Playaway Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a caring and nurturing environment. They greet children warmly on arrival at the setting and take time to listen to what the children are eager to tell them. Staff provide a wide range of activities that captivates children's interests. Children settle quickly and swiftly engage in their play alongside their peers. For example, they show pride in their achievements as they manipulate dough into different shapes. They are creative, attentive and show good control as they practise new skills, such as how to use scissors. This helps to develop their small hand muscles in preparation for their future writing. Children show kindness and consideration to others. They listen to the ideas of their friends as they discuss the models they are making.

Children know their routines well. They come together for group time and confidently engage in discussions. They tidy up toys before their lunch and independently put on their own coats ready for outdoor play.

Children benefit from plenty of opportunities to be physically active. They access the garden throughout each day, and thoroughly enjoy climbing and balancing over play equipment. Children explore different textures with interest and are encouraged by staff to talk about how these feel. This helps to build on their growing vocabulary and language skills.

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

• The dedicated manager and her enthusiastic staff team have worked hard and made significant improvement since the last inspection. The curriculum places a high priority on developing children's communication and language skills. Staff model new words and ask children questions to test their understanding and to develop conversations. Children thoroughly enjoy looking at books with staff. They confidently recall stories, the characters and the adventures they get up to.
• The manager supports her staff team well. She is kind, sensitive and very attuned to their well-being and professional development needs. She uses supervision and monitoring to support staff practice and offers them continual training. Staff describe how they work well together as a team, and how they benefit from working closely with the manager.
• Staff build strong relationships with parents. They offer them home visits, which helps them get to know families and children as unique individuals. They gather detailed information on children's existing abilities and on their care and welfare needs, and use this data to help form initial assessments. Parents say that they are very happy with the good level of communication they receive daily. They appreciate the detailed information staff provide on their child's on-going development and the tips for supporting learning at home.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They monitor children's progress closely and have developed close partnerships with other professionals to help ensure that children receive the support they need.
• Staff make regular observations and assessments of children's abilities and have a good understanding of what children know and can do. However, some staff do not use each child's individual assessment information to plan precisely and consistently focus teaching on what children need to learn next.
• Staff manage children's behaviour well. They are patient, speak calmly and ensure that children have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Staff spend time teaching children how to express and manage their feelings.
• Children have good opportunities to learn about the similarities and differences in people. For example, they celebrate and learn about religions, cultures and family backgrounds that are different to their own.
• Staff promote children's good health well, overall. For example, children benefit from nutritious snacks each day and know that eating healthy food will help them to grow 'big and strong'. Staff engage children in discussion about foods that are good for teeth and those that may lead to tooth decay. Children follow instructions and know to wash their hands before eating. However, staff do not consistently remind children about the importance of preventing cross-contamination when they cough.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use information from assessment to precisely plan and target teaching on what children need to learn next
• continue to build on children's understanding of how to manage their personal hygiene needs.