Step Up Pre-School At Dilton Marsh

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time and have fun at this stimulating pre-school. They show a strong sense of belonging and are happy and confident. Staff develop close, affectionate bonds with the children and know them and their families well. Children show good social skills. They are kind and considerate to each other. For example, children readily help their friends if they are struggling and enjoy taking it in turns to push each other on the pre-school swing.

Children show a positive attitude to their learning. Younger children enjoy participating in exciting activities. They are keen to explore new textures as they play with model sea creatures in cornflour and water. Older children are focused and use good thinking skills to solve problems. For example, children work cooperatively to connect drainpipes together, to allow water to flow down into a bucket.

Although parents are not able to enter the pre-school building currently due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions, staff ensure that they are kept updated. Parents are happy with the contact they receive through the online system and verbally at drop-off and collection times outside the pre-school.

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

• Managers and staff have developed a broad curriculum that targets children's next steps in learning well. They have a good understanding of how to build on children's learning. For example, when promoting physical development, staff focus on developing younger children's arm muscles using larger movements, such as climbing. As children get older, they focus on more precise movements. Older children show good control using scissors and peeling stickers to put on their pictures.
• The staff foster good relationships with families. They recognise the importance of supporting parents as well as children. As a result, parental partnership is strong. Parents comment that the staff are approachable and friendly. Staff signpost parents to relevant facilities in the community that may offer further support.
• Staff join in well as children play. However, occasionally, staff do not ensure they position themselves at the children's level before engaging them in conversations and asking them questions. This does not fully support children who are developing their communication and language skills.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is strong. The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinators provide tailored support to meet children's individual needs and help them to make progress. Children benefit from the close partnership working with other professionals.
• The members of the management team are passionate about their roles and the expectations for the nursery. They lead their team well and have developed a culture of reflective practice to support staff to continue to develop their skills. However, professional development is not targeted as effectively, especially to support staff to understand when to extend and challenge older children in their learning.
• Children behave well. Staff act as positive role models and give children effective guidance and strategies to promote positive behaviour. For example, they provide children with sand timers to support them to develop an understanding of the need to take turns and share resources.
• Children are well prepared for their next stages in learning. Staff work in partnership with the local schools to ensure they share information and support the children effectively as they move on to school. Staff encourage children's independence through daily activities. For example, older children take care of their own self-care needs and independently choose their own activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff skills further, to help them engage children in conversations more readily and fully develop children's communication and language development
• focus professional development on improving staff knowledge and teaching, to extend and challenge older children in their learning and development.