Precious Times

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children of all ages enjoy this calm, welcoming and nurturing pre-school environment. They leave their parents with ease upon arrival and are enthusiastically greeted by staff. Children form warm and trusting relationships with staff, who encourage them to feel safe and secure. For example, children readily go to them for cuddles and reassurance. This helps to support children's personal, social and emotional development well.

Children show positive attitudes to their learning. They have many opportunities to explore and gain new skills in this well-resourced learning environment. For example, children learn mathematical skills as they roll a dice and match the number to the number of dinosaurs they collect. Staff encourage children to explore the natural world and investigate their surroundings. For instance, children show visitors their pear tree and look carefully at the leaves. Children make good progress and develop the key skills needed to be ready for school.

Children behave very well. Staff act as positive role models and talk to children in a calm and respectful manner. They gently remind them about the need to share, take turns and consider the needs of others. Children are kind and show consideration towards others. They show excellent manners and learn to self-regulate their emotions well.

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

• During indoor play, staff are deployed well and engage children in meaningful learning experiences. For example, children enjoy observing how caterpillars go through different stages and emerge as butterflies. They talk about the cocoon and how they are going to release the butterflies into the sky. However, at times, staff are not always deployed in the most effective way to fully support children's learning outside.
• Children learn about healthy lifestyles. They enjoy plenty of opportunities to have fresh air outdoors and develop their physical skills. For example, children climb on the frame, hang upside down from balance beams and ride bikes. Staff work with parents so that children can enjoy healthy packed lunches each day. Children wash and dry their own hands and are encouraged to sit at the table until they have finished eating.
• Children develop an understanding of the world around them. Older children point to a map and tell visitors which country they live in. Children are taught well about similarities and differences and the world in which we live. They learn about a variety of cultures and different celebrations through activities and conversations.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive high-quality tailored support. The special educational needs coordinator has a deep understanding of each child's needs. She works effectively with other professionals to ensure children get the right support to help them succeed. This means that all children make good progress in their learning.
• Parents who contributed their views at the inspection hold the pre-school and staff in very high regard. They say that their children have made good progress, particularly with their speech and language development. Staff work in partnership with parents to support children's development and learning. For example, parents are invited into the pre-school to family stay-and-play sessions.
• The management team is passionate and committed to providing high-quality education and care for children. Staff say that they feel valued and enjoy working at the pre-school. They have opportunities to further develop their knowledge and expertise through ongoing professional development. For example, staff have recently attended a sleep training course to allow them to support children and their families.
• The management team understands the importance of building children's communication and language skills. Children benefit from taking part in small-group activities to help to develop their speech and language. However, the organisation of some group activities could be better planned to ensure unnecessary disruptions do not distract children's learning.
• Children develop a love of books. Staff use a 'book-of-the-week' strategy to lead discussions with the children and engage them in story time. They use animation in their voice to help capture children's attention. The manager has recently introduced a lending library to encourage parents to read with their children at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the deployment of staff during routine activities outdoors to provide all children with consistent, high-quality interactions
• consider ways to reduce the distractions during focused indoor group times so that children can concentrate and learning is maximised.