Penguin Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and excited to start their day. They are greeted by the kind and friendly staff, who know them very well. Children are supported by the attentive staff, who swiftly help them to settle with ease. As a result, children develop self-confidence and are able to quickly find stimulating activities to settle into. Children feel safe, secure and valued. This is because of the noticeably strong bond between staff and children. Staff gently encourage children to be kind, caring and respectful. As a result, children are extremely well-mannered.

Children flourish at the pre-school. Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's learning and development. They complete comprehensive assessments and observations of what children know and can do, to determine their starting points. They use this information to plan for children's next steps in learning. Children benefit from challenging activities that are designed to help them think for themselves and to develop problem-solving skills. The curriculum is embedded consistently and securely throughout the provision. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make excellent progress.

Staff provide rich opportunities for children to learn about different cultures. For example, children enjoy making Caribbean fruit salad during visits from people in the local community, and they learn words related to different languages. Furthermore, they are introduced to musical instruments from different countries, such as bagpipes. These experiences help children to develop an understanding of and respect for diversity.

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

• Leaders and staff are passionate about the service that they provide. They offer an extremely ambitious curriculum for children. Staff tailor learning to children's interests and needs. Children learn through a meaningful and well-sequenced curriculum that is child led. For example, children's interest in a story about a lighthouse inspired staff to incorporate this interest into children's learning. This resulted in children creating a large-scale lighthouse with a working light. Children are fascinated and speak excitedly about what is being taught. As a result, children are confidently able to recap on previous learning.
• Leaders place great emphasis on professional development for all staff. This ensures that all staff are fully able to fulfil their roles and responsibilities and provide the highest quality care and education. Leaders ensure that staff are supported through regular appraisals. Staff are encouraged effectively to access training that they are interested in, such as mental health awareness training. Leaders ensure that staff feed their knowledge and understanding back to the team. This helps all staff to feel included and valued.
• The inspirational leadership team consistently reflects and evaluates to make improvements to the pre-school. Leaders include ideas and feedback from staff, parents and children in the changes they make. For example, they secured funding to improve the outdoor space and make it more accessible to children in all weathers. Furthermore, leaders visit other settings for ideas to enhance the provision. For instance, they have developed a problem-solving room. This encourages children to experiment with new ideas for play.
• The special educational needs coordinator provides excellent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She is highly experienced and passionate about improving outcomes for all children. She quickly identifies children who require extra support and makes swift referrals. She works alongside staff, parents and other professionals. Furthermore, all staff have received training to support children with SEND. They use Makaton signing and visual aids to further support all children to access the curriculum.
• Children's behaviour is impeccable. This is because staff have high expectations and securely embedded routines. As a result, all children know what is expected of them. They immediately respond to instructions; for example, during adult-led activities, children show respectful behaviour, such as listening, taking turns and helping their peers.
• Leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to working in partnership with parents. The pre-school provides care and education for children of armed forces and civilian families. Staff provide 'comfort boxes' to support children and families, such as when a parent is deployed. Parents highly praise the dedicated and supportive staff. They comment that children are 'thriving'.
• Children develop an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles. Staff provide healthy food options during the snack routine, such as a variety of fresh fruit. Furthermore, staff organise visits from local charities to teach children about good oral health. This supports their good physical development.
• Staff support children very well to develop independence skills. For example, during an adult-led activity, staff support children to develop mathematical knowledge of measurement. Children measure and mix ingredients to make their own dough. They confidently experiment with food colouring to change the colour of the dough.