Stamford Brook Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently leave their parents at the front door, eager to start their day at this welcoming pre-school. Staff meet and greet the children with much enthusiasm. Children learn to recognise their name as they self-register, find their own coat pegs and wash their hands on arrival. Children explore the carefully planned activities set out for them. Staff consider children's interests and next steps in their learning. There is a big focus on communication and language. Staff discuss with confidence the progress that children have made.

Staff are highly skilled at adapting learning to challenge children and help them progress at their own pace. Staff involve all children, including children with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They incorporate the interests and skills children already have, enabling children to build on what they already know and can do. Children who have not attended the pre-school during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic show good progress. This includes those children who are ready for their transition on to school. Parents comment positively about how staff keep them informed and help the they receive from them. Children are happy, safe and form excellent relationships with all staff.

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

• The manager and staff have high expectations for all children to be ready for the next stage in their learning. They encourage children to be sociable, independent and confident. Children develop positive relationships with their friends and staff. Books are readily available and staff encourage reading by involving children in storytelling with puppets. Children are confident learners and build on their knowledge through play. However, there are times when staff could further extend children's understanding in their learning.
• Children remember their prior learning and use it in new ways. For instance, while filling containers with water, they remember a volcano activity that they enjoyed in the past. They describe how it exploded and overflowed. New and interesting language is a strong feature of how staff engage the children. While discussing snails seen outside, children and staff use words such as 'slimy' and 'sticky' with great delight and interest. As a result, children broaden and expand their vocabulary and understanding.
• Staff plan a range of challenging activities for children. Staff work hard to link children's existing knowledge to next steps in learning. This helps children to acquire the knowledge they need to progress. Recently, they have grown vegetables that they pick and eat at snack time. They learn about life cycles and foods they can eat to help promote their health and well-being.
• Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They expertly identify and support children who are learning to manage their own emotions. Children concentrate and engage well in their chosen task and keep trying. For example, children persevere until they have succeeded when using tweezers to pick up pasta shapes and count them. Staff positively encourage children to keep trying. This helps to build children's self-confidence and what they can achieve.
• Children are encouraged to consider each other's feelings and respect others. They take turns and share their dinosaurs with each other. Hygiene and cleanliness are a high priority. All children know to wash their hands at mealtimes and help to tidy up while staff clean tables. Children access toilet facilities independently and successfully.
• The manager ensures that staff have a manageable workload. Staff feel happy in their work and enjoy what they do. This is evident in how involved they are with the children. The manager ensures that staff have access to a range of relevant training. She undertakes regular supervisions and holds staff meetings to discuss planning and share practice.
• Parents speak very highly of the pre-school and the staff. They feel involved in and kept informed of their children's progress. They use different methods of communication, such as online messaging and telephone calls. Parents comment on how much progress their child makes and how children enjoy going to the pre-school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in maximising opportunities to extend children's learning in order to enable them to build on their knowledge and understanding further.