St Andrews Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the pre-school ready to play and learn. Staff plan individualised settling-in procedures for new starters. This allows children to begin to become familiar with the pre-school and their key person. This helps children to build trusting bonds with the staff and to feel safe and secure.

Staff place a high focus on children's communication and language. They read a wide range of stories with enthusiasm and animation. As such, children eagerly invite their friends to share their favourite books with them. They thoroughly enjoy looking at books and singing songs, which helps to promote their language skills.

Children confidently choose from the well-planned range of activities and become quickly engrossed. They develop their fine motor skills as they squish and squeeze play dough in their hands. They use safe pipes cleaners to make candles and proudly show staff a birthday cake they have made, counting the number of candles. This helps them to build on skills they will need at the next stage of their education.

Children are well behaved and polite. Staff help children to understand what is expected of them. They allow children the time to negotiate sharing resources. This helps children to manage their behaviour and develop kind friendships.

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

• The manager has created a broad curriculum that has a strong focus on children becoming secure and confident individuals. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the curriculum and plan learning experiences that support children to build on what they already know and can do. This knowledge helps them to sequence children's learning. This helps children to make the best possible progress in their development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Staff interactions are good, they build on children's curiosity. For example, children explore magnets independently, making discoveries for themselves. Staff help children learn new vocabulary, such as how the magnets stick to 'metal'. Furthermore, children are confident using the magnifying glasses, as they look at the different sizes and colours of various autumn leaves. This helps children to broaden their understanding of the world.
• Staff promote children's physical development well. They teach children about road safety when they cross the car park to access the outside spaces. Children are provided with ample experiences to continuously develop their small and large muscles. For example, children pull themselves up on the rope swing in the garden. They smile with joy as they swing back and forward. Staff encourage children to have a go, this helps children develop their confidence in their physical development.
• Children engage in purposeful learning experiences throughout the pre-school session. The daily routine is generally well planned. However, on occasion during transition points, such as getting ready to go outside, staff do not always ensure that children's learning and engagement are promoted consistently. As a result, at these times, some children become distracted and lose focus.
• Children's good health is promoted well. Staff teach children about healthy foods and making healthy food choices. They provide children with healthy snacks. For example, children learn the names of different fruits, such as 'pineapple'. Furthermore, the pre-school has created information packs that they share with parents about oral hygiene.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They support children to demonstrate positive behaviour through praise and encouragement. Staff remind children gently that 'sharing is caring' during play. Children respond positively to this and share with their friends.
• Parents are very complimentary of the pre-school provision. They comment that staff are warm and welcoming. Parents feel well informed about their children's learning. They welcome the feedback they receive. Parents report that the staff are very supportive.
• Self-evaluation is accurate and identifies areas for the manager to develop further. Management implement a programme of supervision and training to help develop the practice and knowledge of staff. However, there is scope to extend and embed the current strategies more widely, to help staff develop their teaching skills and practice to a consistently high level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of transitions throughout the day to ensure that children remain consistently engaged in their play and learning
• develop systems for monitoring and coaching staff further to focus on improving individual staff practice and providing feedback to support staff in delivering the curriculum even more effectively.