Ponsanooth Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff welcome each child individually as they arrive at pre-school and ensure key information is gained from parents and carers. This supports a smooth transition and helps children enter pre-school happy and ready to learn. Children settle quickly and engage in activities of their choosing. They are excited to select from a range of resources that support them to develop and explore their own ideas. For example, children enjoy playing with caterpillar life cycle models and finding them in a story book. They then search for another butterfly story and compare the colour of butterflies in each book.

Children enjoy a curriculum rooted in active learning. They have opportunities to explore and care for nature, and benefit from frequent interactions with staff that promote confidence, and curiosity. Staff form strong bonds with children. Staff know children's characters well, and support independence to flourish. Children are well behaved. Younger children learn to say please and thank you, and older children share well and take turns without support. Staff have high expectations of children and support them to persevere before offering help. This prepares children for future learning. They develop resilience to face new challenges and a self-belief they will succeed.

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

• Children experience a curriculum which they clearly enjoy and they are motivated, engaged learners. However, staff do not extend the curriculum to ensure all areas of learning are comprehensively developed and targeted teaching does not support optimal progress.
• Children engage in exciting activities, which help them connect with nature and develop a deeper understanding of the world. For example, they water seedlings they planted and proudly tell visitors that some will be strawberries and some will be carrots. Children explain it will take time before they grow big and strong, and that they need water and sunshine to grow.
• Children develop their imaginations as they create from play dough. They make flowers and butterflies. Staff maximise opportunities to engage children in conversation as they play. They encourage children to think about and describe what they are making. Staff help children revisit prior learning. For example, as children make caterpillars, staff discuss features of the insects. They discuss previous observations of the pre-school caterpillars before they formed cocoons.
• Staff use language well to extend children's vocabulary. For example, they introduce words such as measure, pour and equal as children enjoy creating biscuits for their friends. Children confidently and successfully share their ideas, as they recall ingredients needed for the recipe.
• As the morning ends and children prepare for lunchtime, staff do not support all children to transition well. Most children excitedly discuss what they have in their lunch boxes. However, a few children find the sudden ending of an activity challenging to manage and this impacts on their ability to fully participate in a settled, social mealtime.
• Children develop a love of books and stories. They listen well to a story at group time and join in with repeated phrases. Staff speak with children about their favourite stories and children enjoy discussing their favourite authors and delight as they exclaim confidently 'rhyming stories are the best'.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. Parents value the strong bonds staff form with children, and many speak of their children's wishes to attend pre-school every day. Parents appreciate the communication they receive daily, informing them of activities enjoyed and skills developed.
• Pre-school staff have effective relationships with the local primary school and information sharing processes are embedded that successfully support smooth transitions. When children attend multiple pre-school settings, staff do not liaise with other providers to ensure a shared understanding is formed of how best to support progress and continuity in care.
• The managers provide strong leadership. They lead with consistency and recognise the impact of modelling best practice. Managers support staff to regularly reflect on their practice and identify areas for development. Staff feel well supported. Professional development opportunities are targeted to support all members of staff to be knowledgeable and skilled in their roles, and best support learning and development of all children. For example, training has recently been completed to boost children's language skills and there are plans to swiftly implement this.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• liaise with other settings children attend to support consistency in children's care, development and progress
• extend the curriculum to ensure all areas of learning are comprehensively developed and targeted teaching helps children to make the best optimal progress
• enhance strategies for supporting children's emotional regulation and help them fully engage with learning opportunities.