St Paul's Pre-School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff know children well and quickly identify each child's individual needs. Staff assess children carefully through observation and discussion. They use this information to plan targeted support at the appropriate time, making reasonable adjustments as required to help all children to participate fully in the curriculum. As a result, children feel understood and supported.

Leaders promote an inclusive environment for all children to thrive in. Staff work hard to remove any barriers to children's learning. For example, they expertly adapt their routine and resources so every child can fully engage. Staff work skilfully in partnership with families and external professionals to fully support and signpost families to supportive services. This enables them to provide individual support as necessary. This inclusive approach helps children and their families to feel capable and fully included.

Leaders support staff to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. For example, recent training on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has greatly helped staff to support families and make swift interventions.

Leaders use additional funding wisely. This helps to improve resources, support and opportunities for children with barriers to their learning and children with SEND. Leaders give excellent support to children known, or previously known, to social care. These children make positive progress and feel safe and supported.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have designed a clear and inclusive curriculum, with a focus on children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. It supports all children to build key skills as they move through different stages of learning. However, the curriculum is not yet fully embedded, and, on occasion, staff do not understand the intent of the curriculum fully. This sometimes prevents them from challenging children's learning to the highest levels so that all children make consistent progress across all areas of learning. Staff accurately assess children's starting points in their development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers in their learning are well supported.

Staff place a high importance on supporting all children with their communication and language development. They use aids, such as pictures and basic sign language, to support children who speak English as an additional language. Staff introduce vocabulary through story times and engaging activities. For example, they encourage children to make flatbread, talking about the ingredients and how the dough feels. Children talk of it feeling 'sticky' and know they need to add more flour. This supports children's mathematical knowledge and exploration skills.

Staff provide children with opportunities for physical development, including visits to a local meadow. Children talk fondly of how they like to walk there with their friends. Staff help children to develop their personal, social and emotional development by modelling appropriate behaviour, praising them warmly and listening to their ideas.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. They develop a sense of belonging in the pre-school due to the care they receive. Any gaps in children's learning are closed swiftly due to their participation in targeted sessions. Children benefit from an environment rich in language and enjoy joining in with interesting stories and songs. Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make progress in their communication and language development.

Children focus well on their play and demonstrate positive concentration and imagination skills. For example, they work together to pack a bag with desired resources as they pretend to go on holiday. Children laugh as they mimic going onto a plane and decide between them where they are flying to. Children make steady progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers in their learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff are positive role models and communicate boundaries clearly. They encourage children to use their manners and remind them to use 'kind hands' and friendly words. Consequently, children are generally well behaved and helpful towards their friends. For instance, they notice upset friends and run over to get them a tissue, telling them to 'wipe the tears'. Staff praise children regularly, which encourages them to make appropriate choices. This helps to create a peaceful and calm environment, where children feel valued.

Children demonstrate friendly relationships with staff and each other. For example, they work together to mix bubbles and water together to 'cook' in frying pans. Children show staff what they have made, and children smile broadly.

Staff know children well and adapt routines so everyone can take part. They make reasonable adjustments, such as moving resources around so younger children can reach them more easily. Children understand routines well and know what comes next in their day.

Parents and carers speak highly of the communication and support they receive. They report that their children are happy at the pre-school and speak about the staff at home. Leaders track children's attendance closely. They follow up unexplained absences promptly to maintain children's safety and wellbeing. Staff work cooperatively with parents to encourage regular attendance.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders support children's physical and emotional health. They promote the importance of oral hygiene and good health through discussion and various cooking activities, using fresh and healthy ingredients. Children independently chop fruit up for snack time, before enjoying it, saying how the apple is 'juicy'. Although the learning environment is generally well planned, the organisation for toileting does not consistently support children's privacy.

Children benefit from physical activity inside and outside. Staff teach children how to be patient and have positive social skills, such as using an egg timer to measure when it is their turn to play with a toy. Staff carefully support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, making relevant adaptations to help them be able to fully enjoy all the environment has to offer and not become overwhelmed. For example, they provide a dark tent to allow children to rest and relax as they see necessary.

Children demonstrate close and trusting relationships with staff, who are attentive to their needs. Children cuddle into staff who know them well and sit on their laps to listen to stories. They remind children of the need to pick up the books from the floor so they do not fall, and thank them for doing so. This helps children to feel safe, secure and valued at the pre-school.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The enthusiastic and energetic leaders inspire the staff team to provide well-planned learning opportunities for all children. Leaders understand what the pre-school does well. However, they do not ensure that the curriculum is fully embedded and understood by all staff.

Leaders regularly monitor the quality of teaching, offering support and training to raise teaching standards. Staff report that they feel leaders are supportive of their wellbeing and always listen to any concerns they may have. Professional development is high priority, and staff are able to identify their own training needs. Consequently, staff feel valued and motivated.

Leaders think carefully about the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who have had support from children's social care or those who face other barriers to their learning. Leaders and staff meet regularly to evaluate the impact of what they offer children and identify priorities for improvement. Leaders frequently reflect on the organisation of the environment to ensure that it meets the children's needs. They have identified that children are not always given adequate privacy when toileting, but have not yet come up with a solution.

Leaders and staff enthusiastically work in partnership with parents and carers and other professionals to secure the best care for their children. Parents also receive advice regarding topics such as potty training and cooking healthy snacks.