Stoke Holy Cross Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff focus on getting to know children and their families before they start pre-school. They offer home visits to build relationships and form attachments. Staff are warm and caring. If children become upset, staff provide comfort and reassurance. This supports their emotional well-being. Consequently, children feel safe and secure and quickly settle well into pre-school life.

Staff support children's imaginative play effectively. They join in sensitively and extend children's learning. For example, when children pretend to travel on a bus to the beach, staff provide ideas and suggestions such as eating ice creams and using the nearby sandpit to make sandcastles. Furthermore, staff revisit children's prior learning and provide activities that support children's literacy development. For instance, staff help children to recall the story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. They talk to them about the characters in the book and provide a tray of porridge oats, spoons and three different-sized bears and bowls, supporting their knowledge and understanding.

Staff support children to share and take turns. They use sand timers to help children understand the passing of time and when it will be their turn next. This helps children to manage their behaviour, develop patience and play cooperatively with others.

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

• Partnership with parents is good. Parents talk openly about the progress their children are making, particularly in communication and language. They share that their children 'come out with the most incredible extended sentences'. Regular assessments are undertaken and shared with parents to ensure they are kept informed of their children's development.
• Transitions to school for children are considered carefully in advance. Staff work well with local schools to help children be emotionally ready for the next stage in their education. Staff invite teaching staff into the pre-school to visit children before they start school. They provide information about children's interests and level of development to help them move on effectively.
• Children benefit from regular trips into the community and learn about the natural world. For example, they visit the local meadow to hunt for bugs and observe nature. Children learn about the life cycle of a butterfly and go to the meadow to release them into the wild. Furthermore, they enjoy accessing local facilities such as the library bus and field for sports days. Children develop a good understanding of the world around them and foster a strong sense of belonging within their community.
• Children's all-round physical health is assured. Children spend plenty of time outdoors each day, where they benefit from fresh air and regular exercise. Staff set up obstacle courses to help children develop their physical skills such as balancing, running and jumping. In addition, visits from the local dentist help children understand the importance of good oral health.
• Leaders are reflective and evaluate the pre-school accurately. They are passionate about driving improvements and supporting staff to develop their teaching skills continually. For example, they provide effective role modelling and coaching throughout the day. Leaders are focusing on helping staff to understand the importance of providing consequences for children's actions. This helps children behave well, and there is a consistent approach emerging in managing children's behaviour.
• Staff sit with children during mealtimes and supervise them well when they are eating. However, staff do not support children in developing their independence. For example, staff provide fruit that is already cut up, which does not provide opportunities for children to develop skills in using cutlery and self-serving. Children do not pour their own drinks or butter their own crackers. This reduces children's independence and opportunities to develop the skills they need to learn for their move on to school.
• Children access a broad and balanced curriculum, and staff have a good understanding of what they want children to learn. They plan exciting activities that children are eager to take part in. However, occasionally, staff do not successfully carry out what they have intended for children to learn next. Children do not always learn as much as they possibly could.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff support children to develop their independence further to support their move on to school
• support staff to develop the implementation of planned activities to reflect the identified learning intention for the children taking part.