St Eval Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the setting confidently. They know the routine and follow instructions well. Children hang their coats and bags up and find their names to register themselves present. They are kind and say 'please' and 'thank you' to each other. Children feel safe. They show this as they happily play alongside staff, who know them and their families well.

Children learn about what makes them unique. They know they are important. Staff ask children about their experiences outside of the setting. Children tell staff about a long journey they went on in a car. Staff expand on this information and recall what they did. They talk about how long it took to get there, developing children's understanding of time.

Staff collaborate with parents to establish children's starting points when they first enrol. Staff know what they want children to learn and what they need to do next. They share children's next steps of development with parents and review these regularly. Staff implement a well-designed curriculum based on the children's interests. For example, children are due to have their hair cut, so staff set up a hairdressing salon. Children pretend to cut each other's hair and look in the mirror. Staff help children to know what to expect when they have their first haircut.

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

• Staff teach children independence skills effectively. For example, children go to the bathroom and wash their hands before snack time. Staff give them a gold star to confirm that their hands are clean. Children collect a cup and spoon, choose their cereal and pour their own milk. Staff praise the children for being independent and for their 'good work'.
• Children broaden their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts well. They scoop and fill cups up with sand. Staff ask them, 'How many cups will fill up the pot?' Children estimate and guess. saying, 'three cups'. Staff count aloud alongside the children while they do this. Staff extend this act for slightly older children. They ask them to fill a slim, tall tube. This offers them challenge, and they begin to learn about capacity. Children have a positive attitude to learning.
• Children develop their overall physical development. They practise their balancing skills as they walk on small crates outside. Children are resilient. For example, if children fall, they quickly get back up and try again. Staff help them to gain the confidence they need and hold their hand as they walk on the crates. Children feel a great sense of pride when they master it without help from staff. This boosts their self-esteem.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make progress. They use strategies such as visual cards to help children to communicate. This helps children to ask for things and to know what is coming next. Staff share these strategies with parents. Parents value the support and advice they receive from staff on how to support their children's learning and development at home.
• Children play a listening game. Staff hide items in a box and ask the children to listen to the sound each item makes. Children enjoy the game. However, some children struggle to fully listen because of distractions. For example, staff read stories to other children nearby while they are trying to listen. Staff do not always organise activities to minimise distractions to enable children to develop their listening skills further.
• Staff play alongside children with dinosaurs and look at insects through a magnifying glass. Although children engage, staff do not strengthen children's communication and language skills effectively. For example, staff ask children questions one after the other. Staff do not always give children sufficient time to process their thoughts and respond before asking another question.
• Leaders work in close partnership with the local primary school. For example, during the summer term, children visit the school and have lunch in the canteen. This eases the transition many of the children will make and helps prepare them for their next stage in education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• organise children's activities effectively to minimise distractions and enable children to develop their listening skills further
• support children's communication and language skills further by, for example, giving them sufficient time to process their thoughts and respond to questions.