Parkhall Pre-School Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

When children arrive at the setting, they hang up their coats and bags and confidently wave goodbye to their parents. Friendly and welcoming staff are close by to provide encouragement and support for children as needed. Children who speak English as an additional language are welcomed in their home language, using pre-recorded messages. Staff provide dual-language books and a talking pen to share stories together. Staff plan activities to celebrate children's religions. All children learn about a range of cultures and the similarities and differences between them.

Children are excited to join in activities. They fully immerse themselves in their learning. Staff extend children's knowledge by asking open-ended questions, such as 'What could we use?' and 'How do you think we could join it up?' This encourages children to think for themselves and they learn the 'how' and 'why' to questions. Children listen carefully to the staff and follow simple instructions. When staff open the garden door, they sing a short rhyme to gain children's attention. Children stop what they are doing and listen carefully to the staff member, demonstrating how they can follow the rules and expectations at the setting.

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

• There is a robust key-person system, which supports the curriculum from the beginning of a child's journey at the setting. Families are allocated a key person, who conducts a home visit before children start. This gives families the opportunity to develop relationships, and the key person gains a useful insight into children's home lives. They gather important information about children and arrange settling-in visits. Families are given the flexibility of gradual starts, which promotes children's emotional well-being.
• Staff provide activities that encourage children's fine motor skills. They have a good knowledge of child development and understand the importance of strengthening fine motor movements. Children enjoy participating in a creative activity. Staff encourage children to concentrate on the process of cutting, threading and using a range of tools. However, they do not always adapt activities to make them more accessible to younger or less-able children. Therefore, at times, some children are unable to access important learning opportunities.
• Staff provide clear boundaries and expectations. When children sometimes forget, staff gently remind them, supporting each child individually and explaining the reason why the setting has that rule. For example, when children run indoors, staff talk to them about walking and explain how this keeps them safe at pre-school.
• Mealtimes are used as an excellent learning opportunity for all children. They learn to be independent, cutting fruit, opening packets and clearing away. Staff also use the opportunity to talk to children about healthy eating. All children contribute to the conversation, sharing the healthy foods they have in their lunch boxes. At snack time, children recall past learning experiences. They remind their peers that the reason they must cut their grapes in half is to keep them safe.
• Staff provide specific learning opportunities for developing children's language. They often work in small groups to give children more support. However, when implementing these activities, staff do not always provide a quiet area where children can fully concentrate. Children can become distracted and struggle to hear each other. Therefore, they do not always get the most out of each learning opportunity.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Staff have high expectations, and children make excellent progress. For instance, children's social skills develop quickly and staff work closely with children towards small and achievable targets. There is exceptional support in place for children and families, and staff work closely with parents to ensure children are happy.
• Leaders work together to recruit new staff safely when needed. They follow a robust induction programme and they continue to monitor staff development through ongoing supervisions. The manager provides training tailored to staff's needs and there are regular team meetings. Together these practices provide all staff with ongoing support and encourage reflective practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to monitor and adapt activities for different ages and abilities to ensure all children can make the best possible progress
• create a quiet space for children to have time away from the busy learning environment to allow them to focus with less distractions.