St Columb Minor Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they feel safe and comfortable. They arrive happy and enter the rooms, giving their parents a brief 'bye' without looking backward. Children quickly find a friend or a familiar member of staff to play with and begin their day. Staff support children's emotional development effectively. They help children to make relationships with each other. Children are kind. For example, if pre-school-age children think a friend is sad, they tell the staff, 'I will look after them.'

There is an ambitious curriculum in place. Staff identify children's interests and plan learning experiences from these to further children's next steps of development. For example, staff notice that pre-school-age children enjoy playing with water. Staff set up a water tray with varied containers, tubes and syringes. Children are curious about how they work. They use the syringes to suck up water and slowly fill tubes. Staff use this as an opportunity to extend children's knowledge of volume and mathematical concepts. Children compare which containers hold more or less water.

The manager has made good improvements since the last inspection. For example, records are easily accessible and available to ensure the efficient management of the setting. Parents feel that information-sharing has greatly improved. Staff regularly share details with them on what their children are learning. Parents comment that their children make good progress, particularly in their language and number knowledge.

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

• Staff develop pre-school-age children's speech and communication effectively. They introduce a storybook of the week. Children enjoy wearing masks and re-enact the story in the role-play area. Later, they play a dancing game. Staff recall the story with them while they dance and widen the children's vocabulary. They ask them, 'Who can dance like the villain in our storybook?' Children remember the word 'villain' and move to the music like a wolf from the storybook.
• Babies build their core strength as they crawl up and down a small slide. Staff give encouragement and praise to babies learning to walk. Babies develop their balance and coordination skills in the garden as they take some steps. If they fall, they happily get back up and try again, demonstrating their resilience.
• Toddlers like to be independent. They put on dressing-up clothes themselves without asking for help and proudly tell staff, 'I did it.' Staff help pre-school-age children to become more independent. For example, children ask staff for help to put an apron on. Staff see if they can have a go first. Pre-school-age children follow the staff's instructions and show good levels of self-esteem when they succeed.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. They work closely with other professionals and implement strategies that help children to make progress. For example, staff use a visual timetable with children to help them understand what is coming next.
• Babies watch and listen to staff talking to them with interest. Although staff model new vocabulary, at times they do not encourage all babies to engage in back-and-forth 'conversations' to further develop their speech and language. For example, sometimes, staff do not always wait for babies to talk or babble back while speaking to them.
• Children know the rules and routines. They listen for the tap of the tambourine to signal it is time to tidy up and go outside. However, at times, staff do not organise routine tasks to reduce children's waiting times and to keep them focused in their learning. For example, older and younger children wait for an extended period until all their friends have their coats and shoes on before they can go outside. Some children disengage and lose focus on what they are doing.
• The manager provides ongoing professional development for staff. Recent training on how to support reading at home has enhanced children's love of books. However, staff in the toddler room do not always know what it is they want children to achieve, to challenge children and extend their learning further. For example, toddlers play with dough. Although toddlers enjoy this, staff are not clear on the intent of the activity and do not build on the toddlers' learning as well as they could.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• encourage babies to engage in back-and-forth 'conversations' to further develop their speech and language
• develop the staff organisation of routine tasks to reduce children's waiting times and keep them focused on their learning
• support and coach staff in the toddler room to develop their knowledge of what it is they want children to achieve, to challenge children and extend their learning further.