St. Philips Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to come into this warm and nurturing environment. They are all made to feel welcome and are greeted with smiles. Staff have good relationships with parents and take the time to speak with them, meaning the children transition from home to nursery with ease. Parents speak very highly of the staff at this setting. They are impressed with how well the children settle and how much their children want to come to nursery each day.

The environment is well organised and the children have good relationships with adults. When they need comfort or reassurance, they approach staff for cuddles. Children enjoy a whole-group time each morning. All children are welcomed and they sing the 'I love you' song to their friends, smiling and joining in enthusiastically. Children are confident at singing and learning new songs. They are immersed in song throughout the day, with many opportunities to sing their own healthy eating song, familiar rhymes on the boat, or the alphabet song during small-group time.

Children feel like part of a family at this nursery. They show respect and kindness to one another as they hold hands during games, talk at snack time and paint together at the easel. They talk about where they are from and what languages they speak. Children who learn English as an additional language are making good progress and becoming confident communicators. Children behave well and respond positively to experiences. They have good manners and learn to cooperate with each other, sharing and taking turns.

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

• The manager has a clear and focused vision for the curriculum at the nursery. She makes good use of her varied experience. She reflects on practice and strategies obtained from training on healthy lifestyles, communication and language, and physical development, which has a positive impact on the provision.
• Staff feel valued and supported by their managers and stay at the setting for long periods of time. The manager monitors the staff and has a good relationship with her team. Staff engage in conversations about how to support children and are given the advice they need to put strategies into place.
• Managers have recognised how children's language and vocabulary have been impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. They place an emphasis on building children's language by introducing new vocabulary during circle times and building confidence in small-group work. Overall, children practise conversation skills and follow instructions from adults.
• Staff have high expectations of children and encourage them to be independent, asking questions and initiating conversation. For example, children ask for additional resources in the writing area to complete their task.
• Children have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles, which is embedded in teaching. In the home corner, children can name food groups and discuss what foods keep them healthy. They enjoy a range of healthy snacks, including home-made avocado dip.
• The staff know the children well. They find out what children know and can do when they arrive by observing them and meeting their parents. They have a well-planned settling-in process, which supports the understanding of children's interests and starting points. This means that staff identify needs early on and are able to support children from the beginning. Staff refer children to speech and language therapists and work alongside other professionals to ensure all children make progress.
• Staff communicate well with parents, and good-quality verbal feedback each day is appreciated. Parents value the weekly messages, phone calls, and monthly planning, which helps them to know and understand what their children are learning at nursery. They receive support and advice from staff regarding oral hygiene and language development.
• Pre-school children are independent and learning a range of skills. They are confident in recognising their names, early writing, using scissors and speaking in a group. Overall, the adult interactions build on what children already know and develop their thinking.
• Children make good progress in physical development. The environment is carefully planned to meet the needs of two-year-old children who are learning to climb stairs and older children who are negotiating space and balancing.
• The activities in the environment consider all areas of the curriculum and the age groups of the children. For example, the nursery provides puzzles with a range of difficulty and a variety of mark-making materials.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more staff support to improve interactions, making sure that questioning and conversation extends learning and strengthens children's knowledge and understanding even further.