Playdays Preschool @ St James, Collier Row

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children and parents as they arrive at this warm and friendly pre-school. Children start their day off well as staff encourage them to hang up their coats and bags independently. Staff plan and organise an ambitious curriculum ready for children to play and learn. Staff build strong and caring relationships to help increase children's confidence and self-esteem. Children demonstrate positive behaviour and are respectful towards each other and staff. All children are motivated and supported to learn, including those that require additional support.

Children enjoy their time in the large, spacious and exciting garden. They explore nature as they feel the textures of the grass and flowers. They stamp their feet as they experiment walking around the muddy parts of the outdoor space. Children look in awe at the large trees and ask staff questions about the trees. All of this supports children to express their thoughts and ideas as they communicate through talking. Children run around and move in different directions with great speed, all of which helps to further develop their physical skills. Children socialise with each other as they engage in building activities with large bricks. They navigate the space around them and negotiate amongst themselves how to stack the bricks.

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

• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. Any additional funding is used to further support children, for example the purchase of new resources aimed at helping to increase children's all round development. Staff liaise with other professionals from the start, ensuring that children receive the help that they need. Staff always ensure parents are involved with decisions about their child. Staff implement learning plans for children that are tailored to meet their individual needs. All children make good progress from their starting points.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff keep parents updated about their child's development through daily discussions and a messaging app. Parents are encouraged to support their child's learning at home. For example, children take bags home containing educational activities.
• Staff support children's communication and language development well. For example, they use different ways to help children express their thoughts and ideas, such as by using visual cards and sign language.
• Engagement between staff and children is good. Staff know the children well and understand where they are with their development levels. However, at times, staff do not use their interactions with children to challenge them further and extend their learning.
• The staff team works well together and its morale is high. Staff are offered opportunities to develop their practice, for example through training. Staff are developing their understanding of working with children who require additional help. Staff attend regular team meetings and supervisions, which help to build their skills, and they are able to discuss any issues that they may have.
• Staff read to children during group sessions on the carpet. Children respond to questions about the weather and about what day of the week it is. They discuss the red and green rules on behaviour and caring for others, all of which helps to support children's understanding of the world, their growing vocabulary and emotional well-being.
• Children enjoy creative activities. For example, staff encourage them to use their imagination and fine motor skills to draw flowers. This helps support children to develop their hand-eye coordination.
• Staff make use of the large hall that children play in to organise a wide range of learning opportunities across the areas of learning. Staff are mindful that after each day they have to pack everything away. Children move freely across the hall and decide on their own play.
• Staff support children to act out what they know. Children play in small groups in the pretend home area, all of which supports their social and emotional skills as they share and take turns.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to make the most of opportunities when interacting with children to help challenge them to build on their interests and expand their skills.