Northfields Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children separate quickly from their parents. Staff encourage parents to exchange information, as children remove their coats and hang them on their peg before entering the large playroom. Children quickly find something to do and negotiate with their peers. They can be clearly seen working together to build towers in the construction area or planning what they are going to 'cook' in the home corner. There is a gentle, happy hum of chatter as children go about the activities that they have chosen.

Each term, children have opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities, including tennis and dance. During tennis lessons, children walk while focusing on their balance. They move around the room, navigating the space as they listen intently to the directions given by the instructor. Staff are on hand to guide and offer support when needed.

Children have adult-led and free-choice activities. Children fully engage in what they are doing, moving purposefully to find different activities to participate in. Children who require additional support are encouraged to finish one activity before moving around the setting to find another activity of interest to join in.

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

• Staff spend time talking to children. They model language through meaningful conversations. Staff ask questions and give children time to think and reply. Staff's interactions with children are rich in language. For example, they discuss events that are important to children. A small group of children sustained a conversation about an upcoming birthday and the activities linked to planning a party.
• Children are extremely well behaved. They line up to take turns and, as they wait, they talk among themselves. Children are supported to negotiate with their peers to share resources. Staff sensitively support children by guiding them to consider how it may feel if they do not let a friend have a go. Children respond positively and reach a solution by taking turns with each other.
• Children are supported to develop their awareness and use of mathematical language. For example, children identify characters in a familiar story by size. Staff skilfully thread a range of different words into the activity to describe size.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Parents are offered regular meetings to talk about the progress that their children make and discuss referrals. The special educational needs coordinator and parents devise goals together that include skills to support parents in the home. Parents of children with SEND praise staff as they feel fully included and can clearly see the progress that their children make.
• Parents provide children with fruit for snack time. Staff offer children milk or water to drink, and toast with dairy-free spread. They obtain information from parents about their children's individual dietary requirements and check this prior to serving. Staff have strategies to meet children's dietary needs. For example, they use a second toaster for gluten-free bread. Staff monitor children's serving sizes to adhere to recommendations and to support children to develop healthy eating habits.
• Parents share how the setting communicates with them, which is mainly by email. Parents can request meetings at any time to discuss children's progress with staff. Parents receive information on their child's progress at the end of each term. However, staff do not regularly share consistent information about children's development with parents, which some parents say they would like more of.
• Leaders and managers reflect on their role as 'sustaining the energy and enthusiasm'. Staff use time setting up as an opportunity to consider and adapt their practice. Leaders and managers provide regular supervision, ongoing professional development and training to supports staff's practice. They have established links with the local authority's early years consultants, who offer the provider with support to maintain their role.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• share more information with parents about their child's development, to improve the links between home and nursery.