St Mary's Pre-school Shortlands

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide an extremely welcoming and nurturing environment where children thrive and make good progress. Children demonstrate they are keen to attend and arrive ready to enjoy their time at pre-school. Staff get to know children well from the beginning and are attentive to their needs. This helps children form strong bonds with their key person and feel safe and secure. Staff provide an ambitious and varied curriculum which takes account of children's interests and individual needs. They have high expectations for all children, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff ensure all children receive the support they need to develop new knowledge and skills to prepare them for future learning.

Staff inspire children to be independent and try things for themselves. For example, some children try using scissors for the first time. Staff provide demonstrations, support and encouragement. Children show a positive attitude to their learning. They respond well to praise which raises their self-esteem. Children proudly show staff their achievements. Other children work together to make play dough. They listen well to instructions, follow a recipe and share equipment. Children add ingredients, count and measure, which develops their understanding of mathematical concepts further.

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

• Staff plan a well-sequenced curriculum which includes all areas of learning. They provide a range of exciting and challenging activities to build on children's knowledge. Staff recap on previous learning and introduce first-hand experiences that support children to practise and extend their skills. They use observations and assessments to ensure children are making good progress and identify any gaps in learning. Timely referrals are made to support children who need extra help.
• Staff are enthusiastic and promote children's communication and language skills well. Staff engage children in conversations and speak clearly. They repeat words and effectively support children who have communication needs or speak English as an additional language. Staff provide commentary, introduce new vocabulary and ask meaningful questions. This helps children to learn new words and extend their sentences.
• Parents speak extremely highly of the staff and service they provide. Parents feel very supported and involved in their children's learning, this includes referrals to provide extra support. Parents know their children's next steps and receive ideas to continue learning at home. Parents describe staff as kind and caring and knowing their children extremely well. They state children have made good progress with their language skills, confidence and independence.
• Staff are proactive in promoting children's well-being and healthy lifestyles. They have introduced extra physical activities, including yoga. This is having a calming effect on children and helping them prepare for their learning. Children serve themselves fruit and vegetables for snack using tongs which improves their fine motor skills. Children practise good hygiene routines and understand the importance of oral health.
• Staff role model expected behaviour. They use praise and encouragement and reinforce good manners. Staff use opportunities to talk to children about safety. Children regularly make choices and vote. This helps them to learn about different emotions and build resilience. However, times when children move between activities and tidy-up time are less organised and some children become distracted.
• Diversity and inclusion is embedded in practice. Children learn about other cultures and faiths. They learn about festivals which increases their knowledge about the wider world. Children visit a local care home to sing with the older generation which develops their social skills. Strong links have been made with local schools to support children when they move on in the learning.
• The leader ensures staff have regular supervision sessions. They work towards targets and gain knowledge to help them progress. The leader has addressed the previous recommendation and has plans to make further improvements. Staff feel the leader is very supportive of their well-being. Together they review their practice and seek views from parents. The staff team work cohesively and are passionate about providing high quality care and education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen routines at times when children move between activities to ensure all children are engaged and continue learning.