Sheering Village Preschool CIC

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy at the pre-school, keen to start their day. They readily leave their parents and quickly settle into their play, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure in the environment. Children's well-being is promoted well. Staff provide children with plenty of praise and encouragement throughout the day, which helps to promote their confidence and self-esteem.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and are positive role models. They introduce the pre-school's rules and routines at the beginning of the day. This helps children to understand what is expected of them. Staff encourage good behaviour by using positive strategies such as celebrating children's achievements. For example, children beam with pride as staff celebrate and reward them for using good manners and being helpful. As a result, children behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.

Staff know all children well. They know their unique personalities, including what they like and dislike. This helps them to understand children's starting points in their learning. Staff build strong bonds with the children. Children enjoy the company of staff and their friends. For example, they take delight in staff joining in with their role play and giggle as they use their imaginations to act out different characters in a family.

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

• Since the last inspection, the manager has refined the planning of her curriculum to ensure that staff have a clear understanding of what children are learning. This has had a positive impact on children's progress. Staff provide a range of activities and experiences based on children's interests, which supports their learning and progress. However, on occasion, some staff do not differentiate group times or activities well enough to meet all children's abilities and developmental needs. At times, younger children become disengaged during group activities, and there is not enough challenge for the most able children to further extend their learning.
• Children are learning how to keep themselves safe. Staff help children to become more spatially aware and learn about directional awareness as they ride their tricycles around a track. They help children consider the possible impact of riding in the wrong direction. Children learn to follow good hygiene practices. Staff teach children the importance of washing their hands before having snacks. This contributes to their knowledge of how good hygiene routines help to keep them healthy.
• Interactions between staff and children are warm and affectionate. Children are eager to share their experiences with staff. They engage children in conversations during activities. Staff make good use of stories and sing songs to support children's growing vocabulary. However, on occasion, staff ask children questions but do not consistently give younger children time to think and respond. This means that children do not always have sufficient time to share their thoughts.
• Children benefit from walks to the local parks and fields. Staff use these opportunities to help children learn about nature. For example, during a walk, they discuss the changes in the seasons. Staff explain to children why some trees still have leaves and why others do not. This helps to ignite children's curiosity and supports them to appreciate the wonders of nature. Children eagerly spot a red kite circling overhead. They demonstrate a growing vocabulary as they explain to staff that it looks like a 'pterodactyl'.
• Staff provide children with a range of mark-making opportunities. For example, children spend extended amounts of time drawing detailed pictures. Other children use paintbrushes to copy patterns and marks in winter-themed trays.
• Partnerships with parents are extremely positive. Parents explain that their children have made good progress since starting at the pre-school. They value the support and feedback they receive, both verbally and via the online platform. The manager ensures that there is a wealth of support and guidance that she can offer parents. She has created a lending library for parents to take books home and share with their children. Parents comment that their children particularly enjoy this. This has a positive impact on outcomes for children and helps them to develop a love of reading.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the methods used by staff to differentiate activities, to help children remain engaged and to provide stretch and challenge to the most able children
• strengthen staff practice to provide more time for children to think and respond to questions, helping them to share their thoughts and ideas to support their critical thinking skills.