Playdays Preschool 6

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive exceptional care and support, so they thrive and flourish at pre-school. Staff are highly attuned to the needs of all children and work hard to provide an exciting and stimulating curriculum for them. Information collected from parents when children start pre-school means any gaps in children's learning are quickly identified and appropriate support is put in place.

Children's behaviour is exemplary, and they are wonderfully respectful of each other. Children make friends and learn new skills in a calm and well-managed environment. Staff consistently and skillfully help children to understand and name their feelings, building their emotional confidence. Children show deep levels of engagement in their play, which develops their interests and ignites their creativity and imagination.

Across the pre-school, the quality of teaching and learning is excellent, so children make rapid progress in their learning and development. Books, rhymes and stories are expertly woven into the environment by staff throughout the day. This helps children to develop their language and communication and expand their vocabulary. For children who are not yet speaking, staff use signs alongside words to support their language development.

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

• Managers and their team work closely with professionals in the community to ensure all children receive the support they need. They have a strong vision for the pre-school, so every child's uniqueness is nurtured. Staff ensure all children receive excellent care to help them feel respected and supported and to achieve their full potential. This boosts children's self-esteem and confidence.
• Staff in the pre-school place a very strong focus on children learning about and developing healthy lifestyles. Children learn about the importance of toothbrushing and eating fruit and vegetables to keep healthy. Staff use music and movement sessions to help children observe the effect of activity on their bodies.
• Staff-led activities are planned and implemented extremely well. They create awe and wonder for children as they anticipate what may happen next. Children watch with great excitement as the lights are dimmed and they see a light from a torch emerge. Staff ask them about what might be happening, sparking their curiosity about how things work, and they learn how to operate simple equipment.
• Children are superbly supported to develop their self-help and independence at every opportunity. They use the toilet independently and know that they need to wash their hands before eating. With support and encouragement, children wash their plates and cups after snack time and tidy away resources after they have finished using them. This helps children to develop life-long self-care habits.
• Leaders act with integrity and are extremely committed to ensuring children with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve the best possible outcomes. Assessment is highly effective. Staff work sensitively with parents and carers to plan next steps, with support from external agencies requested in a timely manner. The pre-school staff use funding appropriately to put in early support for children. For example, additional resources are added to the garden to develop children's gross motor skills.
• Children form delightful relationships with each other. They talk to each other with confidence, exploring new ideas and spending extended periods playing together. Staff expertly help children regulate their emotions and develop problem-solving skills. Children demonstrate a very secure awareness of their own feelings and accept the needs of others.
• Staff work with parents sensitively to know more about children's life stories. They learn basic words in different languages and welcome parents into the pre-school to read books in their home languages and talk about cultural and religious celebrations. Staff celebrate similarities and differences with children so they learn more about the diverse community and city in which they live.
• Parents praise the pre-school highly and appreciate the care staff provide for their children. They value the swift and effective support staff put in place and share that their children make excellent progress here. They use the strategies staff share with them at home to help develop their children's communication and language.