Owlets Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and they thrive in this welcoming pre-school. They settle down quickly on arrival and adapt to their environment. The children say goodbye to their parents at the main entrance and confidently start to explore the variety of activities on offer. Children have caring and affectionate relationships with staff. They feel safe and secure, and have lovely interactions with each other. For example, children encourage others to join in their games, and give hugs during playtimes.

Children enjoy playing outside. They have access to a wide range of activities that support their physical development. Children play in the playhouse, on the bicycles, and build with large construction blocks. Staff plan interesting and engaging activities for the children. For instance, when the children learn about dental hygiene, they are provided with sets of large teeth to clean, toothbrushes, appointment cards, and other dental tools to check for cavities. Staff introduce a variety of new words to support children's growing vocabulary, such as 'smooth', 'sticky' and 'cold'.

Children behave well. Staff are consistent and gently remind the children about behavioural expectations. Staff use regular praise for the children's efforts and achievements. This helps children to build good levels of self-esteem.

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

• Staff work very hard. They have made the large room feel more homely by creating small spaces for children to explore. They focus on what children can do and identify the areas that they need to develop further. Staff follow children's interests, which they find works best to engage the children. Staff are motivated and interact well with children. They listen attentively to children, which helps them to feel valued.
• The manager is very enthusiastic and leads her staff team well. She maintains an overview of training and encourages her staff to apply for a range of courses. Staff receive regular supervisions, which allow the manager to give feedback on the quality of their work. Staff regularly have team meetings where they can reflect on what is working well and identify areas to improve.
• Staff have a clear vision for encouraging children's independence and healthy lifestyle. They provide children with plentiful opportunities to practise these skills. For example, older children wash their hands, pour their drinks and serve themselves. Additionally, staff provide children with various experiences to develop their knowledge of healthy eating at mealtimes. Children also benefit from real-life experiences of nature. For example, they grow vegetables in the planting area and observe how they grow.
• The reflective management team understands the importance of continual professional development. Views of parents and children are gathered to help to inform areas that can be adapted and changed. Areas for improvement are identified and training sought. For example, staff view webinars and access online training to continually improve their knowledge.
• Staff promote and reflect diversity through well-organised activities and events that involve children and their families. They find out key words and phrases to support communication with parents and children who speak English as an additional language.
• The key-person system is effective, and staff get to know each child well to ensure that their needs are met. Children's health and well-being are fostered well. Staff match routines to those at home and carry out appropriate procedures if children are unwell. Parents are encouraged to provide a variety of nutritious foods for children who bring a packed lunch.
• Children join in with parts of the daily routines with confidence. However, some group times become a little chaotic, with no engagement from the children. For example, during story and song time, children become distracted by the toys around them. As a result, they spend their time climbing and banging toys. This means that during this time, children do not benefit from meaningful learning opportunities.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents express how settled their children are. They feel that the communication is clear and the team provides a personal touch to the care that they provide to children. Staff regularly share information with parents about their children's development and the experiences that they have had during the day.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of group times to ensure that all children remain engaged and supported.