St Vincents Preschool Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children get a wonderful start to their education at this pre-school. They are happy and settled in the safe environment. Changes due to COVID-19 mean that parents no longer routinely enter the pre-school building. This does not hinder children's confidence when they arrive. They are keen and eager to immerse themselves in play. Children have lovely relationships with staff and with their friends. They have learned about the importance of sharing, turn taking and being kind. Children understand the rules and boundaries and what is expected of them. Their excellent behaviour contributes to the calm environment.

Physical development is a real strength at the pre-school. Children have lots of opportunities to exercise their large muscles in the outdoor area. They develop good balance and coordination as they carefully navigate the balance beams independently. Staff understand that supporting children's large-muscle development in turn helps to strengthen their smaller muscles. This prepares children for the next stage in their learning, such as early writing.

Children show good levels of independence. They make choices at snack time, pour their own drinks and wash their own hands. Children are quickly developing important skills they need for school.

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

• The manager is skilled and knowledgeable. She has a good understanding of the different ways that children learn. The curriculum is broad and provides children with a range of interesting learning opportunities. However, on some occasions the curriculum intent is not specific enough. This means not all activities build on children's prior knowledge and focus sharply on what they need to learn next.
• The manager and her staff get to know children and families very well. They offer an abundance of help and support, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The use of additional funding is well thought out and specific to children's individual needs. For instance, the manager has invested heavily in resources to support children's communication and language development. This helps to ensure that all children make good progress in their learning and that gaps in attainment are narrowed.
• Older children become deeply engrossed when making various animals using dough. They skilfully use scissors with a great degree of precision, to cut out different shapes. Children are confident communicators. They proudly talk about their creations and explain the different features they have made. Children are developing good levels of engagement and a positive attitude to learning.
• Key-person systems are well embedded. The long-standing staff team is caring and nurturing. Children have formed friendly, trusting bonds with staff. High- quality, sensitive interactions help to support children's emotional well-being and ensure they feel respected and valued.
• The pre-school is well integrated into the local community. Children develop their mathematical skills when purchasing food from the local shops. They learn how to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers at their nearby allotment. Children benefit from taking part in community events, such as flower shows. Staff teach children to be tolerant and accepting of people who may be different to themselves. Children are learning about the world in which they live and preparing for life in modern Britain.
• Partnership working, particularly with the adjoining school, is strong. The manager and her staff work tirelessly to ensure that children's move to Reception is seamless. Children have regular visits to the school and are familiar with the staff and routines. Ongoing feedback between pre-school staff and school staff ensures continuity of care and learning for all children.
• The manager places high priority on staff well-being. She has regular meetings to ensure staff are happy and feel supported in their role. New staff receive an in-depth induction and benefit from a 'buddy' system to help them to become familiar with the procedures. Staff have lots of opportunities to access training to extend their knowledge and skills. However, they do not always receive accurate feedback to improve their practice even further. Consequently, there are some minor weaknesses in the quality of education. For instance, not all staff recognise when they need to sequence children's learning differently or challenge most-able children even further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• sharpen the intent of the curriculum so that it focuses more specifically on what children need to learn next
• provide staff with accurate feedback to help them to raise the quality of education to the highest level.