Pumpkins Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this welcoming pre-school. Staff provide many resources and age-appropriate activities for the children, indoors and outdoors. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning and are fully engaged in their self-chosen play. For example, younger children are deeply engrossed in testing their creative skills with magnetic shapes. They use their imagination and demonstrate perseverance as they stack the magnets to create different shapes. Attentive staff are close by and offer lots of praise and encouragement. This supports children's creativity and strengthens their small-muscle skills successfully.

Staff are good role models and instil good manners. For example, they remind children to say 'please' and 'thank you', share resources and wait their turn. This helps children to behave well and to be kind and caring towards each other.

Staff have a clear vision of what they want children to learn and have implemented innovative teaching methods that cover a broad range of learning goals. For example, children learn how to care for their pet African snails. They help to prepare the fruit and vegetables and assist staff in cleaning out their tank. Staff explain to the children to gently lift the snails and touch their shell. They ask the children to describe what the shell feels like, such as 'hard' or 'soft'. This promotes children's developing communication skills effectively. Furthermore, children learn to respect and care for other living creatures.

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

• Overall, staff support children's independence skills well. Children wash their hands before mealtimes and put their belongings away on arrival. However, occasionally, less-experienced staff do not consistently implement this. For example, they complete a range of tasks for older children that they are capable of attempting and mastering themselves, such as putting on their shoes and pouring drinks for them. This means that, on occasion, their independence skills are not consistently supported.
• Staff are passionate about their role in caring for children and have warm and secure bonds with them. For example, they listen intently to what they have to say and are attentive to their needs. Children snuggle up to staff during story time and develop a love of books from an early age. This supports their emotional well-being and their developing language skills well.
• Staff plan an abundance of activities for the children that they know they will enjoy. They skilfully weave mathematical learning into this. As a result, children demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. For example, children run around the pre-school garden with their friends and pretend to be builders. They show immense enthusiasm as they measure objects with measuring tapes and discover lengths and sizes. This supports their understanding of mathematical knowledge effectively and prepares them for their ongoing learning.
• Overall, staff promote children's critical thinking effectively. For example, they involve children in conversations and ask them questions. However, on occasion, staff ask too many questions in quick succession, particularly during mealtimes and when children are busy with other tasks. This means that children do not always have time to respond fully and are not always interested in the questions being asked.
• Staff fully understand that children benefit from fresh air and regular exercise. Children enjoy participating in daily dancing sessions. They show utter enjoyment as they move their bodies to the music. Outdoors, children have fun as they play with their friends on the slide and in the construction area. This supports their physical and overall well-being successfully.
• Parents speak highly of the staff at the setting. They report that their children have made good progress, particularly with their speech and language development and their social skills. Staff work collaboratively with parents to support children's development and learning, such as when children are ready to be toilet trained. Furthermore, the manager works closely with the local school that the children will transition to. This supports the next stage in their learning and development.
• Staff report that they feel well supported by the manager. They have the opportunity to further develop their knowledge and expertise through ongoing professional training. This enables them to support the children at the pre-school. Staff have regular supervision sessions and appraisals with the managers and feel that they can raise any concerns.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve support for less-experienced staff so that teaching is consistently good, particularly in promoting children's developing independence skills
• improve ways staff question children to ensure children have enough time to think and respond, so they can focus on the conversation taking place.