Spins Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a range of engaging activities which children happily participate in. All staff know the children who attend very well and respond to their interests. Interactions with children are meaningful and have purpose. They specifically relate to the child's individual developmental milestones. For instance, staff provide resources to support children's upper body development as they recognise this is an area that children enjoy practising.

Children are familiar with the routine of the session and staff support newer children to join in with group times. Staff recognise when younger children may not be able to sit and focus for lengthy periods of time. They provide children with other learning opportunities while group time continues. This helps all children to be able to focus and concentrate on what they are doing.

Staff act as positive role models to children and promote good behaviour well. They praise children for sitting as they eat snack, talking to them about what they have been doing. Staff use their strong bonds with children to encourage them to join in with situations which are unfamiliar to them. For example, staff participate in a football session which is being led by a visiting coach. Children respond positively to this and excitedly join in with the activity.

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

• There is clear curriculum in place at the pre-school and all staff understand and follow this. Staff speak confidently about their key children. Managers have strong oversight and know all of the children and families who attend. They use this information to tailor their curriculum to the particular needs of the children. They incorporate life events into their planning. For instance, staff and managers plan opportunities for children to explore babies and dolls when children are expecting a new sibling.
• Parents and carers speak confidently about the support children receive at the pre-school. They feel well informed about their child's progress and take on board feedback and suggestions from staff. Parents share a range of information with staff when children start and this provides opportunities for staff to identify children's initial starting points more swiftly.
• Managers are highly reflective and respond to the needs and thoughts of staff and parents. They act as positive role models for the wider staff team. They collect parental feedback regularly and adapt what they do in response to this. For instance, managers adapt the entry process at the start of the day to help parents drop their children off in a timely manner. This supports parents to feel valued and encourages them to share their thoughts and ideas freely.
• Support for children with emerging needs is promptly put in place, including those children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work positively with other agencies and integrate the information they discuss into their provision. This helps to provide children with consistent messages and support.
• The pre-school are a part of the wider community and actively work to build relationships with families outside of the setting. For instance, they run a regular toddler group which parents and carers attend with their children. This helps to familiarise children with the building and staff before they begin at the pre-school. This also contributes towards children settling quickly when they start.
• Managers work well together to provide staff with support and guidance. Staff benefit from training and regular discussions about their performance and managers observe their practice frequently. This helps staff to continue to improve their practice and interactions with children.
• Children learn about the expectations of staff as part of their morning group time. Older children confidently speak about why the rules are in place. However, staff do not consistently help children to recall the rules and follow them instinctively. For instance, they struggle to gain children's attention to remind them to walk indoors due to the volume levels in the large hall space.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with consistent support to understand and follow the rules in place.