St Matthew's High Brooms Pre-school CIO

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a setting that children thoroughly enjoy. The key-person approach is well embedded. Staff have a detailed understanding of children's emotional and developmental needs. For example, staff know when children need gentle guidance and very swiftly put support in place for them to maintain their high levels of well-being. Staff help children to develop close and nurturing relationships with their peers and enjoy each other's company. For instance, older children have a strong awareness of the needs of the younger children and are patient and very caring. Children become easily engrossed in play and are highly motivated learners. For example, children sit and play very well together to build tall towers with building blocks. They negotiate and take turns excellently. This demonstrates the respectful and incredibly calm environment staff create for children.

Staff enable children to access a broad and ambitious curriculum at this inclusive setting. For example, staff learn about children's experiences at home and help to extend on what children know and can do. Additional funding is used well to build on children's experiences. For instance, children enjoy additional sports coaching sessions to help focus their listening and attention skills in addition to the physical development benefits.

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

• Staff receive good support to fulfil their job roles. Staff report high levels of well-being and support from leaders. For example, staff share that there is an open and supportive culture where they feel valued. As a team, staff discuss training and consider any developments that they can implement into the setting. Children remain at the centre of everything staff do.
• All children make good progress in their learning and development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities thrive. Staff have an excellent understanding of how to view the setting from a child's perspective. This has given them a valuable insight into how to support each child's specific needs with an outstanding impact.
• Staff are excellent role models for children. They show how to respectfully speak to other people and value their opinions. For example, staff skilfully create discussions between children about their favourite stories, and they actively participate and listen to each other. As a result, children learn to be kind and caring and value friendships with children and adults.
• Staff skilfully support children's communication and language development with great success. Children of all abilities have opportunities for their skills to be nurtured over time. For instance, staff show an acute interest when children initiate discussions. Staff use probing questions to extend conversations, which encourages children to further describe and articulate their point.
• Staff ensure that children have good opportunities to play outside. For example, children radiate excitement and enjoyment as they squeal with laughter during water play. Staff help children to learn what is the appropriate clothing to wear outside. For instance, they encourage children to explore how the weather might feel before deciding on what they should choose to wear. This helps children to learn to make choices for themselves and helps them to be well prepared for their transition to school.
• Children learn about the changes in their body as a result of exercise, to support their overall understanding of their own physical development. For example, staff encourage children to rest their hands on their hearts to feel it beating before and after a physical movement session. Children enjoy learning about how to slow their breathing down by taking big breaths at the end of the session. Staff fully recognise the importance of teaching children about their personal privacy, but this is not fully reflected in the organisation of the environment, for example the location of nappy changing units.
• Partnerships with parents are good. For example, staff ensure that parents have the opportunity to regularly meet with them to discuss their child's development. Parents share that their children are very happy and that staff go above and beyond to support their children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the organisation of the environment to more effectively support staff in their aims to promote children's understanding of privacy during personal care times.