Shrewton Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and settle quickly in the welcoming pre-school environment. They have lots of free choice and decide for themselves to play inside or outside. Children excitedly build towers with large bricks and problem solve as they work well together to balance large tyres. They develop confidence and independence as they follow their interests and share close relationships with one another and the staff.

Staff have high expectations of the children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children are enthusiastic, curious, and eager to explore. Whether they are digging in the mud to find insects or observing pond life, they are respectful of one another and play well together.

During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the setting remained open for some children. For those children that were unable to attend staff maintained contact to continue to support those families and help them feel included. Although parents do not currently come into the setting, they receive daily information about their child's day. Staff encourage parents to complete 'what I did at home' forms so that they can recognise and celebrate children's achievements at home. Since the setting has reopened to all children, staff continue to remain focused on supporting children's social development and emotional well-being.

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

• Staff get to know the children well. Staff find out what children already know and can do. They plan a wide and varied curriculum based on children's interests and next steps in learning to support them in making good progress.
• Children excitedly look at and explore different animal play figures. Children confidently look through books to help them identify which animals live in which environment. Staff introduce initial sounds of words as they engage the children in conversation and begin to match letters to the sound that they make. For example, the sound 't' for tadpole.
• Overall, children's behaviour is good. They have a good understanding of right and wrong and staff use effective strategies to help children think about and manage their behaviour successfully. Staff encourage children to talk about their emotions, using a book about a monster which links colours to different feelings. However, staff do not always communicate effectively between themselves during large group activities. As a result, children are not clear of what staff expect of them, they lose concentration and noise levels rise.
• The manager and staff regularly reflect on the provision and their practice. They review and reassess areas of the pre-school frequently to ensure that children use it well to support their learning. They regularly seek out training opportunities to ensure they have the most current and up-to-date information. For example, the manager is planning on learning more about how to promote the good oral health of children, to further support children's health and well-being.
• Staff recognise the importance of effective partnerships with parents, and the positive impact this has on children's learning and well-being. Parents are very complimentary about the staff and the provision. They are enthusiastic about the care and support provided for their children and the progress their children make.
• Children take part in a wide range of activities and have a good variety of learning experiences, which they thoroughly enjoy. They paint pictures of items they find on a nature walk. Children ride on wheeled vehicles in the school playground, skilfully negotiating pathways. They help one another find the matching card for their shopping game. However, children have less opportunity to count, use numbers, compare size, and identify shapes.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well and encourage their imagination successfully. Staff repeat words back to children correctly, so they hear the correct pronunciation. They introduce new words, such as 'centipede', as the children look for bugs and insects in the garden. Children enjoy making the staff 'coffee' and 'ice-cream', which they sell from the playhouse outside. Children confidently tell the inspector they are 'mad about tractors' when talking about what they like to do at pre-school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the organisation of large group times so that all children know what is expected of them, remain focused and concentrate
• develop further strategies for children to count, compare size and identify shapes.