Page Park Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Warm, friendly and nurturing staff welcome the children into this stimulating play environment. They endeavour to build strong connections with the children and families in their care. Children enter happy and ready to learn. They seek out the staff and show them things they have found or brought in from home. Children show they feel safe and secure. They seek out their friends and feel confident talking to staff and visitors.

The Staff have clear expectations for children's learning. They focus on strengthening children's communication and language skills and promoting children's independence. This helps children develop the skills needed for later life. Staff introduce new vocabulary and ensure children understand their meaning. They repeat words back to the children using the correct pronunciation. Staff use hand gestures and visual aids to support those children learning to speak English as an additional language. They interact with the children at their level and listen to the children's thoughts and ideas, which helps build their confidence in communicating with others.

Staff encourage the children to do things for themselves. Children have access to a breakfast station from which they can serve themselves. They pour their milk and clear away their bowls once they have finished. Staff break down tasks into small stages. For example, Staff will help children place their feet in a shoe but may get them to do up the Velcro straps. This helps children develop a can-do attitude and a willingness to give things a go.

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

• Children develop strong social skills which enables them to develop close friendships. Staff support the children to resolve any minor conflicts that arise. They encourage the children to wait their turn and to use their manners. Staff support the children to communicate their feelings, wants and needs. They ensure the children understand the impact their actions can have on others.
• The staff team have created an effective curriculum. They plan activities based on children's interests and their next stages of learning. Staff follow the children's lead and allow them to make choices about what they want to learn. They engage with the children during their play to extend their knowledge past what they already know. All children make clear progress from their starting points.
• Children enjoy making play dough. They discuss inconsistencies in their dough mixtures and share ideas on how to resolve the problem. The children strengthen their hand muscles as they squeeze and mould the dough into their creations. They proudly show off what they have made to staff and peers.
• The staff welcome the changes the new management team have implemented and the support they have received. They attend regular meetings to discuss key issues and improvements. Staff feel that their ideas are taken on board, the small team work well together which provides a positive working environment.
• The highly dedicated staff know their children well. They get to know the children's interests, their family dynamics, and any struggles they might have. Staff provide earlier starts for those children receiving funding or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). During this time, Staff conduct small, quiet group activities to support these children's individual needs. Staff are proud of the children's achievements and progress over the years. They can identify if a child is behind and seek support from outside agencies. This ensures all their children get the best possible start in life.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Staff collaborate closely with parents to ensure a consistent approach to learning. They provide the parents with activity packs with ideas on how to support learning at home. Staff offer a wide range of support and advice to parents on key development milestones, such as potty training. Parents praise the knowledgeable staff team. They receive detailed feedback on their child's progress and development. Parents state the preschool is welcoming and is like a community. Their children talk about all the fun things they have done and are always excited to go back. This creates a trusting relationship between parents and staff.
• Overall children show kindness towards one another and behave well. Staff work with the children to identify the rules and boundaries of the setting. They have these on display for the children to see. However, these reinforcements are not consistent. During transition times, children become excited and run between tables or to the toilet. Staff, at times, do not remind children to use their 'walking feet', which results in children falling over.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to reinforce the rules and boundaries of the setting consistently so that children learn to how to be safe.