Pavilion Pirates Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the pre-school happy and ready to enter. They demonstrate confidence; they are eager and excited to learn. Children are curious about visitors to the pre-school and happily approach them. Children are welcomed by caring, attentive and nurturing staff. The curriculum offers a range of exciting learning opportunities that children enjoy and is planned around their interests and developing needs. There is a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language.

Children have close relationships with staff. They feel safe and secure to explore their environment. Children develop good physical skills as they eagerly investigate the activities provided outdoors. They relish their time in the garden as they negotiate space or ramps on bicycles and scooters. They learn how to take safe risks and enjoy the challenge on the swing rope. They develop their imagination decorating stones or digging in the soil. They work together to make obstacle courses using a range of resources. Overall, children are well supported by staff who engage in meaningful conversations and provide a running commentary as they play. Children play harmoniously together. They understand what is expected of them in terms of behaviour. This means the atmosphere is extremely calm and routines run exceptionally smoothly.

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

• Staff have a clear intent of that they want children to learn, which is effectively shared across the team. The pre-school is fully inclusive, and all children make good progress, including those in receipt of additional funding. Staff effectively use additional funding to close any gaps and to enhance the children's experiences and learning. For example, children are able to attend additional weekly story and acting sessions, called 'Debutots'. This enhances children's imagination and storytelling skills.
• The pre-school effectively supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The experienced special educational needs coordinator works with the local authority and other services to ensure that children get the best possible care and support. As a result, children with SEND make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff know the children well and identified that some children needed more support to develop their communication and language skills. Targeted 'Busy Bee' groups provide timely support and intervention to close any emerging gaps in their learning. For example, staff use Makaton sign language, songs and simple words or phrases to enhance children's communication skills.
• Children demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning experiences. Staff ask relevant questions to encourage children's thinking. However, on occasion, staff are very enthusiastic and keen to answer for the children and do not always give children enough time to respond.
• Children behave exceptionally well. They display excellent manners and are kind and considerate towards one another. Children know the routines very well. For example, when staff dim the lights, they know what this means and eagerly stop and help to tidy up.
• Children thoroughly enjoy experiences that support them to develop physically. Staff arrange a wide range of activities. For example, children delight when cutting vegetables for a printing activity. They enjoy chalking, handling various tools, pens and pencils for mark making. These range of activities help to develop children's muscle strength and fine motor skills.
• Parents speak positively of the pre-school and the progress that their children have made. They feel that they are communicated with well, and they know what their children are working on next. Parents receive regular updates from staff, including from an online programme, where they can share information about events and learning at home. Parents say that the children enjoy the additional activities, such as the local community visits, 'Debutots' and a visiting farm.
• Overall, the leadership team is strong and has a clear vision and processes in place to support the staff team. They focus highly on staff's professional development and well-being, and supervise them well. Staff feel well supported and have regular discussions about their key children, and about their roles and responsibilities. However, leaders have not yet embedded their staff processes to establish support for raising the quality of education to an even higher level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend the good strategies used for questioning children, to develop the consistency of staff interactions and further support children's thinking skills
• build on the good systems for staff support, to further develop their skills, enrich the practice and raise the quality of education to an even higher level.