North Wraxall Pre-School Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at pre-school eager and full of excitement for their day. Staff happily welcome parents and children. They give parents time to settle their children and share any information that will help staff meet their children's needs throughout their day. Children enter the playroom with confidence, settle quickly and find a favoured activity to engage with.

The provider and staff create and deliver an ambitious curriculum with the children at the centre. They focus on developing children's confidence and resilience, while incorporating children's interests and ensuring they are ready for their next stage of learning. For example, children develop their small hand muscles in preparation for early writing as they use different-sized tweezers to collect various autumnal objects. When children encounter difficulty, they persist, and staff support them with words of encouragement. Children beam with pride when they achieve their goals.

Children create meaningful relationships with staff and their peers. They enjoy comfort from staff and seek them out for help when they need it. In the garden, children giggle as they chase each other on bikes. At circle time, children sing together and take turns listening to their friends as they count the number of staff and children at pre-school.

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

• Staff report that they are well supported by the provider. They have regular opportunities to share their views and discuss their roles. Staff say they have a very supportive team and work well together. Most recently, staff have done 'five to thrive' training, which they say was very beneficial in understanding the link between healthy communication and brain development. It has reassured staff that they are using the right approach in their practice and they are now considering how this can be developed even further.
• Staff know all the children well. They identify any gaps in learning, seek support from external agencies and work closely with parents to get children the help they need. Staff plan effectively to meet children's needs, using additional funding for resources specific to each child and adapting their teaching style to suit each individual. For example, staff provide effective support through their interactions with children as they explore with water, copying children's actions and modelling language. Children look to adults and use gesture to request their support. All children make good progress from their starting points.
• Parent partnerships are very strong. Staff share ideas with parents to enable them to promote their children's development at home to help ensure continuity of care and learning. Parents say that staff are kind and approachable and that their children love attending the pre-school. Parents of children with additional needs say that staff go 'above and beyond' to ensure parents and their children are happy and that their needs are catered for.
• Staff develop children's independence from a young age. Children access their own drinks during the day and make choices in their play. However, at times, staff do not use consistent strategies to help children understand what is happening now or next, or what is expected of them. For example, when staff tell children it is snack time, some children sit at the table, while others wander around, unsure of what is happening. Furthermore, when children sit down for snack, some repetitively get up and down from the table, as staff do not make them aware of the expectations.
• Staff create exciting opportunities for children to enhance all areas of their development. Children develop their imaginative skills as they sprinkle glitter and use their hands to spread paint to create pictures. Staff spark discussions with children about their creations to develop their communication skills. Staff encourage children to develop their critical thinking skills as they explore, for example how they might get a toy car to fit when it gets stuck in the play garage. Children are confident to share their ideas and have a go.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to make their expectations of children clear during routine activities and group times to help children to learn to manage their own actions.