Phoenix Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are eager and happy to come into the pre-school. Staff know all children's likes and dislikes very well. They create a safe environment that captures children's interests. Children enjoy playing cooperatively with their friends. They choose their own activities and play well together. For example, they set up a 'princess castle' and concentrate for long periods as staff support their play by adding props and characters to the castle. This leads to the development of imaginative play.

Staff implement an ambitious curriculum that supports all children to make good progress. Staff make learning exciting for children. For example, children develop their hand-eye coordination by taking part in a threading activity. Staff deliberately mix up the colours and playfully ask children to help with sorting the colours. Children are keen to do so and begin sorting the coloured objects. Staff ensure that children who need additional support are provided with extra help during activities and routines.

The pre-school is inclusive. Family members are invited in for stay-and-play sessions and children enjoy showing them different activities and their environment. Family members are impressed to see what the children learn to do at nursery and talk to the children about what they enjoy doing the most. Children are keen to share their pre-school experiences with their families and are proud when they receive praise and encouragement.

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

• Leaders prioritise developing children's understanding of healthy eating and oral hygiene. Staff interact well with children during dental role play. Children practise brushing model teeth and learn about oral health. Staff talk to children about healthy foods and those foods that they should limit. The curriculum plans are shared with parents. This ensures that children receive consistent messages about keeping healthy.
• Children develop an appreciation for books at the pre-school. Children read for pleasure. They select books of interest and take them to staff, who read to them. At times, staff carefully select stories that develop children's core understanding of themes. For example, children use props to retell the story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. Children plant seeds and learn about where food comes from.
• Staff have established good routines, which children confidently follow. At snack times, children follow good hygiene routines. They self-serve their food and pour their own milk or water, with little support. Staff supervise children well and are quick to support reluctant eaters. Staff praise and encourage children to develop their independence with self-care routines.
• Staff know the children well and plan for their next steps. However, on occasions, some children play solitarily and staff do not invite or encourage them to engage in purposeful play. When children do seek interactions with staff, some staff do not always fully extend children's learning. For example, staff sometimes use single words and do not develop meaningful conversations or children's understanding.
• Parents praise staff and leaders for their support. Parents are happy with the progress that their children make. They say that children are well prepared for school, and describe how well the staff support parents with narrowing any gaps in their children's development. Parents find all staff approachable and caring. Parent partnership is strong.
• The manager reflects on practice and works hard to make improvements. She listens to feedback from staff and parents. She supports children who speak English as an additional language well. She models the use of picture cards and objects for reference, for those children who are developing their use of single words in English. Consequently, children make good progress.
• Staff support children to know and understand the pre-school rules and to think about the consequences of their actions and behaviours. Staff are quick to respond to children when they are upset. Staff notice conflict and give solutions to resolve conflict. However, they do not allow children the time to independently practise their own conflict-resolution skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use strategies to effectively support every child's engagement in play so they all benefit from purposeful interactions
• develop staff's understanding of how to help children to resolve conflict more independently.