St John's Playtime Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children readily leave their parents at the door and happily enter the pre-school. They are eager to explore the activities on offer. Staff use children's interests to plan a curriculum that supports children to become ready for their next stage of learning. This helps children to have a positive attitude to learning and take part in purposeful play. For example, when children enjoy playing with dolls, staff join in with their play, encouraging them to discuss how their dolls are feeling. This helps children mirror real-life relationships, which build on children's emotional awareness. Children generally behave well. They understand the daily routines well. Staff give children timely reminders when it is nearly time to tidy away for lunch. This helps children to bring their play to a satisfactory end and helps them to understand what comes next.

Staff plan experiences to help children gain an understanding of people, families and communities beyond their own. For example, they regularly visit the residents of the neighbouring care home and speak to the church parishioners. Staff help children to develop their listening skills. For instance, children join in with group action songs. They follow instructions to sequence patterns of movements as they reach for their head and shoulders and bend down to touch their knees and toes. Children thoroughly enjoy marching around the room, holding the hands of staff as they giggle together.

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

• The manager supports her staff team to implement strategies to manage children's behaviour. Staff provide children with regular reminders to use the pre-school's 'golden rules', such as 'walking feet'. However, they do not consistently reinforce and praise good behaviour or explain to children why the rules and boundaries are in place. This does not help children to understand what is expected from them or why their behaviour is inappropriate.
• Children enjoy plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills, both inside and outdoors. For example, they spend time digging in the sand in the garden and riding the wheeled toys up and down. Children use the indoor climbing frame and wooden balancing board to develop their core muscles. Staff plan a range of activities to help children use and strengthen the small muscles in their hands, such as scissors and malleable dough, to squash and squeeze. This helps children to develop their muscles in readiness for writing.
• Children are developing a love of books. Staff use props to help bring stories to life. This helps children to take an active part in the books staff read to them. Additionally, it helps them to maintain focus and encourages a love of reading. Staff talk to children as they play, asking them questions such as what they are doing. However, on occasions, some staff ask older children simple questions, such as the shape of the moon in a story, rather than questions that promote thought or conversation. This does not always challenge children's thinking.
• The manager provides a programme of support and training to assist staff in their roles and prioritises staff well-being. Staff report feeling well supported and morale is high. Although the manager observes staff practice, she does not give enough focus on helping them to enhance how they interact with children to fully extend their learning, particularly the most-able children.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress. Staff ensure that they regularly observe children to identify gaps in their learning. Staff work effectively with outside professionals and parents to help children achieve their next steps of development. Additional funding is used appropriately to meet the needs of the children. For example, to increase the number of adults working with children to provide them with the help they may need.
• Parent partnerships are a particular strength of the pre-school. The manager encourages parents to be part of their children's learning. Parents are invited to stay-and-play sessions. The manager has created a book-lending library for children to take books home to share with their families. Parents have access to home learning packs to support their children when there are key events in their lives, such as the birth of a new baby. Parents are complimentary about the support both they and their children receive, particularly when children require additional support.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently use positive praise to help children to recognise why rules and boundaries are in place
• strengthen staff interactions with children to further support language development and promote children's thinking
• provide staff with further support to develop consistently high-quality interactions to stretch and challenge children, especially the most able.