St Wilfrid's Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff offer children and parents a friendly welcome when they arrive each morning. Children confidently wave goodbye to their parents and eagerly anticipate what exciting activities and tasks await them. Children are happy and reassured by the positive relationships they share with gentle and caring staff. Staff create a calm atmosphere throughout the pre-school, where children have fun. Children frequently laugh and staff use humour to engage them in their learning. For instance, children giggle as they play with dough and smile with excitement as they run outside. Children behave well and enjoy the company of peers. Friendships blossom and children are settled, happy and content.

Children develop good early literacy skills. They begin to recognise their name when they locate name-cards each morning at registration. Children practise writing their own names, to label artwork they create. They learn that print carries meaning as they decode story books, using images and illustrations. A love of literacy is further reinforced as children select books from the on-site library to read at home. Literacy is a core element of the curriculum and children learn this skill in age-appropriate, enjoyable ways. Older children count in sequence, while younger children recognise numbers. They develop good mathematical skills, practising their number work through hands-on play. For instance, children join in familiar number songs during carpet time. They use the rhythm and repetition of the song to learn and recite number sequences. Children have regular opportunities to be physically active. They practise balance, coordination and core strength during weekly physical education lessons. Furthermore, this helps to promote children's good physical health, through movement and exercise. Overall, children experience a varied and exciting curriculum. All children are well supported to make good progress.

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

• The curriculum is well sequenced and all new learning is based on a secure foundation of prior knowledge. Furthermore, children are provided with plenty of scope to practise what they already know and test and try new things. Children make good all-round progress.
• Staff have high expectations of children and frequently challenge them as they play. Activities progressively develop in complexity, which extends children's knowledge and skills. For instance, children are challenged to solve a complicated jigsaw puzzle. They are offered frequent praise and lots of encouragement until they eventually succeed.
• The pre-school is led by an experienced committee and dedicated manager. Leaders show aspiration and drive to continually improve. They know what they do well and take time to reflect, which helps to raise standards even more. Good leadership in turn helps to promote good standards in the pre-school.
• Strong teamwork is a core strength of the pre-school. Staff share responsibilities, delegate tasks and work very well as a team. Collectively, staff maintain a respectful relationship. As a consequence of this excellent teamwork, children's needs are quickly met and good standards are consistently maintained.
• Staff recognise the value and importance of working in partnership with parents and other professionals. To illustrate, staff work hard to develop respectful relationships with teachers and senior staff from the host school. This helps to ensure that children make a smooth transition on to school when the time comes.
• Staff provide plenty of narration and ongoing dialogue as children play. They introduce new words to help to extend children's emerging vocabulary. Children make good progress in their communication skills. However, at times, staff interactions provide less-frequent opportunities for children to join in two-way discussion and practise their conversational skills.
• Children enjoy a good mix of adult-planned activities and self-chosen games. However, during group activities, staff do not always encourage less-confident children to express or explore their ideas.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's teaching skills to provide children with even more opportunities to engage in discussion and practise their conversational skills as they play
• improve the organisation of group activities to ensure that all children benefit fully from the quality teaching available.