Old Bexley Village Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and content in the safe and welcoming environment. They clearly enjoy being at the pre-school in the company of their peers. Children build strong relationships with staff. Staff understand children's needs, likes and dislikes and consider these when planning the curriculum. Children are eager to learn and explore the activities that staff provide.

Staff place a high emphasis on supporting children's independence. Younger children are supported to learn how to do things for themselves. For example, they find their name card on the table as they arrive and stick it to the board. Children are confident to make choices about their play and to express their wants and needs. Staff offer children lots of praise and encouragement, which motivates children to keep trying, for instance to pour their milk or water. This helps to boost children's self-esteem and promotes a 'can-do' attitude to their learning.

Children of all ages demonstrate a love of books and reading. They independently select books from the varied range that staff provide. Older children show great care and dexterity as they turn pages one at a time, pausing to look at pictures that interest them. Staff read to children who wish to listen to stories. They talk about the pictures and ask questions to engage children and develop their understanding and communication skills. Staff are positive role models. For example, when children struggle to regulate their behaviour, staff are quick to intervene and support them. Children learn to take turns and share with their friends. This supports children to behave well.

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

• Staff at the pre-school feel very well supported. They benefit from regular supervision sessions that prioritise their well-being and ongoing professional development. The manager and staff carefully consider where they can improve. For example, they have plans to develop the garden to give children more opportunity to explore nature and enhance their physical skills. The manager and staff use opportunities to debrief and evaluate the activities and children's learning at the end of each session. This helps to promote staff's practice and their continuous professional development.
• The manager and staff know children extremely well. Children benefit from a well-organised learning environment. Staff provide a curriculum that focuses on children's needs and interests. As a result, children eagerly join in their play and are very engaged in their learning. All children make good progress from their starting points in development.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength of the pre-school. The manager and staff form secure relationships and support children and their families very well.
• Staff share details with parents about their child's day. They provide information to help parents to support their children's learning at home. Parents share that they are happy with the quality of care and support that staff provide.
• The manager, who is also the special educational needs coordinator, works closely with parents to support children's needs. They carefully plan targeted support for children, which they implement well. For example, staff use special cushions to aid children when sitting on the floor. They use visual routines and signing to support children with their speech and language. However, the manager has not developed partnerships with other professionals to enhance the good progress of children with additional needs.
• There is a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language. Staff have lots of conversations with children as they play and introduce different vocabulary. For example, they introduce the names of animals and their sounds, saying 'pigs grunt' and 'ducks quack'. Staff talk about what children are doing and ask questions to encourage their thinking and ability to express their views.
• Children enjoy being active as they join in physical activities indoors. For instance, they enjoy pretending to move about like different animals in the story. Staff provide children with nutritious snacks, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, milk and water. Staff talk to children about brushing their teeth, such as before coming to pre-school and before bedtime, which encourages good dental hygiene. However, occasionally, staff do not ensure that each child has clean water to wash their hands after messy play such as painting. Instead, a few children wash their hands in a bowl of soapy water before it is changed. This does not provide consistency in enhancing children's good understanding of their health and well-being.
• The manager and staff are very organised. They make all relevant documentation available, which supports the smooth operation of the pre-school and children's safety.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen partnerships with external professionals to further enhance support for children with additional needs
• review the systems for children washing their hands after completing a messy activity, to further promote children's understanding of their health and well-being.