Puffin Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and their parents receive a warm welcome by the friendly manager and her team. Children have strong bonds with their key person. They cuddle their key person and enjoy spending time with them. Staff foster a sense of belonging and happiness at the pre-school.

In this small and friendly pre-school, children make their own choices, move between rooms and participate in activities that spark their interests. Older children explain to staff how to mix purple from red and blue paint. Staff and younger children follow these instructions and paint their hands and create purple handprints. Staff praise the children's painting, and they compare the size of their hands with each other's hands. These opportunities support the children to learn early mathematical concepts, such as size.

Children show good behaviour. When younger children struggle to control their emotions, staff support them and children learn how their behaviour affects others.

Children learn new vocabulary and concepts as staff talk about symmetrical patterns and explain what these are. Children who speak English as an additional language learn new words that build on their interests. For example, staff use cars to teach children the colours black, green and orange.

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

• The manager places a strong emphasis on communication and language in the curriculum. Staff use stories to develop children's vocabulary and natural resources that encourage conversation. For example, they use a tray of natural materials to encourage children to talk about a stick man story.
• Staff use assessment and focus on what children need to learn next. For instance, staff provide opportunities for younger children to extend their attention through painting activities. For older children, the focus is on school readiness and practising independence skills.
• Children show good attitudes to learning, and staff plan experiences that capture their attention. For instance, the children learn about the life cycle of butterflies by looking after caterpillars. Staff use children's drawings to create a display that helps them remember how caterpillars turn into butterflies.
• Staff teach children about being safe in the sun. Children use this knowledge effectively and make connections that support their self-care skills. For instance, they ask staff if they are going to put on sun cream today because it is sunny. Then, they pretend to put on sun cream and talk about how it protects their skin.
• Staff encourage children's independence and hygiene skills. Young children like to wash their hands independently after painting. Staff talk to children about the importance of washing their hands after going to the toilet and before eating. Children and staff eat lunch together and talk about their favourite fruits and vegetables in their lunch boxes. This helps children learn about healthy eating.
• Staff understand the importance of supporting children's language development. However, there are times when adult-led group time does not support children's learning, and staff sing too quickly and read too fast. The effect on children is they do not join in and miss the opportunity to learn new vocabulary.
• Staff talk about the supportive manager who gives them regular feedback and supports them in their practise. All staff keep their knowledge and skills up to date through regular training. For example, the manager and staff attend an annual training day and learn how to use expressive language to support children's learning.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with parents and external agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She uses specialist funding to buy resources that support children's social skills and sensory learning.
• Parents say their children are confident and make progress at the pre-school. They talk about the social skills their children have learned, including good manners. Parents are encouraged to take home stories, including bilingual books, to foster a love of reading. Parents who work away from home are given link boxes that support them and their children during this separation.
• Staff use the local area to support children's physical development and take them on walks to visit the shoreline and the local community centre.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to understand how to better organise and deliver group activities to ensure that all children can participate and learn.