St. George's Pre-school Enfield Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a warm greeting to all children and their families at this friendly and welcoming pre-school. Children arrive happily and are quick to make choices about what they wish to play with. Staff involve themselves in child-led play to model language and enhance the learning. For example, children exploring bay leaves are encouraged to rip and smell them and discuss what they can be used for.

Relationships between staff and children are a strength of this pre-school. Staff offer warm and supportive interactions and have fun with the children, often making them laugh and smile. They listen and respond to everything children have to say and offer constant praise. Children clearly feel safe and secure, and this is demonstrated as they approach staff and freely express their ideas. Staff know each child in their care very well. They can confidently discuss the progress they have made and their next steps of learning. This supports all children to make good progress from their individual starting points.

Staff work as a team and communicate effectively with each other to deliver secure and predictable routines. They are consistent in their expectations of children and key rules are embedded. Staff are quick to notice any behaviour incidents and dedicate time to ensuring these have been managed effectively. As such, children know what is expected of them and the pre-school feels calm and purposeful.

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

• Leaders have designed a curriculum that prioritises developing the skills that children need to be ready for school. There is an appropriate focus placed on building communication and language skills. Staff model language constantly to children, asking questions to promote discussion and explaining new vocabulary at every opportunity. For example, staff make snack time a sociable and enjoyable activity in which they promote conversation around the table. Children make good progress with their language development over time.
• Leaders and staff work hard to provide children with real-life experiences. For example, staff take children on local outings to teach them about road safety or to buy their own fruit at the shops. Children enthusiastically talk about the butterflies they recently released. The manager has used additional funding to develop an engaging role-play area, giving children opportunities to role play experiences, such as going to the dentist. These experiences broaden children's understanding and curiosity about the world around them.
• Staff are skilled at keeping children engaged during group sessions. For example, story time is delivered at pace and with energy and enthusiasm that succeeds in keeping all children listening. However, planned sessions and activities are delivered to children of all ages and stages of development at the same time. This approach means that older children are sometimes not sufficiently challenged and are unable to ask questions or engage in discussions that they are capable of.
• Staff maintain a positive approach to understanding and managing children's behaviour. They are excellent role models of respectful and positive relationships. As such, children learn to treat each other with respect and to accept each other's ideas. For example, children line up chairs to make a pretend train, and then spend time together, happily engaged in this imaginative group play.
• Staff use multiple strategies to support children with a diverse range of needs. They understand the importance of keeping these strategies simple but using them consistently. For example, staff use objects to communicate changes in routine and visual resources to help children make choices or communicate basic needs. Staff speak several languages between them which provides invaluable support to families and children that are new to the pre-school. As such, this is a highly inclusive setting that provides a warm welcome to all.
• Leaders and staff work hard to engage parents, welcoming them into the pre-school each day, and offering support and advice as required. Parents and carers comment very highly of the pre-school, particularly how welcoming and supportive all staff are.
• The manager accurately identifies the strengths of the pre-school and areas she is keen to improve. She seeks out quality training for staff to ensure their continued development and to meet the needs of the children. Staff comment that they feel very well supported and part of a committed team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how to provide more challenge for older children to extend their learning further.