Stanion Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children make good progress at this friendly pre-school. They become deeply engaged in high-quality learning opportunities, both indoors and in the extensive garden areas. For example, children delight at exploring sensory play in their outdoor kitchen. They use different herbs and flowers to create special 'cakes' for their friends.

Children demonstrate high levels of curiosity when exploring their environment. Staff ask thought-provoking questions and support children to reach their own conclusions. For example, children discover an unusual insect in their 'bug hotel'. Staff encourage them to describe its unusual features. Children dash excitedly to their noticeboard and use their observations to identify the insect.

Children of all abilities receive high-quality learning experiences that support their individual needs. Staff interact well with children during activities, adapting their approach to meet each child's specific needs. For example, a large group of children explore a farm shop activity. Staff encourage young children to count potatoes into their shopping bags. Together with staff, they explore the textures of various vegetables. Staff model new vocabulary when describing the 'bumpy' cauliflower and 'fuzzy' beans. Older children carry out more challenging tasks, with staff's support. They weigh out vegetables, identify numbers on the scales and calculate how much their shopping will cost.

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

• Children behave well in the pre-school. They are kind to one another and follow the setting's rules well. Staff implement highly effective strategies to support children's understanding of the need to play cooperatively. For example, children independently use sand timers and a register system to monitor the time they spend exploring popular activities.
• Children's transitions are well planned and executed. Staff engage exceptionally well with the local primary school. They work together with teaching staff to create unique transition plans to meet the specific needs of individual children. New children settle swiftly in the pre-school and are sensitively introduced to their new routines from the start. For example, children attending their first session are supported to follow snack time routines. They pour their own drinks, prepare their snacks and tidy away afterwards.
• Relationships between staff and parents are of a high standard. Parents take an active role in supporting the pre-school. They use their skills and knowledge to support children's learning. For example, parents help maintain the garden area, sharing their expertise with children. Parents are complimentary about the nurturing care staff provide. They acknowledge how this supports children's well-being and progress.
• Staff place sharp focus on developing children's communication skills. They provide additional learning opportunities for children who need more support. For example, staff conduct daily small-group story sessions. Children use props and puppets to explore new sounds and extend their vocabulary.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive high levels of support. The manager demonstrates great integrity when distributing additional funding. She ensures that all children have access to equal learning opportunities in the pre-school. The manager and staff work closely with other professionals to support children with SEND. They share detailed assessments and observations as well as seeking ideas and advice. This enables pre-school staff to further support children's progression.
• Staff interact well with children throughout the day. They support children's learning and development and their understanding of appropriate behaviour. For example, children know they must tidy toys away so they do not get lost or broken. Staff turn this routine into a game that supports children to identify initial sounds in words. However, the same high-quality interactions between staff and children are not consistently observed during lunchtime routines.
• The manager is committed to supporting the progression and well-being of all staff. She conducts regular supervisions to evaluate staff performance and identify areas for improvement. The manager actively encourages staff to seek out training opportunities to support their knowledge and development. However, the manager does not consistently use such robust methods of evaluation to identify ways to enhance other areas of her practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance current mealtime routines to provide opportunities that further support children's learning and development
• establish more robust methods of self-evaluation to support the manager and team to raise the quality of practice to an exceptionally high standard.