St Martin's Pre-School CIO

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are welcomed by enthusiastic, happy staff who show they are genuinely pleased to see them. Children make good progress at this pre-school, and this is thanks to the dedication and hard work of the leaders and staff, who have made a number of improvements since the last inspection. Staff value every child. They praise children's achievements and their largely positive behaviour through kind gestures, such as a thumbs up or by saying 'well done'.

A key strength of this setting is staff's willingness to let children explore their environment freely, move resources around, mix materials and make mess. As a result, many children show high levels of engagement in their chosen activities. For example, outside, children explore with shaving foam and water and then mix them to find out what happens next. Inside, children make models with clay. Staff encourage them to add water and talk about what it feels like as the clay gets 'slippery' and 'slidey'. Children then decide to make ramps and independently search the room for objects they could make ramps with to enhance their play.

Staff provide an inclusive setting. They make sure that all children benefit from a full range of learning experiences. For example, children take part in rugby sessions, music and movement sessions and walking to the post box to post letters. Staff welcome parents into the setting to read stories in their home languages. This promotes children's cultural capital.

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

• The management team, committee and staff have worked hard since the last inspection to implement positive changes to the setting. Risk assessments are more thorough, and staff have completed relevant training to enhance their knowledge and understanding of how children learn. A member of the leadership team has attended training in order to become an emotional literacy support assistant, and staff carry out peer-on-peer observations, which also helps to raise the quality of teaching.
• Thoughtful consideration has been given to the support for older children to become ready for school. For instance, the management team has improved relationships with the feeder school, resulting in children experiencing trips to the school's library and forest school. Children enjoy making hats with a picture of their new class name and proudly wear them. Staff plan yoga sessions to teach children calming and breathing exercises to help those who may be feeling anxious.
• Staff know the children very well and plan a varied curriculum where children can learn both inside and outside. Overall, staff organise the learning environments well. However, not all areas are consistently well resourced. For example, on the day of the inspection, a painting wall set up outside had no paint. Indoors, staff had set up numbered padlocks for children to find the corresponding keys and use their physical skills to open them. However, once unlocked, staff did not regularly set these back up for other children to have a go.
• Children are learning about healthy lifestyles. They all enjoy daily fresh air and physical play. Fresh drinking water is available, and hand hygiene practice is embedded into the routines of the day. Children bring in their own snacks and packed lunches, and staff work hard with parents to encourage healthy choices. Children enjoy talking to their friends about their lunch, comparing their fruit and vegetable choices.
• Staff remind children gently about the rules and boundaries of the setting and encourage children to be kind. Staff are keen to work with parents to establish how best to support children who struggle a little more with their behaviour. At times during the day, some children can become a little over excited, which disrupts the learning of other children. Staff are not always prompt in explaining to children how their actions can have an impact on others.
• Parents and committee members speak positively about changes to the pre-school since the last inspection. They say they receive more feedback about the activities their children have taken part in and get good information about their child's progress and next steps in their development. Parents welcome the hard work being put in by managers to support their children's transition to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consider the learning environments and activities inside and outside more thoroughly so that they are consistently well resourced to support children's play and learning
• enhance children's understanding of behaviour expectations to further develop their personal development and consideration of others.