Princess Louise Pre School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at the pre-school. They are confident, happy and have fun. They arrive excitedly and leave their parents with ease and are eager to investigate the activities provided. Children are cared for by staff that know them well. They can initiate their own play and choose resources that are easily accessible for them. This helps to promote independent play.

Children behave well. Staff act as good role models for sharing and taking turns with others. Children wait patiently and recognise that they need to wait before they have their turn on the slide. They start to learn early recognition of emotions and how to self-regulate their behaviour. During circle time, older children confidently explain why they feel happy.

Children use their imaginations well in the role-play area and make up their own games. For example, they pretend to make a cup of tea and invite the inspector to drink it. Children sit together and enjoy sociable mealtimes. They proudly take on the role of 'special helper', concentrating hard as they carry plates of fruit to serve their friends. Children demonstrate good manners when they say thank you to their friends for passing them a piece of fruit. They practise their self-help skills further when, for example, they pour their own drinks.

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

• The manager and the staff team have worked hard to successfully meet the actions set at the last inspection. They work together as a small, effective team. Settling-in sessions are tailor-made to each child and their family. Staff plan visits carefully to support children to make good progress from the start. They identify children's interests and use these to plan effectively. This helps children to remain engaged in their learning. A well-established key-person relationship means all children feel happy and secure.
• Staff prioritise communication and language development in their curriculum. They create an environment rich in language for all children. Staff follow children's lead in play. They model language and repeat new words and phrases. However, occasionally the pace at which staff give information during play and activities is too fast for some children to consider, develop and express their own emerging ideas.
• The manager and staff swiftly identify children who need additional support through their regular assessments. They work in partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure a suitable curriculum is put in place. Where formal plans are needed, these are completed in time for children to move on to the next stage in their learning. However, individual activities to help children learn sometimes exceed their experiences and level of understanding. This reduces the purposefulness of the learning opportunity.
• Children show a love of books. They smile with delight as staff read them their favourite stories. Staff's enthusiasm and use of intonation really capture their attention and develop their listening skills.
• Children learn to count, recognise shapes and numbers. For example, children count each other during circle time. Older children recognise written numerals and count how many plates are required for snack time.
• Children explore the different ways their bodies can move. Staff challenge them to stretch and reach up to paint a wall with water. Children enthusiastically make marks on the ground using chalk. Staff recognise the importance of these activities to build children's core strength in preparation for developing the muscles they need to become confident writers.
• Staff work well as a team and are supportive of each other. The manager uses effective strategies, such as regular supervision meetings, to promote the positive well-being of staff. Robust recruitment procedures ensure staff and committee members are suitable to work with children. There is a good induction process in place that helps staff to understand their roles and responsibilities.
• Parents speak highly of the staff and comment on how caring and nurturing the team is. Staff provide regular updates for parents about their child's ongoing progress. In addition, they share ideas with parents to enable them to build on their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the already good practice in teaching children by always ensuring that activities take account of children's prior learning experiences and levels of understanding
• give children more opportunity to think about and consolidate the information given by staff during some activities, taking account of their need to think about and share their responses and ideas.