St. Laurence Pre-school and Club 11 Ltd.

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly on arrival and show that they feel safe and secure in the welcoming environment. They make choices about which of the wide range of interesting activities to access. Children benefit from lovely, warm interactions with staff as they confidently approach them for support and praise, both of which staff give freely. Children's behaviour is good. They learn to take turns with equipment and resources. Staff provide scripts for children to use while they develop their communication skills, such as, 'Help me please'. Children are keen to talk about special events at home and share their ideas. For instance, younger children chat freely about their recent trips to the beach as they play in the sand.

Children learn about the world around them as staff encourage them to make observations. For instance, staff lie on the ground with children and discuss patterns and shapes they see in clouds. They talk about changes to the colours of leaves in the garden. Mathematics is skilfully interwoven through activities for all age groups. For example, children identify shapes from everyday items, such as spheres, ovals and rectangles. Children explain to visitors how they will make more shapes by cutting dough in half and describe lunch items as big, long and small.

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

• Parents are positive about the setting and staff, describing them as 'caring' and 'approachable'. They praise the quality of care their children receive. Parents comment on the speed at which their children settle and build strong relationships with the staff. They appreciate the regular information staff share about their children's learning and the lengths the staff went to during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, staff provided parents with activity ideas to share at home and sent videos of themselves reading stories and singing songs.
• The key-person system is extremely effective and staff have good knowledge of their children. They use information from their observations to guide their planning. Staff plan for children's individual interests and needs. For instance, staff collect information from parents about children's favourite toys and activities. They ensure these are available, both indoors and outdoors, while children are settling at the setting.
• Staff ensure communication and language are a strong focus in the setting. They plan small-group activities to promote children's listening and their attention. Staff sing rhymes and involve children in action songs. However, sometimes staff do not always leave children enough time to think about and respond to their questions before asking another question or answering themselves. As a result, staff do not fully support children's speaking or thinking skills.
• Staff make good use of communication tools to help support children who require extra help. For example, children who speak English as an additional language can access picture cards to make requests while they develop their vocabulary.
• Children enjoy listening to stories. Staff encourage children to comment on the illustrations and make predictions about events. They recognise the importance of reading to children and gradually increase the length of the stories throughout the year in preparation for school. Activities have books linked to a theme. This reinforces children's understanding that information can be gained from books and provides children with good opportunity to hear lots of words.
• Staff promote children's good health and encourage children to be physically active. For example, staff engage in ball games and construct obstacle courses outdoors. Children follow hygiene routines and understand the importance of washing their hands before eating. Staff talk with children about the importance of wearing hats on hot days to keep safe.
• The managers have a clear curriculum that is designed to help children develop the skills they need for the next stage in their education. They work closely with the local schools, to understand what reception teachers expect children to be able to do when they move on.
• The managers value their staff team and ensure training has a positive impact on children's learning and development. Recent training has enabled staff to tailor activities to support children's behaviour.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to give children the time they need to think about and respond to questions and discussions to help them to build on their thinking and speaking skills.