Puddletown Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and ready to learn. They are eager to explore, whether they are playing with water and pasta, or finding out how many stones weigh the same as a pumpkin. Children make choices about their play and select resources independently to develop and explore their own ideas. They share well and take turns with no disagreements. Children are very well behaved.

Staff have high expectations of the children and are committed to helping them develop many skills to support their future learning. Children follow instructions to splat, pinch, squeeze and pass play dough from hand to hand. This helps to develop their hand and finger muscles in preparation for future writing.

The manager recognises that many new experiences and opportunities have been limited for children because of the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. She plans to extend opportunities for children to integrate into the wider community more. This will help children to build on their essential knowledge of the diverse area in which they live and help them to feel part of this community.

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

• Staff have a good knowledge of children's interests and individual needs. They have a good understanding of the curriculum. Staff link consistently what they want children to learn to the activities they provide, which supports children to make good progress. For example, children join in a 'play dough disco' activity to develop their fine motor skills.
• Staff model language well and introduce new words to extend children's vocabulary. However, there are times when staff members are not consistent when building on and extending children's language skills. For instance, staff do not find out children's ideas during activities, to help to extend their communication and language development.
• There is good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The manager and special educational needs coordinator quickly identify and support children. They work closely with a wide range of other professionals to develop individual learning plans. Funding provided to these children is used carefully to provide individual support or specialised resources. This helps to support children to reach their full potential.
• Forest school sessions provide all children with opportunities to learn about the world around us. They explore their natural environment and learn to take calculated risks under the close supervision of staff. For example, children talk about what they know about birds as they embark on a walk and take big steps up onto a bridge.
• Children spend plenty of time outdoors in the fresh air. This helps them to develop their larger muscles and coordination. Staff encourage children to be independent during mealtimes. Children enjoy a wide range of freshly prepared healthy snacks. They choose water or milk to support their good oral hygiene.
• The manager and staff build successful partnerships with the host school. The manager organises visits for children and teachers to support transitions and to transfer information. This helps children move smoothly on to their next stage of learning.
• Staff have good partnerships with parents. Parents comment positively about the pre-school and how their children are progressing. For instance, they describe the staff as 'amazing' and say that they have a 'child centred approach'. Staff communicate with parents through a variety of ways. They provide discussions daily and through parents' evenings, and use an online system to exchange information, including how parents can support children's learning at home.
• The manager works closely with staff. They have regular meetings to reflect on their practice and the learning experiences they provide for children. This helps the manager to ensure staff feel listened to, valued and appreciated. Staff comment that they feel well supported in their role.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the monitoring and support for staff to maximise their interactions with children, to promote children's communication and language skills more effectively.