Springwell Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children form strong bonds with staff at the welcoming pre-school. They are given lots of cuddles and reassurance as they are greeted warmly by staff on arrival. Children settle quickly, finding their favourite activities and toys. Staff plan and deliver activities that spark children's interests and ignite their curiosity. Staff help children make connections with experiences they have at home as they talk to children about the dinosaur skeletons they have previously seen in museums.

Overall, children are kind and considerate. They remember their manners as they politely ask for paper while exploring paint and creating pictures outdoors. Children proudly show the staff their creations, and the staff kindly praise and encourage their efforts. Older children are supported to understand the importance of sharing toys and following instructions during the day.

Staff help children to practise their large-muscle skills and coordination as they clamber up the climbing frame and carefully balance on walking beams. Staff act as good role models and play alongside children. They skilfully build children's vocabulary and introduce new words as they play. Children are supported to develop their small-muscle skills as they delve into mud. They confidently dig with spades and use the scoops on the back of toy trucks to dig.

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

• The pre-school manager is committed and passionate about her role. She uses action plans for improvement and has a clear vision for enhancing the provision. The manager provides staff support through supervision meetings and training.
• Children benefit from rich interactions with staff. Staff encourage and observe children to ascertain what they know and can do. The information they gather helps them to plan and identify what children need to learn next. However, staff do not provide consistently engaging interactions to support children's learning outdoors. This results in children not being helped to build on their existing knowledge and skills in the outdoor environment.
• Staff consider the curriculum for mathematics well and embed this throughout the pre-school. They use playful interactions to help children learn about mathematical concepts. As children pretend to make homes for their dinosaurs using sand, staff ask, 'How can we make the door bigger?'. Younger children learn the concept of numbers as staff support them to count their towers made of bricks.
• Children generally behave well. They interact positively with others and listen to gentle instructions from staff. However, staff support for younger children is not always consistent. At times, the staff do not remind children about the consequences of their actions when they forget the pre-school expectations. This results in occasional disruptive behaviour.
• Children's language and communication skills are promoted well, including those with English as an additional language. Staff encourage children as they talk, asking questions and introducing new words. Children benefit from the regular stories staff read and borrow books to enjoy at home with their parents.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good levels of support. The special educational needs coordinators work closely with families and other professionals to ensure children gain positive experiences at pre-school, and progress well in their development.
• Parents speak highly of the dedicated and supportive staff team. Staff share regular updates on children's learning through daily discussions, coffee mornings and stay-and-play sessions. Parents say the support the staff provide has a positive impact on their child's development.
• The manager and her staff plan a range of experiences for children to learn about the wider world. Children benefit from fresh air and exercise as they visit local parks and discover the community around them. They are introduced to new experiences and gain knowledge of the animal kingdom as they handle different animals that visit the pre-school.
• Transitions to school are carefully considered by the manager and staff team. Staff liaise with parents and meet with teachers before children start school. They support children with their independence skills in preparation. Children become more confident as they practise putting on clothing and self-care skills, such as using the toilet and washing their hands.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen teaching outdoors to maximise children's learning across all areas of the curriculum
• support younger children to understand rules and boundaries and why these are in place.