Paston Fundays Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff warmly greet each child into the pre-school. They ask how children are feeling and provide good support to children who may be slightly unsettled. Staff's warm and caring approach helps children to settle quickly, and they eagerly explore their chosen activity. Staff work hard to create a friendly and homely setting that provides good support for children and their families. A feelings board has been introduced to help children who find it difficult to express their emotions to identify, understand and respond to the feelings they have. Children play calmly and show good focus and attention as they play. Staff help children to learn how to show kindness towards others. Children are learning to share and take turns.

Staff provide children with a range of activities that promote the use of their senses and helps to begin the development of their creative thoughts and development over time. In role play, children chop and peel real fruit and vegetables, they play with everyday household objects, such as spatulas and cups. Spices are added to dough and children explore tea bags and coffee granules mixed with water. They pour drinks from teapots to serve to staff and their friends. These types of activities also help to develop children's fine motor skills and hand muscles in preparation for being able to use and hold writing materials confidently in school.

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

• Leaders consistently think about how they can best support children and families in the pre-school. They give high regard to children's backgrounds and family lives and the individual support they might need. Leaders help parents access a range of resources in the community and invite them to regular stay-and-play sessions, which help them to support their children's learning, both in the pre-school and at home. Parents speak highly of the setting and the care their children receive.
• Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of their aims for children's development before starting school. They want to give children the best start in life. Staff create an environment that gives children access to a broad range of play and learning opportunities, both indoors and outdoors, that motivate them to learn. Staff take children out into the community and city centre. For example, they visit the museum for literacy focused play activities.
• Leaders provide good support to the staff team. They utilise their team's strengths well and recognise where additional support is needed. Staff morale is good, and they say they feel well supported in their role. An ongoing programme of professional development opportunities continually helps staff to build their skills. Currently, there is a strong focus on staff's communication with children, as on occasions some staff do not demonstrate enough ambition to help children build good communication and language skills and opportunities to extend learning are missed.
• Staff help children to become independent and learn vital skills for later life. At snack time, children spread butter on toast and clear away the cup and plate they have been using. They attempt to dress themselves for outdoor play and hang their belongings on a peg when they arrive. Staff teach children how to use and carefully handle breakable items, such as cups and teapots. They learn how to safely chop vegetables.
• There is a strong focus on literacy and promoting early reading within the pre-school and home through schemes, such as a lending library for the parents, siblings and the children who attend. Staff carefully weave core stories into activities, such as discussing and creating models of dinosaurs from the current book, when playing with dough. Staff read regularly to children both as a group and individually, which helps to foster a love of books.
• The pre-school has clear systems in place to recognise and meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff strive to provide a learning environment that consistently meets their needs and helps them to make good progress. Positive relationships are in place with parents and other professionals to ensure that identified learning targets are consistently implemented.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend existing systems for the monitoring of staff performance to continue to strengthen and improve on teaching skills that especially help to further develop children's communication and language.