Pre-School On The Marsh CIC

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are eager to start their day. They happily greet staff and quickly find something of interest to play with. Children are engaged and focused within their chosen activities. They show high levels of concentration and follow instructions carefully. Children have opportunities to be independent. They turn the water tap on and off to wash their hands in the forest school and eagerly help to give their friends cups at mealtimes. Children pour their own drinks and serve their food.

Staff create a curriculum that enables children to engage in an activity of their choosing while also supporting their ongoing development. Children learn to manage risks during physical play. For example, older children hammer nails into pumpkins. Opportunities such as these help children to strengthen the small muscles in their hands. Younger children patiently wait in line to have a go on a slackline obstacle course between two trees. They learn how to develop their balance, coordination, and control as children grow in confidence and self-esteem.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager and deputy manager have a strong focus on supporting parents and carers and including them in children's learning. For instance, they offer consistent advice, emotional support, and reassurance when parents and carers need it.

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

• All staff participate in the planning of the curriculum, considering the needs of their key children. The planning is available to the whole staff team, so that everyone can support all children's targets during activities. Staff have a clear understanding of the purpose of the curriculum they provide. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from effective strategies to support them to make progress in their development. Staff work in partnership with parents and other agencies to ensure that support is consistent for children. They identify children's interests to design a curriculum that encourages children with SEND to participate in their learning environment. For example, some children engage in forest school experiences, which help them regulate their emotions. They are keen to learn new skills, such as how to push their friends forward on a swing. They smile as their friends swing backwards and forwards.
• Children's communication and language skills are developing well. Staff join the children as they play. Interactions between the children and staff are positive. Staff introduce new words and concepts by modelling, commenting, and asking questions. However, at times, less experienced staff ask children questions in quick succession and do not give them enough time to respond before asking another question. This limits the opportunities for children to think about and respond to questions and develop their problem-solving skills.
• Children's behaviour is generally good. They listen to instructions and respond very well. Children wait their turn when waiting for friends to finish using equipment and resources. On occasions, when they display challenging behaviour, staff tell them 'stop' or encourage them to say 'sorry'. However, staff do not fully explain the consequences of children's actions on themselves or others to better support their understanding of appropriate behaviour.
• Partnership with parents and carers is strong. Parents and carers speak positively about the 'approachable, kind' and 'nurturing' staff team. They say that their children have improved their communication skills and have grown in confidence since attending. Staff work with parents and carers to ensure that detailed information is shared. This helps to keep everyone informed, so they can provide the appropriate support for children.
• The manager and deputy manager regularly monitor the quality of staff's teaching and assessment of children's learning progress. They ensure that staff access the training they need to provide good levels of care and education to all children. The manager and deputy manager have a clear vision for developing the provision for all children, particularly those with SEND.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's teaching strategies, so that children have more opportunities to think about and respond to questions and develop their problem-solving skills
• support less experienced staff to provide a more consistent approach to behaviour management to better support children's understanding of appropriate behaviour.