Northstead Community Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a warm welcome for children and their families as they eagerly enter the pre-school ready to start their day. Children demonstrate their developing independence as they decide whether to hang their name tags and coats on a low peg or a high peg. Staff offer a range of exciting opportunities for children to engage in physical activities, inside and outdoors. Inside, children play on the gym mat. Staff encourage them to remember the rules of play. Children know that they need to take off their shoes to keep everyone safe. Outside, children move along the pirate ship plank in different ways. They enjoy showing their skills in jumping and hopping and seeing who can jump the highest or furthest.

The pre-school curriculum is carefully sequenced and adapted so that all children are supported to develop a range of key skills over time. Staff identify children's interests and use these to help children learn in their own unique way. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. The pre-school team works closely with parents and relevant professionals to implement the right support for children. This means children with SEND can access the curriculum and make good progress over time.

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

• Staff support all children's language development. They work in partnership with a range of professionals to develop strategies and tools to ensure children's communication development is monitored. This enables staff to identify early signs of delay and share children's individual learning plans with colleagues and parents. This helps everyone to work together to support and measure the progress of all children's language skills.
• Staff weave mathematical learning into every opportunity. This includes going on a number hunt outside and measuring time by counting how long it takes to pour water from jugs. Children are encouraged to think what number comes next when counting. They count to the new number to check their answer. Children use problem-solving skills to build a pirate ship out of connecting tiles. They naturally use positional language when playing with a toy garage and cars.
• The management team carefully considers children's all-round development, needs and background when deciding on how to spend additional funding. Children are provided with new and exciting life experiences, as well as additional resources and increased staffing. This has a positive effect on children's learning experiences and increases their skills and knowledge.
• Staff have high expectations of children. During group activities, children are reminded, through visual prompts, of the importance of 'good looking', 'good listening' and 'good sitting' to ensure everyone's voice is heard. Staff discuss the importance of helping each other and being kind. However, on occasion, children are not supported to understand how their actions affect others, for example when they take toys off their friends.
• Children confidently manage their self-care independently. They know to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Children wipe their own noses and dispose of tissues before sanitising their hands. They pour their own drinks at mealtimes and use the visual prompts to remember what outdoor clothing to wear before going outside. This enables children to become increasingly independent in their self-care needs.
• Parents are very complimentary about the pre-school. They feel very involved and supported. Staff build excellent relationships with the whole family. Parents value the opportunities to attend the pre-school's outings, for example, to the theatre and trips to the library. They say that their children are making 'excellent' progress and particularly mention the amount of time children play and learn outside.
• The whole team is committed to reflecting and improving the quality of outcomes for children. Leaders have a good understanding of where staff need further support and training to ensure that the quality of education is high. Regular supervision sessions help to monitor staff's workload and well-being. Staff feel valued and appreciated.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on the behaviour management strategies that are already in place to further support children to understand how their behaviour can affect others.