Ridgeway Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the pre-school happily and with excitement. The staff create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where children feel safe and confident. Children choose where they want to play. For example, they sit and enjoy books together, build structures in the construction area, or sit and draw pictures.

Staff make sure that the environment is inclusive and provide activities and experiences that take into account a range of development needs, such as language and physical. For example, children practise using pipettes and sponges to move the water in the water tray. A staff member ably supports their learning and development as they do this. This is particularly positive for the development of children's vocabulary, as they are encouraged to listen carefully and use new words, such as 'soak' and 'trickle'.

Staff are very positive role models and support children to share and take turns. Staff model how to play games. They let children take on responsible roles and lead the game for the other children. Staff are very aware of the needs of all children and offer gentle support to enable them to feel comfortable and safe.

Leaders deliver a curriculum that is ambitious for all children. They have the knowledge needed to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and have a range of effective strategies in place to support them.

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

• Leaders construct a curriculum that enables them to prepare children to transition into school. This includes carefully-thought-out activities that enable children to learn necessary skills. Transition into school is a collaborative process between school, parents and the pre-school.
• Staff use children's interests well to engage them in learning. When children show an interest in construction, staff provide different types of bricks, along with other interesting materials and items, to enable the children to build a range of different structures. Staff invited an architect into pre-school to speak to the children to extend their learning even further.
• Staff notice what children can and cannot do and use assessments to inform the planning of activities. Activities are fun and engaging, such as the spaghetti worms that children pick out of compost with tweezers. Staff know the learning that is taking place and promote mathematical language like 'longer' and 'shorter'. However, at times, staff are deployed in such a way that means they become absorbed with a small group of children and children playing independently, who may need support, are overlooked.
• Staff promote healthy lifestyles very well. They provide nutritious snacks, like fruit, and encourage parents to pack healthy food in children's lunch boxes. Staff also encourage children to drink their water and to play outside. Toothbrushing takes place in groups and a staff member ably takes children through the process, reinforcing vocabulary and the right way to brush. This is done very well and children show that they know how to do this confidently. This helps children to understand how to care for their bodies.
• Staff appreciate the support and training they receive at the pre-school. They attend monthly staff meetings, where they discuss key information and share their knowledge about the children. This enables them to provide the next steps in learning for the children. They are positive about the appraisal process and they request training that will help them to strengthen their practice.
• Leaders are focused on continual improvement. They all share an ambitious vision for the pre-school and actively make changes to the provision to meet the needs and interests of the children. They provide a rich range of experiences for the children, who recently enjoyed a visit from the police. They take the children to the local field to act out stories, and they teach children how to grow plants in their 'allotment'.
• Staff know the children well and spend time building strong relationships with all children. They know details about the children that enable them to provide activities that will engage them in learning. For example, when children have a love of drawing, staff ensure there is a range of pencils and crayons, and sit alongside children drawing pictures too.
• Parents are very grateful for the information that is shared in advance of the children going to school. This includes leaflets explaining what the desired skills might be when children start school, like being able to use the toilet and put their own coat on.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• deploy adults to make sure they provide support and challenge across the provision and meet the needs of the children attending.