Pembury Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a positive and caring environment, where children enjoy learning and playing. They support children to develop strong bonds with their peers and the adults in the nursery. Staff teach children strategies to manage different emotions well. This supports children's emotional well-being effectively. Staff interact warmly with children. For example, they are caring and gentle towards children during nappy changes. Staff hold discussions with children, talk about their learning and sing songs with them. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

Staff ensure that they spend time with children to get to know them well. They plan stimulating activities based on children's interests and next steps in learning. This supports children to develop engagement in their play and access the curriculum on offer well. Staff clarify their expectations and gently remind children of the rules. Overall, children behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning.

All children, including those who may need additional support with their learning and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are supported well and achieve positive outcomes. Staff ensure that they use early years pupil premium funding effectively. For example, they have purchased resources to specifically support children from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop their language and communication skills. Regular access to this intervention has supported children to meet their targets effectively.

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

• Staff regularly observe and monitor children's progress. This helps them to identify any gaps in children's learning quickly. Overall, the curriculum is well sequenced.
• Staff plan lots of opportunities for children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to develop their vocabulary and language. Children sing familiar songs and listen to stories. Staff plan activities specific to children's individual stage of development and consider their interests well.
• Staff support children to develop a love of reading. During story time, they encourage children to take part and ask them questions about the story. Staff give children good opportunities to engage and speak in small groups. However, at times, staff do not fully encourage children's listening skills. For example, on occasion, the noise levels in the classroom are high and children participating in quieter activities are distracted from their learning.
• Generally, staff interact well with children. They make good use of eye contact and position themselves to be at children's height when speaking to them. They ask children questions to check their understanding. However, some staff are not always consistent with their questioning techniques. At times, they do not always ask effective questions to allow children to build on their learning further.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents talk positively about the nursery and the progress their children make. Staff keep parents updated about their children's learning and development by giving daily feedback and through the nursery's online app.
• Staff speak highly about leaders and the support they receive from them. They are appreciative of the opportunities that leaders provide for them to access further training to improve their professional development. This has a positive impact on outcomes for children.
• Staff plan learning experiences, such as trips to the seaside and local farm. They use these visits to support children to learn about different transport modes and develop their understanding of the world around them.
• Staff plan a wide array of activities to support children to practise their developing physical skills, such as climbing onto the rocking horse safely and kicking balls back and forth. This supports children to develop their core muscle and coordination skills well.
• Staff support children to develop an understanding of the importance of recycling. They encourage children, through daily routines such as tidy-up time, to recycle paper instead of throwing it in the bin. This helps children to develop a sense of responsibility in regard to taking care of the environment.
• Children develop their early mathematical skills well. Staff use their knowledge of children to support them to build on their prior learning. For instance, staff extend children's understanding of mathematical concepts, such as language related to measure, when they make their own play dough.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• encourage children to develop their listening skills further
• support staff to use effective questioning techniques to give children the opportunity to build on their learning further.