Oak Farm Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The staff know children well and are pleased to see them as they arrive. Children settle quickly and engage in their chosen activity. They move around with pleasure and confidence. The staff are friendly and share warm interactions with the children throughout the day. This helps them feel safe and have a sense of belonging. Children respond to the staff and follow their directions well. For example, they all sing together as they tidy toys away. Staff praise children's teamwork as they work together to safely move a table to the side of the room. This gives them a sense of achievement and pride in what they do.

Staff effectively support the children to be creative and use their imaginations. For instance, while playing outside, children mix water and mud together in large bowls. The staff encourage the children to explore the texture, and they discuss what it looks and feels like. The children and staff decide to make dinner. They talk about the different foods they are making, such as pasta and soup. Staff are actively engrossed in the children's imaginative play and wallow in their role play experience with them. This encourages the children to become expressive and builds their confidence as they make believe by pretending.

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

• Leadership and management are effective. Managers are committed to delivering positive outcomes for the children and their families. They ensure staff receive the coaching and training they need to successfully carry out their roles and responsibilities. Staff speak encouragingly about the support they receive. They express that they are inspired to pursue training that enhances their professional growth. This benefits the care and education that the children receive.
• Staff effectively support children's communication and language skills. Their interactions are purposeful and rich with information. The staff read to the children with enthusiasm. This captures their attention, and they listen attentively to what the staff say and repeat words and phrases back to them. Staff regularly check the children's understanding by asking appropriate questions. This supports the children to make connections between their thoughts and information they have been told.
• Managers and staff know children well and understand what it is they want them to learn. The intentions for the children's learning are well sequenced and build on what children already know. Children have access to a well-balanced curriculum that considers all seven areas of learning. As a focus of their curriculum, staff teach children good manners and to be kind to one another. Children feel safe and secure in their environment and their personal social and emotional development is supported well.
• The support in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. Staff work collaboratively with parents and outside agencies to put in place targeted support for children's learning. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is passionate about providing positive outcomes for children and seeks to continually improve in her role. Consequently, children make good progress from their starting points, alongside their friends.
• Staff embrace the children's individual interests and plan activities that they know the children will enjoy and that enhance the curriculum. Most children become deeply engaged and focused while they learn. However, not all planned activities reflect the youngest children's needs for their age and stage of development. As a result, they sometimes become distracted and move away. This does not fully support their learning and development.
• Staff ensure children can play and investigate in a safe environment. They encourage children to understand how to keep themselves safe by teaching safety protocols. For instance, staff encourage conversations about being careful using scissors. Children demonstrate their understanding by showing staff how they have been taught to hold scissors if they move around. They hold them face down with the palms wrapped around the closed scissors. Staff praise their safety skills and thinking. Children are developing strong foundations and awareness when identifying dangers and minimising risks.
• All staff value parental partnerships. They have effective systems in place to ensure that parents are well-informed and up to date with the progress their children make.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the planning of group activities to reflect the needs of those taking part more precisely.