Solid Rock Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children benefit from a rich learning environment that is wholly focused on the individual needs of children. Children have access to high-quality learning, both indoors and outside. Staff provide a thought-provoking curriculum, which they implement extremely well. This enables children of all abilities to achieve the best possible progress.

Young children demonstrate that they feel safe, secure, and very confident in their surroundings. They giggle with delight as they explore sensory experiences. They smile warmly at key staff as they make marks with paint, bounce balloons and catch bubbles. Children show huge enjoyment as they play together and develop their social skills in make-believe play. For example, they become captivated as they explore a variety of materials, such as fabrics to create a bear cave. When children question what a bear cave looks like, staff quickly support them in the use of technology to locate this information.

There is excellent support for children's growing independence. Children confidently request building with small bricks and delight in sharing that they had made a camera to take photos. Older children show great empathy towards each other as they take turns and share tricycles in outdoor play. They talk about the importance of listening to each other, demonstrating maturity and confidence in their abilities. Children's behaviour is exceptional.

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

• The manager is a knowledgeable and exceptional leader. She is highly skilled and has high expectations for all staff. She ensures they continually develop their skills and knowledge. She provides meaningful supervision, and this helps her to build strong relationships with her team. Staff share that they feel extremely well supported and respected. This contributes to the culture of mutual respect and a friendly atmosphere. The manager has recognised where some staff may need additional support and has put plans in place to strengthen the quality of teaching even further. The provider is proactive in supporting staff and apprentices in gaining professional childcare qualifications to develop a highly skilled workforce.
• Staff are acutely aware of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's learning and development. Upon children's return, staff gathered information from parents and made accurate assessments of what children know and can do with a focus on their personal, social, and emotional development and communication and language skills. This has allowed staff to focus on supporting the individual needs of each child to the highest level, with children making rapid progress.
• Staff interact with children exceptionally well. They use questioning very effectively to challenge their thinking and develop understanding. They observe children carefully and support them to maximise learning. They expand on activities such as favourite stories, following wherever children's imaginations take them. Staff support children extremely well in the use of new vocabulary, exploring words such as swishy-swashing and splash and sploshing. This helps to support children's flourishing communication and language skills.
• There is exceptional support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff quickly identify where children may need additional support and seek prompt help from other professionals. They are dedicated and work hard to implement agreed strategies and activities. This provides a consistent approach to inclusive care and support for all children.
• Staff place a strong emphasis on promoting and supporting inclusive practice. Staff organise a wealth of adult-led activities to support children who speak English as an additional language. Children confidently explore dual language books and access story boxes, where they listen to their favourite stories or rhymes in their own language. During Eid, parents share their cultural heritage by preparing a range of traditional meals and sweet boxes to share with children.
• Children bring their own packed lunch box to pre-school. Staff talk to children about the importance of being active, eating healthy, nutritious meals and good oral hygiene to maintain healthy lifestyles.
• Partnerships with parents are a key strength of the pre-school. Trusting and informative relationships are built with parents. Parents speak positively about the caring and helpful staff team. They state that they feel extremely well informed and enjoy supporting their children's learning at home. Staff provide information packs to support parents who are new to the pre-school, and translate these to support a range of differing cultures.