Pollington Balne Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the pre-school and separate from their parents with ease. They hear familiar welcome music playing as they come through the door and are warmly welcomed by happy and attentive staff. Children develop a sense of belonging and security as they self-register on arrival. Self-registration helps to develop children's language and literacy skills. Children recognise the letters in their name and understand that print carries meaning. They settle quickly and happily in the calm and nurturing environment. Staff understand that children can be overwhelmed by whole-group situations at the start of the day. Therefore, children can choose what they play with and if they play inside or outside. As a result, children are confident. They have a positive attitude to learning, make decisions and follow their own ideas.

Older children show initiative and use their imagination well. For example, they use crates, tyres and other materials in the outdoor area to make vehicles, such as cars and an aeroplane. They talk to their friends, share plans and negotiate how the wheels will fit and who will be the driver. Staff skilfully join in to extend children's learning. Children form secure relationships with their peers. Their physical development and ability to play cooperatively are promoted well. Children behave well. They take turns and receive lots of positive reinforcement and praise from staff.

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

• The manager and staff team provide a stimulating curriculum that supports children to make good progress from their starting points. The aim of the curriculum is for children to be confident and capable when they move on to school. Initial assessments and ongoing observations ensure that staff know what children need to learn next. Staff quickly identify any barriers children have to learning. A highly skilled special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator works with staff, children and parents to provide specific and targeted support.
• Children explore a water play activity. They learn how water turns to ice and then hold it in their hands and watch it melt. Children learn about animals which live in water and are fascinated by the toy whales. Motivated staff enhance learning as they share a book about whales. Staff introduce children to interesting facts, which they share with their friends. For example, a child points out a beluga whale and says they swim slowly. Such activities support children to learn about the natural world and develop their interest in books from an early age.
• Overall, the manager is aware of staff's strengths and aspects of their practice to be developed further. There have been some recent changes in the staff team.
• Consequently, there are inconsistencies in the high-quality teaching and interactions provided to children. Some staff miss opportunities to ask questions to extend children's thinking and understanding. Also, some staff do not make the most of interactions to enhance the nurturing bonds they have with children or extend their learning, such as when staff change children's nappies.
• There is a strong focus on developing children's communication and language skills. Staff speak slowly and calmly to children. They have introduced Makaton and gestured speech to further support children's understanding. Staff narrate what younger children are doing so that they hear new vocabulary. They use a 'book of the week' strategy to lead discussions and activities. They share the book repeatedly and talk about the story. This helps children to understand the new words they come across and develop the confidence to use them. Children use kind words and develop a strong sense of care and respect for their peers and the staff.
• Overall, partnerships with parents are good and parents speak highly of the pre-school. They comment on the great staff team, the support they provide and the wonderful range of learning experiences available. Parents have access to their child's online learning record, which helps them to support children's learning at home. However, there is less information shared with parents about their child's day-to-day care or the daily events and routines in the pre-school.
• The manager, staff and committee of the pre-school have a clear vision for the future and are committed to providing a high-quality service. Staff work closely together to evaluate practice. Professional development is supported, staff morale is high, and staff are motivated, enthusiastic and happy.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to provide consistently higher levels of teaching and interactions, to further enhance children's learning experiences
• build on partnership working with parents even further so that they are clear about the daily care provided to their children and they can access all information shared about daily events in the pre-school.