St John's Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a fun, safe and nurturing environment for children. Staff understand the importance of ensuring children's personal, social and emotional needs are met, and they prioritise this. Children demonstrate clear bonds with the staff, seeking staff out to play with and be close too. Staff talk to children about their emotional well-being and look at picture cards with children who speak English as an additional language. This enables staff to provide the right support for children throughout their day at the setting. Staff create bespoke settling-in timetables for all children. As a result, children settle quickly into the setting.

Staff use topics as well as children's interests to create a fun learning environment for all. Staff use familiar books to create activities to extend learning. Children become immersed in activities, spending long periods concentrating on them. For example, at the creative table, children glue and stick story sequence cards to the story of the week. Staff encourage children to identify the numbers on sheets as they add in the story pictures. Children proudly show off their completed activities to staff. This builds on their confidence and self-esteem. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and regularly remind them that 'sharing is caring'. As a result, children's behaviour is good. The setting has a clear routine, which is visually available to children, and this helps to create a calm environment.

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

• The provider has a good vision of what she wants the children to learn and places an emphasis on communication and language. The provider uses her knowledge of her cohort of children to create a curriculum based on children's interests as well as exposing them to opportunities that may not of otherwise had. However, staff do not always demonstrate their knowledge of the setting's vision, and this is not addressed by the provider.
• Children's physical development is well supported within the setting. When the weather outside is wet and they are unable to access the outside space, children have access to music and movement sessions. They enjoy moving their bodies in different ways, which supports their muscle development. In the main room, children access play dough. They are encouraged to squeeze and use their fingers to manipulate the play dough. This develops the muscles needed for early writing.
• Children learn about the people and the world around them through practical experiences. Staff create activities that support children to understand their own heritage and that of others. Children celebrate festivals, such as the festival of light, and build on the knowledge they already have.
• Staff regularly join children at activities and often wait to be invited into play. This encourages children to develop their play and social skills. Staff talk to children about their play, enhancing this and providing new ideas for children to think about. For example, staff play in the home corner and encourage them to pretend to make meals they may have at home. At other activities, staff engage in some conversations with children. However, this is not consistent. For those children with English as an additional language, or who choose not to speak, staff do not expose them to a language-rich environment. As a result, children do not always make the progress they should in their communication and language development.
• Parents speak positively about the setting and talk of the approachable staff team. Parents say they feel well supported by the staff and talk about how much their children love attending the setting. Parents receive regular updates about their children's progress and how they can support their learning and development at home.
• Staff speak highly of the support they receive from the provider. Staff have regular meetings with the provider. However, these do not always focus on staff development. Staff do not receive regular, focused training opportunities, which has an impact on their professional development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the use of staff training and supervision to increase staff's knowledge of the setting's vision and develop the quality of interactions with children
• help staff to develop consistency in the quality of their teaching and interactions to build on children's communication and language development.