Stepping Stones of Scawby

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy to attend the pre-school. Staff greet children warmly, helping children to settle into their routines. These warm and nurturing interactions from staff help children to feel safe and secure and support their emotional well-being. Children behave well. Staff teach children lovely manners and are positive role models. Children demonstrate a wonderful knowledge of taking turns. When children disagree regarding whose turn it is, they independently choose to use timers to ensure everyone receives a fair turn.

The individual personalities and learning needs of all children are understood well by their key person and all staff. Staff use this knowledge well to plan an interesting and challenging programme of activities and experiences. They identify precisely what individual children need to learn next and provide activities to build on what they have already learned and understood. For example, staff support children with their word sounds as they place objects onto their corresponding sound. Younger children take part in small-group games to encourage their socialisation skills. This helps to ensure that children make good progress from their starting points.

Staff foster children's independence skills well. Children make independent choices in what they wish to do. They self-register as they arrive at the pre-school. Children help themselves to snacks and water, then place their dirty plates in the bowl for washing. This helps children to prepare for their next stage in education.

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

• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. For instance, they use repetition and repeat words back to children in the correct vocabulary. This enables children to hear and repeat the correct sounds. Staff carefully explain the meaning of words in a calm and clear voice. For example, as children join in their welcome time, children explain their rules and why they do this. However, sometimes, children are not given enough opportunities to listen and take part in storytelling. This means that opportunities to extend their growing vocabulary even further are missed.
• Staff introduce some simple mathematics into children's play. For example, they count and recognise to four on the electronic mathematics programme. However, staff do not consistently introduce number and mathematical concepts into children play. This limits children's opportunities to practise and develop their mathematical knowledge and understanding.
• Staff support children's physical development very well. They provide a wealth of opportunities for children to be physically active, while also developing their imaginative play experiences in the outdoor area. Children wave pom- poms as then create a show on the stage. They kick a ball backwards and forwards and ride their bicycles and cars. Children make wonderful progress with developing their physical skills.
• Staff thoughtfully use additional funding to close any gaps children may have in their learning and development. This is regularly evaluated to ensure children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning and development.
• The support for children with a SEND is wonderful. This is due to the work of the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and the staff team. The SENCo works tirelessly to ensure that children's needs are met through group or individual interventions. Support from external agencies is implemented in a timely manner. Children's achievements, no matter how small, are continually encouraged and celebrated.
• Staff work in partnership with parents to ensure parents receive up-to-date information regarding their child's routines and development. Parents value the settling-in process that helps them to be confident about their child's well-being and knowledge of staff prior to leaving their children.
• Staff work exceptionally well together. They have daily meetings to make sure all staff are familiar with children's needs and their welfare. Staff attend regular training to ensure their skills and knowledge are up to date. The management team supports the manager well to help ensure that children are offered the best possible experiences to support their learning and development.
• The pre-school works well with the on-site primary school. This helps children gain the necessary skills and knowledge for a positive transition to the next stage in their education. For example, children can talk across the shared fence with the teachers and pupils. Pre-school children attend concerts and school events. This helps children settle quickly when they move on to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend children's language and vocabulary skills further, such as through storytelling, songs and rhymes
• provide more opportunities for children to practise counting and mathematical concepts in everyday play.