents to support their children's learning at home.