St Andrews Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently leave their parents and are warmly welcomed into the provision by enthusiastic staff. The children show they feel safe and secure by happily and quickly engaging in meaningful play. They form close and trusting bonds with their key person. Children's needs are quickly responded to by staff, ensuring that they feel listened to and valued.

Children enjoy exploring the resources and are confident to test out new ideas with the support of staff. Children are encouraged to practise their ideas and new skills. They particularly enjoy activities linked to their interests and are happy to share these with their friends.

Children have good opportunities to develop their language and communication skills. Children whose speech is in the earlier stages of development are supported to communicate, using visual aids and props alongside speech. There are numerous opportunities for children to engage in language through stories, songs and circle time. Staff model language well to the children, repeating back and adding words to extend their vocabulary.

Throughout the provision, children demonstrate good behaviour. Children are supported by staff to respect and care for the equipment and environment. As a result, children happily tidy resources and thoroughly enjoy sweeping the floor. Even the younger children replace toys in boxes without prompting. Children thrive on the praise that they receive from staff for their positive behaviour.

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

• Staff ensure that they know their key children well. They use observations and information gathering from parents to accurately identify the children's starting points. Staff use this knowledge to create a curriculum specific to the needs of the children attending. They incorporate the children's interests into the provision in order to inspire engagement and learning. Staff provide challenging and progressive learning opportunities for all children.
• Children's independence is supported well. They learn self-care skills, such as washing hands and good hygiene. Children are encouraged in both rooms to become independent when putting coats on, progressing from being supported to being able to complete this independently. They enjoy taking responsibility for putting items to take home in their drawers and putting pictures out to dry. Children take turns to help staff prepare snack for the group.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents speak positively about the provider and feel well informed. Staff share children's progress with parents regularly. Parents feel listened to and involved in their children's development as staff share activity ideas for supporting children's learning at home. Parents feel their children's unique needs are met and that staff support the children's well-being.
• Children are given regular opportunities to learn about their local environment through walks. Staff stop and encourage children to observe the surroundings. They support children to recognise and explore differences which have occurred in the environment, such as the freezing of the water and the new blooms beginning to appear on the trees.
• Children have regular opportunities to cook. They are supported by staff to prepare healthy meals, which they then take home. Staff talk to children about healthy eating and oral health. Children are given recipe cards to take home so that they can enjoy the experience again with their parents.
• The manager actively promotes staff development to enrich practice. Staff are supported to access training around specific areas of interest, such as language and communication. They are also encouraged to acquire higher level training and qualify for designated roles. Staff feel valued by the manager and feel that their well-being is of high importance.
• Staff are confident in recognising when a child may need extra support. The key person works closely with the parents and the special educational needs coordinator to ensure that the child's needs are being met. Staff are dedicated in supporting children with achieving their best outcomes. Funding is spent directly on resources chosen to support the individual child's development.
• Children enjoy opportunities for outdoor play to develop their physical skills. However, staff do not always teach children successfully how to recognise and manage some risks to help them understand how their actions might affect their physical health.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to help children to recognise potential risks and gain a deeper understanding of the importance of safety measures.