Northern Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive excited to begin their day at this pre-school. They are warmly welcomed by attentive and nurturing staff who know children's unique personalities extremely well. Children quickly scan the room and self-select from a variety of activities and play experiences that staff thoughtfully plan. Children benefit from the ambitious and bespoke curriculum that leaders and staff provide. They carefully plan stimulating activities to build on what children already know and can do, as well as skilfully entwining children's immediate curiosities. This means children sustain interest in their explorations and build resilience even when things challenge them.

Staff proactively address any areas of children's learning that requires additional focus to support their ongoing development swiftly, such as developing their small-muscle skills. They provide an abundance of activities for children to practise small hand movements and increase their dexterities and coordination. For example, children delight as they squish and squash play dough. Staff continually consider how they can enhance learning. They add garlic presses and hand-operated pasta makers for children to use. In turn, children show high levels of concentration as they carefully rotate the pasta maker handle and pass their play dough through it. Children are motivated and curious in their own learning. This sets children up for future success.

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

• Leaders and the registered person have taken action to address weaknesses identified at their last inspection. They have robust procedures in place to ensure all committee members are known to Ofsted and have the required suitability checks. The committee members are a great support to the pre-school and play an active role as they have clear oversight to support leaders.
• Leaders and staff are passionate and dedicated to their roles. They work collaboratively and understand the importance of good communication and reflective practice. Effective supervision sessions for staff are in place. They have access to regular targeted training opportunities. This captures their individual passions as staff continually evolve their practice and the pre-school environment. Therefore, outcomes for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), continue to improve.
• All staff plan and deliver a thoughtfully designed curriculum that promotes learning across all areas of the early year's foundation stage. Staff have high, but appropriate, expectations of what they want children to learn next. Together, they work to plan and sequence learning for each child that supports them to make their own individual progress.
• Staff support children to begin to understand how to keep themselves healthy and safe. For instance, staff promote healthy eating and teach children about oral health. They provide consistent boundaries and explain why these are in place. However, leaders do not plan opportunities to help children learn about online safety when accessing devices at home. This does not support children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe when accessing the internet.
• Staff develop positive bonds with children that foster secure attachments and build their self-confidence. Staff are respectful and positive role models. They support children to learn about their emotions and recognise their own and others feelings. In addition, they ensure any minor conflicts between children are resolved with support and guidance. This contributes to children's good behaviour as they learn consistent behavioural expectations.
• Children's communication and language are a foundation to children's success at this pre-school. Staff skilfully adapt their communication methods dependent on children's personalities, ages and development stages. Children have opportunities to hear clearly spoken, repetitive language. They develop conversational skills as they share their own thoughts and ideas. Staff introduce new words in context, such as 'squish', 'squash' and 'delicious'. Children who are being supported to develop their language skills are a high priority. Targeted support is in place to aid these children to make their own progress. These opportunities support all children to become confident communicators and broaden their growing vocabulary.
• Overall, partnerships with parents are effective. The staff team keep parents updated about their child's day and what they have been doing each week. Parents report that they appreciate the quality of care and learning their children receive. They particularly value the dedicated staff team and how happy their children are to attend. However, leaders have not fully considered how to consistently keep parents well informed about children's specific next steps in learning and how this can be further supported at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the curriculum to teach children about online safety and how to keep themselves safe when accessing the internet
• strengthen even further the information shared with parents, in particular children's precise next steps in learning and how these can be supported further at home.