Parkview Lodge Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children engage in enjoyable activities at this warm and welcoming nursery. They have good opportunities to explore, experiment and use their senses as they play and learn. For instance, children are eager to join in and carve a pumpkin. Older children are supported well by staff to use the cutters to make shapes in the pumpkin. Younger children scoop out the inside and talk about how it smells and feels.

Children have developed close, loving relationships with staff. This is evident in how children smile and talk to staff. Children arrive happy and ready to play and learn. They show that they feel safe, secure and happy. Strong settling-in procedures are shaped to meet each child's individual needs. Staff get to know families well and build strong lasting bonds with parents. The manager and her staff are very proud of their setting. They are passionate about the work they do. Staff have high expectations for all children who attend.

Children are well prepared for the next steps in their learning. They show good perseverance in activities, are independent in their self-care and can sit and listen well in a group. Good behaviour is well supported by staff. Strategies, such as good explanations in a kind gentle voice, help younger children to take turns with resources. Children receive meaningful praise for their achievements, which helps to continually foster their self-esteem.

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

• The manager and staff team deliver a thoughtful, targeted curriculum to all children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children are generally engaged and excited to learn.
• Children are encouraged to be independent. Older children use the bathroom by themselves and follow daily routines well. However, at times, staff are too quick to complete tasks for younger children.
• The manager and staff team work very well together. They share a positive and reflective approach to their work, and they know the children well. Staff are effective in planning activities to help children build on what they already know and make progress towards their next steps in learning. Staff help children to learn through consistently positive interactions. They encourage children to keep trying when they find tasks challenging.
• Staff promote children's developing communication and language skills well. They speak simply and clearly to two-year-old children and new children so they can understand what is expected of them and get to know the pre-school routine. Staff use questions effectively to help children think about how they can extend their own play, and they give children time to think about what they want to say. Children have plenty of opportunities to share their ideas and news as natural and relaxed conversations between staff and children take place throughout the day.
• The manager and staff work closely with parents to ensure that children are emotionally secure and settled. Parents report that staff are kind and considerate. They describe the pre-school as a 'family'. This helps children to feel safe and secure at the pre-school.
• Children have free-flow access to the outside space at all times. They enjoy climbing on the large play equipment and using footballs and wheeled vehicles. These activities support children's large-muscle skills well. However, the garden is mainly focused on entertainment and does not link firmly enough to the curriculum and what staff want children to learn.
• Children benefit from many opportunities to develop their technology skills. For example, they use a camera to record an activity and ask their friends to pose for the photo. They are keen to get a good shot and look through the viewfinder and repeat the photo until they are happy with their shot.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to support younger children's independence skills by giving them more opportunities to do things for themselves
• ensure that the outside space supports children's learning and development to the highest level.