Sleaford New Life Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are encouraged by staff to have a positive attitude to learning, especially when they tell staff that they cannot do something. For example, when children tell staff that they cannot use a spade to scoop and pour sand to help develop their hand-eye coordination, staff suggest that they have a turn first and then pass the spade to children. This encourages children to do this independently and no longer need support from staff. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported to understand and follow routines in the day. For example, staff show them objects to represent what is happening, such as a bowl and cup to let them know when they can have a snack.

Children receive gentle reminders from staff to be polite and show good manners. This includes staff asking children what they need to say when they ask for an apron. Children reply, 'please'. Staff play games with children to support their physical abilities and to help them learn how to take turns. This includes children playing football outdoors and asking their friends to have a turn to kick the ball. Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They invite children to show and talk to their peers about toys they bring from home. Children show confidence to speak in larger groups.

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

• Staff arrange meetings with school teachers, parents and children to help support children for their move on to school. During these times, staff encourage parents to play alongside their children and to understand how they can support them to be ready for their move on to school. This includes staff talking to parents about how they can encourage their children to be independent with toileting and to ask adults if they need help. Furthermore, children get to know the teachers who will care for them, promoting their emotional well-being in readiness for when they move on to school.
• Staff reflect on the experiences they offer children and make improvements to increase the experiences that children and families receive. Recent changes include staff waiting in the garden to greet children and their parents when they arrive in the morning. This enables children to understand and build relationships with staff, who are their key person. Furthermore, staff speak to parents to find out about their children's morning. These interactions help to strengthen parent partnerships.
• The curriculum staff implement helps children to build on their knowledge of how they can keep themselves safe. This includes staff helping children to learn about water safety. For instance, they talk to children about how they can keep themselves safe when they are near a beach, swimming pool and river. Children learn that they can hold onto a foam tube in the water to stop them sinking and to be with their parents when they go near rivers.
• Staff are skilful at supporting children to follow their interests. For example, when children play with water, staff challenge children's learning, such as adding a shallow tray and platform for them to jump off and into the water. This enables children to explore and investigate in their play while developing their balance and coordination.
• Staff plan daily activities to support children's learning. However, occasionally, staff do not adapt the planning and implementation of activities to meet the different abilities and learning needs of all the children who take part. For example, during a craft activity, staff do not support older children to be challenged in their learning.
• Staff know their key children well and what they need to learn next. However, this information is not shared with all staff. This means when other staff play alongside children, they do not always understand how to support their individual next steps in learning. Therefore, sometimes, the support children receive is not always highly effective in focusing on what they need to learn next.
• Staff talk to children to help them understand how they can show positive behaviours. This includes staff showing children images that represent how to be kind and unkind and helping them understand how kindness makes others feel. Children show that they understand the learning taking place. They tell staff that if they played football with their friends, it would make them happy.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to adapt the planning and implementation of some activities to meet the different abilities and learning needs of all children who take part
• develop ways to support all staff to identify and build on children's individual learning needs when they play alongside them.